Controllers Council recently hosted Building the ROI Case for AP Automation, sponsored by AvidXchange, to examine how finance teams can construct a disciplined, numbers-based justification for modernizing accounts payable.
Executive Director Neil Brown opened the session by framing the broader environment. Finance departments are under sustained pressure to streamline processes, manage risk, and support growth without proportionate increases in headcount. Yet hesitation persists, often rooted in uncertainty about measurable return.
Jami Proctor, Account Executive at AvidXchange, addressed that hesitation directly. She explained that the objective is not disruption for its own sake, but disciplined evaluation and structured improvement. As she noted early in the session, “As finance departments face pressure to streamline processes, cut costs, and boost productivity, many leaders are prioritizing digital transformation. However, many are hesitant to automate.”
The Operational Reality of Paper-Based AP
A recurring theme throughout the discussion was the inefficiency embedded in manual processes. Proctor shared a pointed observation from a solutions consultant with prior AP experience:
“When you’re trying to manually route invoices for approval, locking them down the hall or sending a scanned copy in an email, you’re adding a lot of time to the process and increasing the odds of a document getting misplaced.”
Traditional, paper-dependent workflows create avoidable exposure. Data entry errors, lost invoices, late payments, and fragmented visibility consume staff time that could otherwise support analysis and planning. The issue is not simply inconvenience. It is cost, control, and scalability.
The conversation moved beyond partial fixes. Many organizations experiment with isolated automation, such as invoice capture without integrated approvals or payments. Proctor cautioned that piecemeal solutions rarely scale cleanly as transaction volume grows. A structured, end-to-end approach produces more durable results.
Where the ROI Actually Comes From
A substantial portion of the webinar focused on quantifying value. Proctor emphasized that return on investment must incorporate both hard savings and operational efficiency.
She summarized the core categories clearly:
- Administrative labor reduction
- Payment processing efficiency
- Error prevention and exception reduction
- Paper and postage elimination
- Early payment discounts and late fee avoidance
- Fraud risk mitigation
The labor impact is often the most immediate. As Proctor explained, “AP automation allows your current team to handle more volume without adding headcount.” For growing organizations, this point alone can materially alter hiring plans.
Processing efficiency also compounds over time. Electronic payments eliminate printing, signing, mailing, and reconciliation friction. Even modest savings per transaction become meaningful at scale.
Proctor illustrated the impact with a specific example:
“In fact, our AP department cut our invoice processing time from 20 hours per month to four hours per month.”
That level of reduction changes how a department allocates its attention. Staff can shift from repetitive routing and correction to exception management, vendor relationships, and financial insight.
Evaluating Fit Before Committing
The session also addressed a practical question: when does automation make sense?
Organizations processing fewer than 100 invoices per month may still manage manually. However, growth projections, geographic dispersion, approval complexity, and compliance requirements often alter that calculation. Compatibility with existing ERP systems and integration methods should be examined early, as should implementation timelines, which Proctor described as typically 30 to 45 days for many deployments.
Security and compliance were positioned as foundational requirements rather than secondary features. Encryption, access controls, and audit-ready documentation are increasingly non-negotiable in today’s risk environment.
Addressing the Workforce Question
One of the most common concerns surfaced during Q&A: whether automation eliminates accounting roles.
Proctor addressed the question directly. “Really, that’s not the goal of this solution. Really what it is, is it’s to help reduce the need to add headcount.”
Automation changes task composition, not the need for informed oversight. AP professionals remain responsible for approvals, coding accuracy, vendor management, and financial judgment. The technology removes repetition and delay; it does not replace domain expertise.
In fact, the broader discussion suggested that reducing manual burden may improve retention and mitigate burnout in a tight accounting labor market.
A Structured Path Forward
The webinar concluded with a nine-step framework for moving from evaluation to implementation:
- Gather baseline metrics and cost data
- Build a quantified business case
- Secure executive sponsorship
- Document system requirements
- Evaluate providers and request demonstrations
- Finalize contract and pricing details
- Consider a pilot if available
- Communicate with internal stakeholders
- Launch, monitor, and optimize
The emphasis remained on discipline rather than urgency. A credible ROI case depends on documented metrics, leadership alignment, and defined success criteria.
For finance leaders weighing automation in 2026, the message was clear. The decision should be grounded in measurable impact, operational resilience, and long-term scalability.
To hear the full discussion and review the detailed examples, watch the complete webinar here.
ABOUT THE SPONSOR:
AvidXchange is a leader in automating invoice, payment and Accounts Payable processes for mid-market organizations. AvidXchange processes more than $242 billion transactions annually, with 1,600 employees, 8,500 customers, and over 265 accounting system integrations. Learn more at www.AvidXchange.com.
