Delivering E-invoicing Solutions with a Unified AP Platform

Shifting to e-invoicing is no longer a choice for businesses. It’s a must-have. With new regulations, finance leaders are faced with an increasing number of requirements. Alongside rules and frameworks they must comply with. Their first hurdle is choosing an e-invoice solution. Invest in multiple local vendors to comply with country-specific e-invoicing regulations? Or, employ a unified AP solution that contains e-invoicing solutions that can deploy in multiple countries? 

It’s a no brainer.

Governments around the world – e.g., Germany, Brazil, Indonesia – are mandating electronic invoicing to improve tax compliance, reduce fraud, and streamline operations. Companies will have to send e-invoices to do business and get paid. But compliance is complex, with multiple rules, formats, and platforms. And strict deadlines.

There have been attempts to standardize the process and streamline document exchange between businesses. In 2008, PEPPOL was introduced – the Pan-European Public Procurement Online model designed to simplify electronic procurement across borders. 

With each country having its own e-invoicing rules and regulations, businesses operating in multiple countries are facing a critical decision. Individual local vendors or a unified platform?

Where it all started

The roots of e-invoicing date back to the mid 60s, ​​with the arrival of electronic data interchange (EDI). Fast forward to the late 2000s, organizations and governments started to see the potential of e-invoicing to reduce fraud and improve tax compliance. In 2001, Chile introduced voluntary e-invoicing, with the initiative spreading across Latin America over the following years.

Multiple European tax authorities are planning to proceed with e-invoicing mandate. First up was Italy, implementing the new regulations in 2014. With France, Poland, Romania, and Spain planning to mandate e-invoicing within the next three years. And Germany on January 1st, 2025.

I know it’s tempting to hope for a postponement. Or delay making a decision. But, like it or not, it’s happening. It’s time to choose your e-invoicing solution.

The e-invoicing melting pot

To choose between e-invoicing solutions, we need to go deeper into the challenges of e-invoicing. We’ve established what it’s for and that businesses will be obligated to comply. What else?

At Rossum, after chatting with customers and prospects, feedback includes…

• We’d like to have unified AP workflow in Rossum
• We need to be ready to receive e-invoices in line with the upcoming German e-invoicing standards
• We want a flexible solution that can handle high volume traffic from PDF and e-invoices
• We need one partner for a unified AP workflow across our global business

Businesses are looking for a future proof and compliant solution that addresses all global requirements in accordance with country-specific regulations.

They want to avoid disrupting their existing tech stack with a seamless integration. With data quality and document security key areas of concern. 

Option 1 | Purchasing multiple country-specific e-invoicing solutions

With each country having unique regulations, investing in country-specific e-invoicing solutions will ensure you work with tailored features that cater to local market needs…

Pros of country specific e-invoicing solutions

• Regulatory compliance – follow specific local regulations, local tax laws, invoicing formats and submission processes, reducing the risk of fines or legal issues. 
  
• Customized features – each country has unique business practices, currency, payment methods, language, and tax systems. Country-specific e-invoicing solutions can accommodate these differences.
  
• Local support – specialized customer support will help navigate complex regulations.

But, there are several significant challenges that can’t be ignored, and these can impact your business’ efficiency, cost structure, and operational strategy.

Cons of country specific e-invoicing solutions

• Increased complexity – managing multiple solutions across different countries is a nightmare, with each system having its own set of rules, workflows, and interfaces, which need specialized knowledge.
  
• Training requirements – your team needs to be trained on various systems which is time-consuming and can lead to errors, compliance issues, and delays in processing invoices.
  
• Higher cost – implementing, configuring, maintaining, and supporting different systems for each country will escalate costs. You’ll also need multiple contracts, renewals, and software licenses.
  
• Integration challenges – incompatibilities between your existing finance tech stack and multiple  systems can result in data loss, processing errors, data silos, and delays in financial reporting.
  
• Inconsistent UX – multiple user interfaces will lead to errors or inefficiencies in processing invoices. Standardization of processes could also take a hit as each system follows a different protocol for workflows and approvals.
  
• Scalability limitations – as your business expands into new markets, the need to add more local vendors can slow down your expansion plans. Allocating IT and financial resources to manage multiple systems will divert attention from other critical business areas.
  
• Data security & compliance concerns – different e-invoicing solutions may have various levels of security measures, creating vulnerabilities and a potential mismatch between their security standards and your business’.

Option 2 | Purchasing a unified AP e-invoicing solution

A unified AP solution can manage e-invoicing across multiple countries. It ensures you’ll be able to process all invoice types, from PDFs to e-invoices. One partner. One flow. One approval route. One set of business rules. No juggling multiple tools. Reduced IT costs. 

Pros of a unified AP e-invoicing solution

• Simplified operations – reduce the administrative tasks of your finance team and involvement from your IT team. A standardized process ensures consistency in how invoices are generated, submitted, and tracked, reducing errors and increasing efficiency. 
  
• Cost efficiency – one system, one partner means reduced implementation costs, and ongoing costs such as updates, maintenance, training, and support. 
  
• Scalability – a unified solution scales as your business expands into new markets, adding new countries or regions and accommodating new regulations. Designed to manage global operations, including different currencies, languages, and tax systems.
  
• Data management – all your invoicing data stored in a single repository – a single source of truth – making it easier to manage, analyze, and report on financial data. Reducing data discrepancy and errors. Auditing and compliance reporting are simplified and reporting can be automated. Leading to accurate forecasting, budgeting, and financial analysis.
  
• Consistency & compliance – your business will meet global and local regulations, reducing the risk of non-compliance and associated penalties. The system will automatically update with changes or new regulations. 
  
• Seamless integration with existing systems – integrate seamlessly with your ERP system. All financial data will flow smoothly between systems. IT involvement is reduced with fewer systems to maintain. Workflow automation features can be applied across all regions. Streamlining invoice approval, payment processing, and compliance checks.
  
• Enhanced security & data protection – security protocols are centralized, making it easier to enforce consistent security policies across all countries. Reducing the risk of data breaches while sensitive financial data is protected. Managing data protection compliance, such as GDPR or other local data privacy laws. 

Cons of a unified AP e-invoicing solution

• Regulatory gaps – might not fully comply with specific local regulations, leading to potential compliance risks.
  
• Customization limits – a one-size-fits-all solution could lack the features or customizations required by individual markets.
  
• Global support challenges – support for a unified system may be more generalized, potentially leading to slower resolution times for country-specific issues.

Unified e-invoicing solutions are a no brainer

Businesses that rely on multiple service providers to ensure e-invoicing compliance across borders will struggle to meet strict local specifications while juggling several partners. Working with one provider has to be the best way to go.

5 reasons to choose a unified e-invoicing solution…

Full visibility of all documents

An international organization that does business around the world needs an e-invoicing solution that provides full visibility of all invoices, regardless of the country they originate from. A unified solution that the whole team can access streamlines collaboration and communication across the accounts payable team.

Improved compliance with country-specific e-invoicing regulations

Businesses must comply with the e-invoicing regulations of any country they do business with. Otherwise they’ll be hit with penalties. A unified solution will have been developed to evolve with future e-invoicing mandates, ensuring businesses are able to quickly adapt to new regulations.

Rossum’s global e-invoicing solution

The Rossum team has technological expertise and local market knowledge. This means our e-invoicing plugin can be adapted for other EU countries, addressing global e-invoicing requirements. In January 2025, all businesses in Germany must be able to receive invoices in an electronic format, so we’ll kick off with our e-invoicing Germany plugin, able to read and process formats aligned with national e-invoicing standards such as Zugferd and X-Rechnung.

Our intelligent document processing solution can already read hundreds of millions of PDF layouts. Now, we’ve added the capability to read structured formats, thanks to new technology we’ve developed.

Our e-invoicing plugin can receive, understand, and process structured files. It can automatically display e-invoices in a human-readable format for checking and audit purposes before posting to your downstream system.

Our transactional document focus makes our platform unique. Focused.  We have connectors to SAP, NetSuite, Coupa, etc., and we’ll be a certified PEPPOL access point (available Q1 2025).

A unified e-invoicing solution that helps you easily maintain business rules and logic across all AP workflows, regardless of file type. Maximizing AP automation efficiency.