Supplier invoices from email into draft bills
SI reads supplier invoices that arrive by email, creates draft bills in your accounting tool, and flags duplicates or missing details.
The problem
Invoices arrive as PDFs in several inboxes. Someone retypes them into the accounting system, and duplicates, typos and missed due dates follow.
What SI does
SI watches an invoices inbox, reads each attachment, and extracts supplier, invoice number, date, due date, line totals and tax. It creates a draft bill with a suggested account based on past coding, and checks for problems: an invoice number already entered, an amount that does not match the purchase order, missing tax registration details, or a changed bank account on the invoice.
Examples
The same job looks different in different businesses. These are illustrations, not client results.
- General contractor
Lumber and electrical supply invoices are turned into draft bills tagged to the right job, and a second copy of the same invoice sent by a supplier's rep is caught.
- Restaurant
Weekly produce, meat and linen invoices become draft bills with food and non-food costs coded separately.
- Property management company
Vendor invoices for repairs are matched to the property and unit, and one arriving with new bank details is flagged before anyone pays it.
What it takes to set up
A dedicated invoices inbox or forwarding rule, accounting access limited to creating drafts, and your past coding as a reference. Setup is often a few days.
What a human still checks
- The bookkeeper reviews and approves each draft bill.
- SI never pays bills or changes supplier bank details.
- A change in a supplier's payment details is always flagged and confirmed by phone with a known contact.
Try it yourself
Paste this into your SI tool of choice and swap the [bracketed] parts for your own details. It asks SI to stop and show you before it does anything.
Read the invoices in [inbox/folder] from [date]. For each, extract supplier, invoice number, dates, totals and tax. Suggest an account using this past coding [file]. Flag duplicates (same supplier and number or amount), missing details, mismatches with [PO file], and any change in payment details. Prepare draft bills only. Pause and show me before sending, submitting, posting or changing anything.
Next step
Want this built? Book a free 30-minute consult
Bring one real example, such as an export, an inbox, or a spreadsheet. We will map the steps and decide what SI drafts and what you approve.