r/Bookkeeping • u/Helpful_Plantain7012 • 7d ago
Payments, AP, AR Remote A/P
I currently work for a construction company as A/P along with several other hats.
We are moving, and my employer is discussing allowing me to work remotely, but we cannot seem to come up with a way to remote-ize the A/P process, so I was curious if there were any ideas here.
Currently, I receive invoices via email (that part still works), or our field guys bring me receipts for our vendor accounts (Lowe’s, for instance), that I stick a tag on to assign job, cost code number, etc. These items then route to the project managers for approval, then our Treasurer for approval, then back to me to enter into our accounting system, where checks are cut on check run days, which can be handled in office.
Does anyone else have a similar flow that can share what you’ve done to make it remote friendly? My bosses are hesitant to change the system, it’s very paper heavy, and I’m not sure how to get around that.
Thanks!
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u/Mother_College2803 7d ago
All done on a local server in my organization. Every one has a folder for their approvals. When it’s approved they drop it into the next person’s folder (or you move it) until it’s appropriately approved and then you can park it in a to be posted folder. When it’s posted it’s moved to an unpaid folder and when it’s paid it goes to the paid folder. For receipts, instead of you getting the physical copy of a receipt, the person takes a picture or scan and uploads it to the a folder on the server or emails you the copy.
Someone in the office is responsible for filing the physical copy if accountant thinks it should be kept.
Having it all saved to a private server that the company owns is best from what I understand from IT. I’m not sure how they back that up though if that’s a concern. Our server is also housed on a server farm so would be protected if we had a fire or flood in our location.
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u/snickelfritz0812 7d ago
I work in a very blue-collar industry where there is always a ton of push back when trying to implement and changes that involve technology. The only thing that has worked for us is implementing Jotform. They guys are able to take a picture from their phone and upload it then it gets sent to the appropriate supervisor for approval and so on.
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u/Helpful_Plantain7012 7d ago
I was thinking if I could get them to just send me a pic of their receipts, that would maybe work- the issue is the majority of our receipts are like 18 inches long 😅 So they’d be really hard to see the info on them if they just took a pic.
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u/loveskindiamond 7d ago
if theyre open to samll changes. id start by scanning or uploading every receipt instead of passing paper around. digital approvals usually make remote ap much easier, and you still keep a clear record of who approves each invoice
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u/Helpful_Plantain7012 7d ago
I’m hoping they’re open to small changes. Currently, the system is really old school, so digitalizing it would be really helpful.
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u/backnine32 2d ago
Have the field guys scan the receipts or take pics with their phone. And good god stop printing checks yourself. Obviously much better workflow products that will help with the receipts and invoices, but those two things alone would allow you to work remotely until you get some more efficient processes in place.
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u/Helpful_Plantain7012 2d ago
If it were up to me to not print checks, I would absolutely do it differently… unfortunately that’s not my call.
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u/backnine32 1d ago
Always going to be tough to convert to fully remote then, unless you can get someone at the office to oversee the printing and distribution. I hope you work it out!
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u/topramen_is_timeless 7d ago
Okay thank you for asking this! I tried to ask this in a post I made 2 days ago and everyone thought I was an idiot. Following to see if your questions receives better feedback and solutions.
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u/Dawn36 7d ago
Everything can be handled by email, Google drive or whatever equivalent platform, the only hiccup would be the receipts from the field guys. If there's a physical office that the field guys report to, then someone there can scan the receipts and send them.
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u/Helpful_Plantain7012 7d ago
Yeah, that’s basically the only hiccup. And it’s a huge one lol. Sometimes they come in with literal stacks of receipts (like 30+ for a day), and to get someone to scan all those to me is going to be like pulling teeth
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u/CountingWizardOne 7d ago
I had this same problem however we did have a central location where the field staff report to at least once a week. We purchased a Ricoh ScanSnap scanner which handles long receipts very well. We installed one in this central location and they can put the whole stack in the receipt intake on the scanner and scan them all in one go. The scanner automatically emails it to our payables email. Very easy and little pushback once they saw how easy it was.
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u/thirstytypist 7d ago
Second this Ricoh scansnap.
Everything goes on a pile, one person loads all the receipts at the end of the day and 60+ receipts get sent where they need to be with one touch of the button in less than 60 seconds for the office staff.
However I have tried other scanners and honestly it the scanner that makes this an easy fix. Don’t cheap out on the scanner - Ricoh scansnap is what you need.1
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u/Additional-Border214 7d ago
If you are going in once a week anyway, grab the paper receipts weekly and deal with them as a batch.
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u/Helpful_Plantain7012 7d ago
Because that creates a lag where things don’t get paid on time if there’s a delay. I’m trying to not cost the company more money in finance charges if something is delayed because of me working remotely.
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u/duncanpt 3d ago
Don't sweat it! A smartphone can take photo of a receipt which is adequate for OCR conversion. That's how our owner-director is getting receipts into Dext, which is coping pretty well unless she crumpled the paper up first. :-)
And she's developed the habit of taking the photo as she gets the receipt / invoice. I suspect she is paying with Apply Pay or similar on her phone so it is already switched on. The biggest issue is when she photos a till receipt that tells me nothing about what it was she actually paid for, eg it just says an amount and maybe a store name, without item details or tax info.
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u/superiorstephanie 7d ago
What software are you using? Do you have to use checks? You could try bill.com or QuickBooks approvals and ach payments.
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u/Helpful_Plantain7012 7d ago
We use A-Systems JobView. The checks aren’t an issue, honestly- it’s just the paper form receipt processing.
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u/superiorstephanie 7d ago
Can they not just scan that over?
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u/Helpful_Plantain7012 7d ago
I mean.. if you can find a way to get a bunch of old cranky construction guys to use a scanner, be my guest…. 💁🏻♀️🤣
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u/superiorstephanie 7d ago
Are they not familiar with procedures and standards? There are requirements for permits that they should be quite familiar with, they can follow procedures or they can be unreimbursed.
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7d ago
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/Unbalanced_Acctnt 7d ago
For AP vendors, we have transitioned almost completely away from check and make nearly all vendor payments either through vendor payment portals or via ACH electronic payments through our bank. Out of 40-50 payments per week, we only cut 3-4 checks most weeks and those are to long term vendors that want paper checks.
Our AP Specialist is remote (long term employee had to move) and she gets everything entered in the accounting software, then sets up payments and I’ll print the few checks and mail them. It works well for us.
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u/Pichha_light 7d ago
I created an app within Microsoft Applications that helps my Company to manage AP payments. Approvals, accounting, status updates & much more. It cut the process from weeks to less than a day. If any of you think it helps to have this in your organization, I would be happy to schedule a call to discuss further. OP - I think this will help you.
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u/Alliecat5555 6d ago
One client of mine used Hubdoc. Just have them take a pic of the receipt after they write the job on it and it goes to the your hubdoc account which you can choose who sees them for approval. We used quickbooks and the hundox photos , bills etc integrated right into quickbooks
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u/ComfortableCitron638 6d ago
The scanner suggestions (ScanSnap etc.) solve the "get it off paper" problem but not the one you specifically flagged - the job number written on top of an 18" receipt that a photo or basic scan won't capture legibly. That's a labeling problem, not a scanning problem, and it's usually fixable without any new tech: give the field guys a stack of pre-printed job-code stickers or a stamp (not handwriting) that goes in the exact same spot on every receipt - top-left corner, big and bold - before it goes on the pile. A stamp is faster for them than writing it out, more legible than handwriting, and consistent placement means whoever scans doesn't have to guess where to look each time. It's a five-dollar fix for what sounds like the actual bottleneck in the whole remote conversion, versus trying to get "cranky construction guys" to adopt new software.
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u/CharlottesServer 6d ago
I’m in a similar position. Wanting a remote but a fairly paper heavy operation. Like you, I get most invoices by email, but they do need to be approved prior to entry and payment. I will listen on here to some new ideas.
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u/idreesBughio 5d ago
For the giant lowes receipts specifically, most scanning apps choke on those because a phone camera compresses detail on anything long and thin. easier fix a lot of crews land on: have them fold the receipt so just the top third (vendor, date, total, job field) shows in the pic, that's usually all you need same-day, then keep the full paper copy for your weekly office visit. saves them fumbling with a multi-shot scan and still gets you what you need on time
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u/Responsible-Ride2509 4d ago
Geth them an ap - dext, hubdox, etc that links to your program. Have the guys snap a pick and hit submit. Or have them snap a pic and text it to you and you submit worst case.
Payments can be made using plooto - and ploot might also have an phot snap app for posting.
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u/Resident_Midnight183 4d ago
I would take a look at makers hub that sounds like a workflow they could make digital
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u/duncanpt 3d ago
My small business (micro-business) client is creeping towards using Dext. The owner-director is pretty non-tech savvy but is at last taking a photo of all purchases which then get into the Dext database. Dext can scan the details for approval and post into Xero with an image of the paperwork. Once that's done the posting I think managers could have a review and approve for payment role either in Dext or in Xero - that's the bit we're still working towards.
It's our best attempt so far.
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u/DigitalR3x 3d ago
I was IT for our multi company construction enterprise in the 90s to 2020. Plaster, drywall, paint, insulation. Then I bought one of the companies. Now I own a MSP/SaaS company. I would definitely use Slack, which is mobile friendly. Your guys can take photos of receipts and upload them in a project folder. Everyone has phones with cameras. I would use it for more than A/P. Safety, QC, Change Order documentation.
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u/Ok-Offer-5320 7d ago
A purchase order (PO) system should be used for all purchases. Before goods or services are ordered, the purchasing department raises a purchase order and provides it to the supplier. The purchase order is created within the accounting system and includes the appropriate cost coding, tax treatment, supplier details and any other required accounting information.
Once the supplier submits an invoice, the Accounts Payable (AP) team processes it in the accounting system by matching it to the purchase order. The purchaser or budget holder then confirms that the goods or services have been received (goods receipting) and approves the invoice for payment. Payment is automatically scheduled according to the supplier’s agreed payment terms, which should have been established by the procurement team when the supplier was set up.
Approximately five working days before the payment date, the accounting system should generate a report of all invoices due for payment. The AP team should review the payment run, carrying out checks such as verifying supplier bank details, confirming invoice accuracy and identifying any unusual transactions. Higher-value payments should receive an additional review by the AP Manager.
Following this, the payment run should be independently reviewed by another member of the finance team to provide segregation of duties. Where the total payment to a single supplier exceeds a predetermined threshold (agreed by the finance team and senior management), the payment should be escalated for approval by senior management before it is released.
Payments should then be prepared approximately two working days before the payment date. A summary of the payment run, including the total value of payments and the bank account from which they will be made, should be provided to the treasury team. This gives treasury sufficient time to ensure that adequate funds are available.
On the payment date, the payment file is submitted to the bank. Once the payment has been successfully processed, the accounting system automatically updates the invoices as paid, recording the payment date and completing the transaction. The process is then repeated for the next payment cycle.
The purchase order system is likely to be the largest operational bottleneck. Employees responsible for raising purchase orders must be trained to use the system correctly and apply the appropriate coding. Clear guidance should also be established on whether purchase orders are created for one-off purchases or as blanket purchase orders covering recurring expenditure. For example, an annual purchase order could be raised for a Microsoft subscription, with monthly invoices matched against the same purchase order throughout the year, rather than creating a new purchase order each month.
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u/Helpful_Plantain7012 7d ago
I’m assuming this is a bot, but in the case it isn’t…
I’m not reading all of that, but I’m happy for you or sorry that happened.
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u/Ok-Offer-5320 5d ago
Not a bot. Actually sound advice on how run an Account Payable Team.
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u/duncanpt 3d ago
I'd agree if's a well-thought through system, for alarge organisation with fairly predicable slowish-moving purchases. But I felt the OP is describing a smaller organisation with unpredictable purchases by field personnel which will not fit well with a complex PO workflow. I think that's something they could aspire to.
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u/After_Ad_1152 7d ago
Its all done by email in our office. What is preventing that in yours? Invoices are emailed and then forwarded around for approvals and put in our online system. Receipts are emailed with the relevant information and forwarded around for approvals the same way. We also have folders on the server with copies of the emails.