6 Manual Processes You Should Automate

作为管理后台办公室的控制者，任务列表似乎总是没完没了. There are never-ending competing issues and priorities:  staffing levels, internal customer needs, 事务的错误, changing business needs.  

It’s very common for even a large company to have multiple manual processes, but this often lends itself to human error. 此外，公司的发展可能导致员工工作时间更长，只是为了应付工作量.  长时间工作, handling unsatisfied internal customers, 处理事务性错误的影响可能会让员工感到沮丧. 

 如果您的组织希望在您的流程中实现更高的效率和生产力, it’s time to work smarter, not harder and implement automation. 

Why is Automation Important?  

 不断思考如何才能把事情做得更好，并不断质疑自己.——埃隆·马斯克

高绩效的财务总监和财务经理总是着眼于提高效率, 客户服务, 精度, and timeliness of transactions and processes. Many things drive the need for automation, but there are several positive effects of automating accounting processes: 

• 通过提高交易效率和/或周转时间来创建可伸缩性和客户满意度. 
• Reduce per-transaction costs – Without automation, as a company grows and the resulting transaction volumes increase, operating expenses continue to rise. 实现自动化流程会占用一些前期资源，但从长远来看，通过大大降低每个事务的成本，可以很容易地获得回报.   
• Drive standardization – To effectively implement automation, it’s imperative to set a consistent standard, and remove one-off scenarios that can happen within manual processes.  
• 改善及时性, 事务的跟踪和准确性——某些事务的自动化可以帮助减少人工错误，并通过系统提供可靠的事务流跟踪.  

6 Areas Improved Through Automation: 

旅游预订 & Expense Reimbursements: 

• Consider applications that handle both travel and expense, 利用来自旅行预订的信息，最大限度地减少创建和处理费用报告的工作量. Travelers can save time using
  your single source travel booking application, maintain their reward programs within the application, and the company has direct access to the travel information. 
• As you consider applications, the following can be important capabilities: 
  • Phone application that allows for: 
    • Imaging/receipt capture
      
    • Expense report creation/submission 
    • 批准  
  • Configurable workflow for travel and expense reports, and associated approvals 
  • Configurable policy constraints to help with compliance – travel policy, 费用政策, 帐户编码
  • Corporate credit card data interface capability – information such as dates, 供应商, and dollar amounts may be matched to travel 

每月结案流程:

• Many ERPs have templates for uploading journal entries: 
  • 检查您的ERP是否有JE上传功能，并投入时间为每个重复出现的JE设置模板
  • Export source data in a format that fits the upload template 
• Consider software applications that help you handle close virtually: 
  • Close checklist/task management 
  • Automation of reconciliations 
  • Automation of journal entries 
  • Workflows/approvals for tasks such as journal entries and reconciliations 
  • 报告/分析 

Procurement – Purchase Order (PO) vs. Non-PO采购: 

• Most companies have purchases that require a PO, and others that do not.  The purchasing policy should define the requirements of PO vs. Non-PO购买. 
• PO Purchasing Considerations: 
  • 现有的ERP功能——该功能可能是非常基本的，由具有匹配功能的PO文档组成，或者可能包括更高级的功能. 
  • External software applications to achieve policy compliance, 工作流功能, 通知, 供应商接口, 和报告. 
  • 允许表单设计和管理的内部应用程序可以用于不需要复杂的PO系统的基本跟踪和审批.
• 对于非订单采购，一个建议是设置和使用采购卡(P-Cards)。.  p -卡是可以设置限额的信用卡，以帮助管理非po采购, and they offer several convenient benefits:
  • Earnable rebates based on spending levels. 
  • 通过减少AP员工接收和处理的发票数量，减少AP的工作量. 
  • 策略遵从性管理可以通过银行系统和卡相关控制(如卡限制和供应商MCC代码限制)来实现. 

应付账款:

• Manually receiving, routing and processing of vendor invoices requires multiple touchpoints and staff diligence.  如果供应商没有将发票发送到中心点，发票可能会丢失或重复.
  
• ERP software companies have improved their AP functionality.  Explore your ERP system for capabilities.
• 考虑将与ERP接口的应用程序，包括常见的功能，例如: 
  • Imaging with OCR (Optical Character Recognition)  
  • Configurable workflow for policy compliance and approvals 
  • PO vs管理. Non-PO事务 
  • Possible interface with P-Card or “ghost” card banking system
  • Vendor payment processing 

工资 & 计时: 

• A manual timesheet requires each employee to record their time on a form, 其次是工资单员工必须将时间输入工资单系统和/或ERP. 通过实现可以连接到工资系统的计时软件来消除这种重复的工作. 
• 内部工资要求员工对不同司法管辖区的工资税和劳动法有专门的了解.  考虑使用外部工资单服务来利用工资单和税务功能. Most payroll outsourcing systems also have HR functions, allowing for better coordination between Accounting and HR.  Look for the functionality with any payroll system, such as: 
  • 导入功能-导入计时数据和/或其他工资/福利相关数据，用于工资计算 
  • GL mapping of earning and deduction codes 
  • 工资单数据的导出功能-导出工资单数据的格式上传到您的GL 
  • 探索薪资系统通过API与财务ERP直接对接的潜力
  • 报告/分析 for use by Accounting or HR 
  • 员工可用性查看工资单和更新或查看个人和税务信息 

Reduce or Eliminate Checks:   

• Check payments cost more than most electronic forms of payment, so reducing or eliminating the number of checks saves operating costs.  
• 工资 payments should be made by direct deposit, 或者工资卡, which saves money and allows employees to review their pay stubs online. 
• Expense reimbursements should be made by direct deposit.  大多数自动化费用报告应用程序都具有向员工发送电子邮件通知的功能. 
• Types of electronic vendor payments to consider: 
  • ACH支付——许多erp都具有通过电子邮件发送供应商汇款信息的功能，并具有ACH文件导出以上传至银行的功能. 
  • “Ghost” card or AP credit card – With these cards, 不产生塑料，但在银行设立了一个AP信用卡账户，专门用于供应商付款.  
  • P-Card (procurement card) – separate from corporate card programs, 该信用卡程序可以单独设置不同的合规参数, 例如，对于非po类型的交易，或减少AP员工必须审查和设置付款的传统AP发票的数量.  

Automating various processes boosts the performance of an accounting team, 员工福利, allows the company to grow without adding exponentially to its back-office costs, 并为会计管理提供了管理后台功能的可靠工具. 

“What’s right about America is that although we have a mess of problems, we have great capacity – intellect and resources – to do something about them.——亨利·福特

无论是短期周转“速成”效率还是软件实施， Bridgepoint咨询 您是否具备识别和实施满足您需求的解决方案所需的专业知识. With a team of experienced consultants, 我们随时准备帮助您的组织识别和实现自动化，以简化业务实践并推动增长