Why your AP team needs Concur Invoice: 6 reasons that actually matter

Ever wonder what it would be like if someone else handled all your invoice capture, auditing, routing, approvals, and payments?

What if managing vendor invoices from utility bills to marketing expenses to all those purchases that somehow slip through procurement was just... handled? Turns out, you can make that happen with an intelligent solution that brings real productivity and efficiency to your AP process.

What You Get With Concur Invoice

You can actually save time by eliminating manual AP tasks, save money by replacing late fees with early payment discounts, and improve both employee and supplier satisfaction by giving your team meaningful work and paying suppliers on time.

Sound too good to be true? Let's break down the six reasons why companies choose Concur Invoice.

1. Smart Invoice Capture That Actually Works

Not all invoice capture is created equal. Concur Invoice combines the speed and accuracy of AI and OCR with Machine Learning that continuously improves, plus the expert eye of AP specialists when needed.

The result? A level of accuracy, confidence, and efficiency that's hard to find elsewhere. It's exactly what you need to transform your AP process from manual drudgery to automated efficiency.

2. The Complete Procure-to-Pay Process, All Digital

Imagine one efficient, digital process covering everything from purchase requests through capturing, auditing, routing, approving, and paying invoices.

Here's what that means in practice:

You can automatically compare POs, invoices, and receivables to confirm you got what you paid for, no time-consuming audits required. Meanwhile, Machine Learning works in the background to keep your spending on policy and compliant, so you can process more invoices while reducing technology and operational control costs.

The best part? You and your approvers can manage everything from your mobile phone. Review invoices anywhere, keep the process moving, keep suppliers happy, and capture more early payment discounts.

3. Integration With Your Existing Systems

If data and work can't flow between AP and your accounting or ERP solution, nothing works. That's why Concur Invoice offers multiple integration options, you choose what works best for you:

• Connectors – Automated, pre-built links between multiple ERP and accounting systems
• On-Demand – Import and export POs and receiving information when you need to
• Scheduled – Import and export files via a shared FTP server
• Web Services – Build custom connections using the RESTful API

When your integration is set up right, you'll have all your data in one place. That means spend data from your Concur Expense and Concur Travel solutions combined with AP and other spending sources. Plus, you get visibility into everything with powerful dashboards and reports.

4. Pay However You Want

The more payment options you have, the easier things get. With Concur Invoice, you can quickly, easily, and automatically pay every invoice the way that works best for you.

Use the payment functionality built right into the solution, or integrate with your ERP system or other payment providers. Either way, you'll cover everything from checks and credit cards to ACH, virtual cards, and cross-border payments.

5. Scale and Support as You Grow

Spending and suppliers change when you add new markets, business units, locations, and categories. Your system needs to keep up.

With Concur Invoice and the SAP Concur portfolio, you'll handle more volume, more complexity, and more currencies, languages, and tax requirements. You'll have a fully integrated spend solution covering travel, expenses, p-cards, corporate cards, and invoice-based spending that scales as you grow.

But here's what really matters:

You'll have support from an entire community of peers who'll guide you through the changes that come with growth. Access benchmarks, attend discussion groups, and tap into the experience of others who've been there before.

Plus, you get a dedicated team, including a Concur capture liaison, service assistant, and full account team to support you across the AP process and throughout the life of your solution. Everyone you need is there if any issues come up.

6. Continuous Innovation Through the App Centre

What would an entire network of innovators mean for your company? Through the SAP Concur App Centre, you'll have access to the biggest thinkers in the business bringing new tech and the latest apps to the table.

This tech extends your Concur Invoice solution to help with almost anything, from automating use tax and GST/VAT reclaim to managing country-specific e-invoice requirements. It even helps with industry-specific processes and regulatory requirements, like linking costs to projects for professional services firms or giving pharmaceutical and med-tech companies real-time access to healthcare-provider data they need for compliance reporting.

Does It Really Work? The Numbers Don't Lie

On average, Concur Invoice customers see positive ROI in just 7 months, delivering an estimated $43,000 in annual savings and 134 hours less work every week for finance and AP teams.

But let's look at real examples:

Victoria University (Australia)

Before Concur Invoice:

• One invoice took 17 days to approve
• Cost: roughly $130 per invoice

After Concur Invoice:

• Same invoice takes 4 days to approve
• Cost: around $4 per invoice

"Prior to SAP Concur, one invoice would take 17 days to approve, and it would cost the university roughly $130. That invoice now takes four days to approve, costing us around $4." — Michael Lapolla, Director, Strategic Financial Solutions and Processing

Recordati Rare Diseases

The company streamlined their entire invoice-to-payment process with Concur Invoice, cutting the time spent chasing down paper invoices by 50%.

"SAP Concur allowed us to streamline the whole progress and process of an invoice through payment. Adding Concur Invoice has decreased the amount of time that I've spent chasing down paper invoices by 50%." — Karen Grobert, Staff Accountant

Honda New Zealand

The transparency and efficiency gains highlighted contract renegotiation opportunities, bringing significant savings over 12 months—all because they could finally see where the money was going.

"For me, that's a huge savings, just in terms of transparency and efficiency. It's highlighted some opportunities for us to renegotiate contracts, which has bought us quite a few savings in the last twelve months – because we can see where we're spending the money." — Joe Hall, CFO

The Bottom Line

Managing vendor and supplier invoices doesn't have to be a nightmare of manual tasks, late fees, and frustrated suppliers. With intelligent technology that combines AI, OCR, Machine Learning, and expert human oversight, you can transform your AP process completely.

Whether you're looking to eliminate manual work, capture early payment discounts, improve supplier relationships, or simply get better visibility into your spending, Concur Invoice delivers measurable results in months, not years.

Ready to see it in action? Check out the demo, read this brochure and contact an SAP Concur representative to learn more.

Quick Stats:

• 7-month average ROI
• $43,000 annual savings
• 134 hours saved weekly
• Invoice approval: 17 days → 4 days
• Processing cost: $130 → $4

Key Features:

• AI + OCR + Machine Learning invoice capture
• Complete procure-to-pay automation
• Mobile approval capabilities
• Multiple payment options
• Scales with business growth
• SAP Concur App Center integration
• Full ERP/accounting integration

Ideal For:

• Companies with manual AP processes
• Organisations seeking early payment discounts
• Businesses wanting better spend visibility
• Teams drowning in paper invoices
• Growing companies needing scalable solutions

Source: Analysis Mason 2022, Travel, Expense, and Vendor Invoice Management Study