UiPath implementation for a US-based cooperative to automate invoice management

Challenge

Our client needed to move invoices from receipt to payment, ensuring that legitimate, accurate, and validated invoices were identified for payment. This was a process managed by a human daily. The invoices submitted by members through a portal would be manually downloaded and examined using complex business rules before being moved to their destination folders (matched with PO, disputed, routed for review/approval, and then posted to the accounts payable team for remittance to be made to the member). This was a repetitive, time-consuming process with a high error rate. The errors would cascade into payment delays, affecting the small farmers who relied on the payments for their day-to-day operations. On average,  20% of invoices were paid late. Many farmers would spend up to 10 days following up for late or wrongly denied payments.

In addition, duplicate payments would be made accidentally, while some invoices that did not meet business rules would slip through the manual examination process and get paid. Overall, the error rate was 2 in 4 invoices between late, wrong, and duplicate payments.

“By streamlining processes and reducing the need for human labor, we created a more efficient system for bringing organic products to market. This helped our client meet the growing demand for organic products, making them more accessible to consumers worldwide. Being part of this project gave Marlabs an opportunity to explore the potential of Automation in the organic produce landscape. We worked alongside some of the brightest minds in the industry and witnessed firsthand how automation can transform the organic market for the better. One of the most rewarding aspects of the project was seeing the positive impact automation can have on farmers. From developing new technologies to optimizing existing processes, the project challenged us to think creatively and strategically.”

Solution

The Marlabs team examined the workflow and the business rules of the client. It then implemented UiPath to automate and orchestrate the workflow. The Marlabs solution completes the entire task, from downloading the invoices to filtering them by applying business rules and moving invoices to the right destination folders.

The process is fully automated with zero human intervention. The new invoice management process eliminates inaccuracies and delays and is completed within a scheduled time.

The solution is designed to send automated email confirmations with success and failure details to the relevant members.

The automation can be scheduled for daily or weekly operations.

Access to the automation process is roles-based and secure.

Results

The most immediate impact of the automation was on operational efficiency, reducing manual effort by 99%. In addition, the organization’s traditional manual processes that took up to 3-5 minutes to examine each invoice were reduced to a few seconds. Members of the cooperative were immediately informed, via email, about the status of their invoice and the actions they needed to take if the invoice had discrepancies.

An invisible outcome of the automation was a saving in the effort put in by farmers each month to follow up for delayed or wrongfully denied payments. Smooth and timely payments also meant cooperative members had the cash flow to manage their day-to-day operations.

Impact

The automation was effective and addressed several key areas to reduce manual efforts, minimize turnaround time to process each invoice, and reduce errors and duplicate payments.

• 99% reduction in manual effort
• 200% reduction in time to process an invoice
• Improved data accuracy and consistency
• Enabled staff to focus on higher-value activities
• Enhanced overall operational efficiency and scalability