Invoice automation: the draft builds itself, the approval stays with you
Invoice automation is a workflow that builds invoice drafts from order, delivery or contract records and sends approved ones to the accounting software. A person makes every approval. ALTAI Digital does not issue invoices. We do not replace your accountant or your accounting software, such as Xero, Exact or QuickBooks. The flow reads data from your CRM or spreadsheets and puts each draft in an approval queue. Approved records move on by API where available, otherwise by a bridge. Payment reminders and supplier invoices run in the same flow.
In many small businesses, invoicing is a second job that starts when the real work ends. The order sits in the CRM or a spreadsheet. The delivery note is in an e-mail, and the contract is in a shared folder. At month end someone opens all three and types the figures into the accounting software. A client's company name is spelled two ways, and a VAT number is missing in one place. A finished job slips through without an invoice, and nobody notices. The problem is not care. The data lives in three places and is carried between them by hand.
Invoice automation joins that carrying work into one flow. When an order, delivery or contract record changes, an invoice draft is built from it. Amount, quantity, client name, VAT details and due date are read from the source, never retyped. The draft waits in an approval queue until an authorised person approves it. The approved record then moves into your accounting software, such as Xero, Exact or QuickBooks. It is connected by API where available, otherwise by a bridge. The invoice itself is issued there, just as you issue it today. After that, the flow follows payment.
The limits of the build are written down from the start. In the UK, HMRC's Making Tax Digital asks for VAT records to be kept digitally and VAT returns to be filed through compatible software. In the Netherlands and across the EU, the Peppol network is used for e-invoicing. It is common among suppliers that invoice the public sector. ALTAI Digital does not issue invoices or file VAT returns for you. Which rules apply to your business is a question for your accountant. The flow does not change that answer. It makes sure the data reaching each invoice is correct, complete and approved.
The same flow handles incoming invoices. A supplier invoice that arrives by e-mail or in a shared folder is read. Supplier, amount, VAT and due date are extracted and linked to the matching order or supplier record. A field that cannot be read is left blank and flagged; the system does not guess. Invoices carry names and addresses, which are personal data under the GDPR. This page covers the scope of the build, the steps and the questions we hear most. We work from Rotterdam and Istanbul, and pricing follows the discovery call.
What goes wrong today
- 01
Invoice data is retyped by hand
The order is in the CRM, the delivery note in an e-mail, the contract in a folder. Each one is opened and retyped into the accounting software. Every retyping can carry a wrong amount, company name or VAT number. The error usually surfaces when the client queries the invoice.
- 02
A finished job never gets invoiced
Work is delivered, but no invoice goes out. The person who knows about the delivery forgets to tell the person who invoices, or is on leave that week. The gap shows up at month end, or never. Because deliveries and invoices are counted in different places, nobody knows the loss.
- 03
Missing details are found after sending
An invoice leaves without a purchase order number, a VAT number or the right address. The client's accounts payable team sends it back. Correcting it costs both sides time. Nothing records which invoice left with which gap, so the same mistake comes back next month.
- 04
Payment chasing depends on memory
Overdue invoices sit in a spreadsheet or an aged debtors report. A reminder goes out when someone opens that report. In a busy month nobody does, and the debt waits another month. Nobody can say which client received how many reminders, or when.
- 05
Supplier invoices get lost in the inbox
Incoming invoices pile up in an inbox, a shared folder or on a desk. Which ones are booked and which are paid has to be asked each time. At month end the accountant asks for a missing invoice, and the search begins. Meanwhile a payment date can slip.
- 06
Every VAT return starts with a scramble
Before each VAT return, sales invoices, supplier invoices and payments are pulled from three places and compared. A figure that does not match sends someone back through e-mails and folders. The close drags on, and the same scramble returns with the next return.
Scope of the build
Invoice drafts built from the source
When an order, delivery or contract record changes, an invoice draft is built from it. Which record starts a draft is agreed in discovery week. Amount, quantity, client name, VAT details and due date come from the CRM or spreadsheet, never retyped. A field with no source is left blank and flagged.
Approval queue and approval record
Every draft lands in the approval queue first. An authorised person opens it, checks it, and approves it or sends it back. Who approved which version, and when, is recorded, and older versions are kept. Your existing Word or Drive templates are used as they are. Nothing unapproved moves on.
Transfer to your accounting software
Approved records move into the accounting software you already use, such as Xero, Exact or QuickBooks. Where the software offers an API, the link runs through it. Where it does not, we build a bridge: an export file, a database read or an on-screen flow. The invoice is still issued in your software.
Payment tracking and reminders
Each issued invoice is followed to its due date. When payment is recorded in the accounting software or in Stripe, the invoice shows as closed. Invoices nearing or past their due date sit on one list. Reminder wording, timing and channel follow your rules, and each reminder can wait for approval first.
Supplier invoices linked to records
Supplier invoices that arrive by e-mail or in a shared folder are read. Supplier, amount, VAT and due date are extracted. Each invoice is linked to the matching order or supplier record. A field that cannot be read stays flagged and goes to the person who checks it.
A log for every transfer, and an error queue
Every transfer is written to a log with its time. A failed transfer does not go quiet: it enters a queue, triggers an alert and is retried. If it fails again, the flow stops and the person responsible is told. Flows run in your account or on your server and come with documentation.
Monthly report
Each month the report shows approved drafts, overdue invoices, the transfer success rate and pending errors. It can go to your accountant with the month-end file. When a rule changes, its effect shows in the next report rather than in a guess.
How the build runs
- 01
Discovery (1 week)
We write down which data each invoice comes from today, who handles it and in which software. A source of truth is chosen for each data type, and approval rights are set.
- 02
Build
We start with the two systems where the most data is carried by hand. Draft rules are written. The link to your accounting software is built by API or by a bridge.
- 03
Trial
Test drafts are built from real records and pass through the approval queue. Transfers, missing-field flags and reminders are tried with your team, and with your accountant if you wish.
- 04
Launch and monthly report
The first live flow opens within four to eight weeks. Approved drafts, overdue invoices, the transfer success rate and pending errors are reported every month.
Products used in this build
Document and report generation
Proposals, contracts, listing copy and monthly reports are produced from your template, with your data.
Integrations
Your existing systems get connected; data is not carried by hand and not kept in two places.
Workflow automation
Repeating processes run in the background; the process picks the tool, and a failure does not stay quiet.
CRM and customer management
The customer record gathers in one place: duplicates merge, required fields are defined, the report comes out on its own.
Terms used on this page
- Making Tax Digital
- Making Tax Digital is the HMRC programme that asks for VAT records to be kept digitally and returns filed through compatible software.
- Peppol
- Peppol is the network used for e-invoicing in the Netherlands and across the EU, common among suppliers that send invoices to the public sector.
- Accounts payable
- Accounts payable is the set of supplier invoices a business has received and still has to check, book and pay.
- Approval queue
- An approval queue is the list where invoice drafts wait for an authorised person before they reach the accounting software, with every decision recorded.
- Source of truth
- A source of truth is the single system whose data counts as correct for one data type, chosen in discovery.
invoice automationFrequently asked questions
Invoice automation is a workflow that builds invoice drafts from a business's own data and passes them to the accounting software after approval. An order, delivery or contract record starts the draft. Figures come from the CRM or a spreadsheet, not from retyping. A person makes the approval decision. The flow also follows payments and incoming supplier invoices.
No. ALTAI Digital does not issue invoices or file VAT returns, and it does not replace your accountant. The flow prepares each invoice draft and puts it up for approval. Approved records go to the accounting software or e-invoicing provider you already use. The invoice is issued there, the way you issue it today.
No. Your accounting software, CRM and ERP stay where they are. Software such as Xero, Exact or QuickBooks is connected by API where one is available. Where there is no API, we build a bridge: an export file, a database read or an on-screen flow. The discovery report states which method applies before any build starts.
Making Tax Digital asks for VAT records to be kept digitally and VAT returns to be filed through compatible software. The flow does not file anything with HMRC. It feeds approved, complete records into your accounting software, which handles the return. Which obligations apply to your business is a question for your accountant.
Peppol is the network used for e-invoicing in the Netherlands and across the EU, and it is common among public-sector suppliers. The flow does not send invoices over Peppol itself. Approved records go to your accounting software or e-invoicing provider, which does the sending. The build follows the route you already use.
Yes. Supplier invoices that arrive by e-mail or in a shared folder are read. Supplier, amount, VAT and due date are extracted and linked to the matching order or supplier record. A field that cannot be read stays blank and flagged. The system does not guess; a person checks every flagged field.
Discovery takes one week. In that week we map the data sources, the approval rights and the systems to connect. The first live flow opens within four to eight weeks. The time depends on how many systems are connected and whether they offer an API. Your own schedule is written in the discovery report.
Flows run in your account or on your server and come with documentation. If data must stay on your own server, we use n8n, which runs there and keeps the data in place. Invoices carry names and addresses, which are personal data under the GDPR. Every approval and every transfer appears in the log.
The process first, the proposal after
In a short discovery call we map the process together and tell you plainly whether it is worth automating. If it is not, we say that too.
30 minutes · no preparation needed
