Manual invoice processing in SharePoint often feels overwhelming, with repetitive steps and room for error. But there’s a smarter way to handle it—one that simplifies workflows and boosts efficiency.
For many enterprises, managing invoices remains a labor-intensive process, with employees manually uploading files, looking for key details, and populating fields in SharePoint. This repetitive workflow often leads to inefficiencies, errors, and frustration, particularly when handling large volumes of invoices. But automation can turn this cumbersome process into an effortless, streamlined system.
In a recent webinar, we explored how AI-driven tools and Microsoft Power Automate can automate invoice processing, making manual entry a thing of the past. Using a clear workflow, we demonstrated how to process metadata from invoices and seamlessly update SharePoint libraries—all with minimal manual effort.
Traditionally, handling invoices involves multiple steps:
This process is not very time-intensive as well as prone to errors, especially when teams are managing dozens or even hundreds of invoices daily. Inconsistent metadata entry can lead to disorganized records, delayed payments, and costly mistakes.
With AI and Power Automate, businesses can automate the entire workflow, from receiving an invoice to updating SharePoint. Here’s how it works:
The first step is to create a process template that tells the AI system what information to process from invoices. This ensures consistency and accuracy in metadata handling. Fields such as:
are added to the template, matching SharePoint’s column names exactly. This alignment ensures smooth integration and prevents errors.
Once the process template is set, the invoice is uploaded to the AI platform. The system processes the defined metadata and generates two files:
This JSON file provides a blueprint for Power Automate, mapping metadata to specific SharePoint fields.
With the help of Power Automate, the workflow comes to life. The flow performs the following tasks:
From this point forward, the system operates autonomously. The only manual task is forwarding the invoice email to the AI system’s unique connector email.
During the webinar, we tested the setup in real-time:
This demonstration showcased the speed, accuracy, and reliability of the automated workflow, highlighting how it simplifies what was once a tedious task.
You can watch the video bellow to see the full step by step tutorial:
Automating invoice processing delivers tangible benefits, including:
According to McKinsey, businesses that adopt automation for document processing see a 30-50% improvement in operational efficiency, making it a critical tool for organizations looking to optimize workflows.
By combining AI-powered metadata processing with Power Automate’s seamless integration capabilities, businesses can transform their invoice processing workflows. This automated system eliminates manual entry, reduces errors, and allows teams to focus on higher-value tasks.
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