Q: The data on the supplier invoices is different for every supplier?
FIS/fci is designed to search for the required invoice data for every supplier – irrespective of the layout. The “Freeform Recognition” software works for of different invoice layouts for each supplier.
Q: How does the software know that the document is an invoice?
One of the first checks the software performs is to identify if the word invoice (or a translation of the word invoice – facture, fattura, faktura, rechnung etc) is present. The system is also able to recognise different company codes by a look-up of a reference file from the ERP system.
Q: What field is used to identify the supplier?
The software compares a ‘cluster’ of fields from the invoice with a reference file of all suppliers from SAP/ERP/Financials. It does not matter if the data on the reference file is incomplete or missing – there is normally enough cross matching to find a unique supplier. This technology is referred to as a ‘fuzzy match’ - i.e. a match on the supplier ID - even though the data is not a perfect match but enough to identify the supplier uniquely.
Q: Is the software faster and more accurate than a clerk?
Yes – servers with high processing power are able to extract the data very rapidly. The software also uses a number of techniques to ensure that validated data of a high quality can be passed to SAP/ERP/Financials.
Q: What if I am processing invoices from overseas suppliers?
The system has a ‘language-pack’ to identify fields from overseas suppliers and also can accommodate different tax rates from different counties. This is one of the many features that makes the solution ideal for shared service centres.
Q: Could I outsource the scanning or data extraction?
Yes, there are a number of scanning bureaus who partner FIS UK and can either forward the invoice image and the data extracted – as a service.
To find out more about how FIS can aid in SAP invoice processing and reading, contact our team 01484 505731.
