3 Steps To Getting Your Boss on Board with AP Automation

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So you’re working in Accounts Payable. You’re surrounded by paperwork, you’re manually entering data, and you’re struggling to keep track of invoice deadlines. You’re sure that implementing an automation system could solve a whole host of problems for you and the company. After all, you’ve heard that employees in companies with automation software report higher levels of satisfaction with their jobs after automation. Seems like you should also get the chance for less stress, simpler financial processing, more interesting work, and better work-life balance.

The problem is your boss doesn’t see it that way. For some reason, they think everything is fine the way it is. Maybe they don’t understand the benefits of automation, maybe they think it’s too costly, or maybe they think the current process works just fine. You might find them especially resistant to a new process if the accounts payable (AP) department already uses digital software programs, but they haven’t been updated in a while.

If you want to convince your boss to reconsider AP automation—and help them convince higher-ups to support automation—then you’ll need a plan. Try these three steps to formulate a good argument and convince your boss that implementing AP automation in your department is a good move.

Step 1: Get Perspective

First of all, you need to look at accounts payable automation from your boss’s perspective. Remember, people are far more likely to get on board with your ideas if you’re solving a problem for them and giving them a chance to look good.

As you start planning your argument, ask yourself some questions to put yourself in your boss’s shoes. What are their goals and priorities? What do they need to deliver to higher-ups in the company? What does a win look like in their world? Once you answer those types of questions, you’ll know what they need to get out of an AP automation system.

You can also look at resources that have CFOs and other financial professionals as their target audience to see what those publications currently recommend. For example, surveys of financial professionals identified a migration to cloud-based processing and an increased use of AI as two top trends for 2025. Pitching a cloud-based AP automation program that utilizes AI aligns with both of those priorities.

Step 2: Do Your Research

I’m betting that you’ve probably already done some research on accounts payable automation. After all, you know enough to think it’s a good idea for your department. But you might not have researched how to answer all the questions your boss will probably ask. It’s best to do this on your own time, so no one will call your use of company resources into question.

There are plenty of benefits to automating your AP department that will interest your boss. For example, you can:

• Demonstrate how AP automation saves money and talk about return on investment (ROI).
• Present statistics demonstrating that automating AP cuts down on errors and allows for faster invoice processing at a lower cost per invoice.
• Show that cloud-based automation updates in real-time and centralizes AP processing, enabling better collaboration within the finance team.
• Talk about how the increased access to timely, accurate information will simplify audits and enable better forecasting.
• Highlight that cloud-based AP automation is a good move for the IT department as well.

Those are only a few of the many benefits of automating accounts payable. We talk about these benefits often on our blog. Many of our articles include links to recent surveys and studies with data that back up automation’s benefits. Click here to check out our blog for more information that you can use when making your case for business process automation.

Step 3: Present Your Idea

When you have everything ready, ask your boss for a meeting. Briefly and enthusiastically outline what you’ve been working on in your own time related to accounts payable automation. Focus on the points you think will be most relevant to them. If they seem receptive, ask for a chance to formally present your idea.

You might also want to volunteer to take the lead in planning for AP automation. Once your company decides to automate, getting AP automation right the first time requires laying some groundwork before implementation. This planning stage includes auditing the current AP process to determine what works and what doesn’t, choosing which AP automation software system to use, and planning how employees will use the time that automation frees up by taking over routine and repetitive tasks. If all goes well, you’ll soon see moves to implement accounts payable automation in your company.

Give NextProcess a Try

When you reach the planning stage where your company is choosing which software provider to use, keep NextProcess in mind. Our cloud-based AP Automation Software offers all the benefits you’re looking for from an automated accounts payable system. It can be fully customized, scales to your business’s needs, and works hand-in-hand with most existing ERP applications. We can even integrate seamlessly with ERPs like NetSuite that are notoriously difficult to integrate with other software.

Another benefit of NextProcess is that we offer more than just AP automation. If your company is interested in digitizing and automating multiple financial processes, our software modules work together to create a true end-to-end financial solution. That’s something you won’t find from other suppliers. Contact us to learn more or schedule a demonstration of our simple, powerful system.