Products described as invoicing automation software serve one of two opposite jobs, and evaluations go wrong when nobody says which is wanted in the first conversation. Raising invoices is a billing capability aimed at collecting cash. Processing invoices received is a payables capability aimed at verifying before paying. The overlap between the two is almost nil.
If you need to send invoices
Look for recurring schedules, contract and usage-based billing, tax handling, dunning and collections reporting. The measure of success is cash collected and billing accuracy, and the product usually sits inside or alongside your accounting system. Nothing in this list has any bearing on verifying a supplier invoice.
If you need to receive them
Look for capture with confidence handling, line-level matching against orders and receipts, exception routing with reasons and owners, approval with delegation and escalation, and payment scheduling with a second-person release. The measure of success is elapsed time and not paying twice or for what never arrived.
How to open the conversation
Say which direction you are in, and give your volume, in the first two sentences of any vendor contact. It saves both sides a fortnight, and a vendor who continues regardless is telling you their product is a poor fit for the direction you named.
Questions people ask about invoicing automation software
Can one product do both well?
Accounting suites cover both to a degree, usually strongly on one side. Ask what the product was originally built for.
Which side should we automate first?
Whichever carries more document volume, since the work and the saving are per document.
Does e-invoicing serve both?
Yes. Structured invoice data helps the sender produce and lets the receiver skip reading entirely.