Accounts payable processing and invoice recognition at MSG

• Ideal for a central automated incoming invoice recognition and matching
• Processes data from email invoices and scanned invoices
• Reads header data automatically - Date, invoice number, sum, tax, currency
• Integrates creditor recognition: reads supplier master data and provides it in forms
• Allows indexing, tagging and archiving together with JobArchive

That the two-week trial in early November was such a success can be attributed to the good preparation of the shipping specialists. Brück"s project team compiled a detailed assessment that included; departments and categories, flows for incoming or outgoing receipts, responsibilities, validation rules, and interfaces to the ERP system and dispatching software. First and foremost, the familiar mail folders were mapped electronically. This ensured that invoices from the main business, inland navigation, and from the secondary dockyard business and bunker operations reach the right departments.

As a cooperative organization, MSG wanted to ensure that members' invoices received prioity. The cooperative provides freight contracts and planning security to its members. It also simplifies their life on the water by collecting, booking and paying their invoices and providing them with a monthly statement. Based on the earlier preparations, MSG was able to get the JobRouter test up and running quickly. The entire process - from receiving the invoice to verification that they are factual and amounts are correct to final review - was automated.

Brück was surprised that not every department was in need of a separate workflow. After the first day, it was clear that there was a "framework that looks reasonable". Compared to a ship's sonar, the electronic locating of documents is quite simple: A barcode is put on every invoice before it is processed by a scanner connected to the local network. The barcode activates the JobMind Head module that then automatically reads the header data of the invoice and ships the recognized data to a JobRouter® process.

The invoice number, date, sums and taxes of more than 95% of the German-language invoices are recognized, centrally stored in the system and can be processed with booking forms. For invoices from the Netherlands or Belgium, around 80% of the header data is recognized correctly. JobRouter® pulls the matching vendor data from accounting and displays the payment agreement as well.

During the first test, users were brought on board, questions were answered and suggestions made. The archiving of all documents was a success right from the start. JobRouter® transports all data and documents to the end of the line, the harbor called JobArchive, where they are stored and are audit-proof. At the end of November, the processes were set to their final course. Access authorization groups were established in JobArchive. This allows every group to have their own digital storage space and unauthorized access is blocked. In-house invoice numbers are now used electronically as internal coordinates for navigation and to search and filter. A separate info area was created for the management of the cooperative.

With JobRouter® on board, early payment discounts are now used regularly. "In the past, it was problematic when time was lost on the mailing route between the dockyard and headquarters," remembers Brück. That stress is now gone. Data from the existing source systems, that generate the expected incoming invoices during freight transactions, are now imported into the dispatching software through JobRouter®. After being processed, JobRouter® retrieves the records and delivers them to accounting.

"I like working like that," praises Kerstin Brück. To make it easier for colleagues, fields were labelled with familiar terms. She designed user training focused on activities and complemented by hardcopies. The keyword search is a popular process as well. Another advantage is the history log, also known as an audit trail. The audit trail keeps track of all process activity and records when steps were processed and by whom. An audit trail PDF is attached to the archiving log.

"It is insane what the interface of JobRouter® provides," appreciates the IT administrator. The JobRouter system is linked to our ERP system and matches the goods receipts to the invoices such as fuel for the bunker or materials for the dockyard. The sum per goods receipt and what was processed is also displayed. "Transparency is much higher and we have significantly more control. If we receive a call or have to verify a reminder, we can see the status of an invoice at any time or retrieve the data instantly from the archive. You just have everything you need," she summarizes.