12 TIPS TO BOOST E-INVOICING ADOPTION

12 TIPS TO BOOST

E-INVOICING ADOPTION

AND IMPROVE CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE

FINDING SUCCESS WITH THE RIGHT STRATEGY

In these changing times, the adoption of electronic invoicing (e-invoicing)

more important than ever. And while some customers may still be slow

to embrace e-invoicing, fortunately, there are strategies your accounts

receivable (AR) department can take to make life easier for both you and

your customers, facilitate the process, and maximize the success of your

AR automation and/or digital transformation project.

Sounds obvious but it’s important. Your e-invoicing adoption initiative should only kick off after a comprehensive

plan of attack is created. For optimal success, the approach should be structured and focused on three key areas:

§ The requirements and expectations of your AR department

§ The goals and objectives of managers, supervisors and clerks

§ The needs of your customers (don’t be afraid to check in with customers afterwards — nobody knows why a

plan succeeded or failed better than them!)

CREATE A WELL-ROUNDED PLAN

Customer awareness is key. And that means working to develop a campaign to prompt action. Some common-sense

ideas include: adding an insert with all paper invoices highlighting the benets of e-invoicing; featuring a marketing

“blurb” at the bottom of paper invoices, emails or customer newsletters touting the advantages; or including an

e-invoicing promotion to email signatures of your team members in accounting, credit, collections, etc.

START AN ADOPTION CAMPAIGN

EXAMPLE: Check out what one Esker customer created internally and included on the bottom of paper

invoices to encourage e-invoicing adoption.

Electronic Invoicing — Good for You, Great for the Environment

Our new electronic invoicing gives you the beneﬁts of increased accuracy, security

and timeliness.

§ Email directly to another department for questions or authorization

§ Save and ﬁle for quick referencing at any time

§ Faster and more secure than traditional mail

Go online to find out more and enroll today!

e-invoicing

and save time

as well as the

environment!

TOTAL SALES TAX AMOUNT TAX RATE FREIGHT AMOUNT TOTAL DUE

$0.00 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00

Your customers know when they’re getting

the same old sales pitch. Try standing out by

replacing automated calls with one-on-one

conversations or sending one highly targeted

email instead of a slew of easily overlooked

email blasts. Lastly, know when to throw in the

towel. If a customer says “no” it’s not the end of

world. Plus, your ability to handle it respectfully

can only help you should they reconsider

e-invoicing in the future.

BE PROACTIVE — NOT PUSHY

Even if your adoption rates are low, that

shouldn’t stop you from touting your

e-invoicing credentials when approaching

potential customers. Make them aware of the

benets from the onset. Play the part of the

forward-thinking company always looking to

improve outdated processes. Sure, they might

not be interested right off the bat, but at least

they’ll know you’re the kind of company with a

commitment to high quality service.

SPREAD THE WORD

When it comes to targeting your audience, we recommend following the

old 80-20 rule (also known as the Pareto principle) by identifying the 20%

of your customers that generate 80% of your invoice quantity. These

are the top-tier folks you’re going to want to engage with rst. If a handful

buy into your e-invoicing adoption efforts you’re likely to see noticeable

improvements.

TARGET THE RIGHT CUSTOMERS

EXAMPLE: One Esker customer found an 85% success rate in

moving their targeted customers to e-invoicing.

This one’s pretty cut-and-dry. If you’re using a

portal to send invoices and receive payments,

make sure your customers can easily locate

it on your website. If it’s hard to nd it’s hard

to use. Furthermore, you’ll want to test your

process for ease of use before offering it to

customers, while making resources available to

assist your customers should difculties arise.

EASY TO FIND, EASY TO USE

PROVIDE INCENTIVES

For some customers, the benets of e-invoicing

may not be enough. They may need a little

something extra to sweeten the pot. For

example, offering a small service discount,

awarding a gift card or even throwing a pizza

party for their ofce. Get as fun and creative as

you’d like — anything that drives interest and

adoption rates is a winning idea.

EXAMPLE: Here’s what one Esker customer

put on their website to educate customers on

the benets of e-invoicing.

Customers, like everyone else, will not be moved

to act without the proper understanding. Your

task is to educate them. Some customers may

have specic concerns or objectives they’re

looking to address upfront (e.g., “going green”).

This is another opportunity to inform them of the

benets of e-invoicing.

Focus your marketing message on what’s in it

for the customer. One way to do this is adding a

segment to your website or other platform that

highlights some or all of the advantages.

BE THE EDUCATOR

Why switch to electronic invoicing?

Simplify invoice validation with an AP process automation system

By moving to electronic invoicing, you eliminate paper invoice handling (processing, ﬁling, and archiving). If you are

equipped with a vendor invoice automation solution, electronic invoicing removes the need to scan paper invoices for

validation and integration into your ERP system.

Gain 24/7 access to invoices

Quickly and easily access your invoices online 24/7 via a web portal — for review and download anytime, anywhere.

Reduce storage costs

Reduce your storage costs and save space by electronically archiving your invoices. Take advantage of secure archiving

for up to one year at no additional cost.

Comply with government regulations in over 40 countries

In certain countries, for electronic invoices to be valid, they must be archived in electronic format and include an electronic

signature. We help ensure that all your electronic invoices are in compliance with government regulations.

Go Green

Take an active role in the move to Go Green! Reduce your organization’s overall environmental impact by

eliminating paper, conserving resources, consuming less energy, and supporting sustainability.

Did you know that it takes 25 trees to produce one ton of paper, which equals 400 reams or 200,000 pages?

Act responsibly – consider the environment and convert to electronic invoicing.

Not all your customers have the same payment abilities, so in order to get as close to 100% adoption as possible,

your payment options shouldn’t be limited. Appropriate payment types include credit and debit cards,, EFT, ACH,

SEPA and BACS (depending on customer and/or company location). Make it even easier for customers to pay by

providing an auto-pay option. Once payment details are entered and authorized, transactions are automatically billed

— no reminders or awkward collections activity needed.

OFFER YOUR CUSTOMERS VARIOUS OPTIONS

MAKE IT EASY: Being a company that’s easy to do business with strengthens supplier relationships and

your organization’s reputation. A mobile-friendly platform that provides self-service communication tools is

a winning combination — allowing customers to ask questions and get answers quickly, while also giving

them the ability to access and pay invoices anytime, anywhere.

If e-invoicing isn’t a priority on your end, you can expect the same from your customers. Increase internal visibility and

interest by trying out a number of promotional ideas. Good for morale, good for customers, good for your business.

PROMOTE & REWARD E-INVOICING ADOPTION INTERNALLY

SIMPLE STARTING POINTS:

§ Encourage other departments beyond AR to push e-invoicing adoption (e.g., legal, sales reps, etc.).

§ Review e-invoice adoption percentage on a quarterly basis to keep it top-of-mind.

§ Celebrate increases in e-invoicing adoption rates with all team members who were involved.

§ Create employee incentives to generate excitement and friendly competition for higher adoption rates.

Not all customers are comfortable immediately making the change to e-invoicing from postal mail, and giving them

an ultimatum isn’t the best option when looking to build stronger relationships. Over time you can transition them to

e-invoicing by escalating invoice delivery method: Switch customers from postal, to an email with a PDF-formatted

invoice attached and, nally, to an email containing a link to a portal where they can access invoices, pay and perform

other actions at their leisure.

ESCALATE INVOICE DELIVERY METHODS

Another good idea is to include language on all new customer agreements or contracts with a signature

line asking for an email address that e-invoices can be sent to. This same language can also be included on

renewal agreements.

If you have a customer’s email address, send a piece of postal mail (you can use Esker Mail Services!) that

states something like:

On [this date] we will be converting our customers to e-invoice delivery. We will be sending your invoices

to [this email]. If this address is incorrect, or if you do not want to receive your invoices electronically,

please contact us by [this date].

Paper bills are expensive. So for customers that insist on having them, some companies have taken to charging them

extra for the service. This can be an effective option, but you have to tread lightly. If you foresee it being a nightmare

for your customer service, it’s probably not the right decision for your company.

CONSIDER CHARGING A FEE FOR PAPER INVOICES

GOOD LUCK!

Getting customers to adopt e-invoicing isn’t always a day at the beach. But with the

right amount of patience, provider support and proactive planning, we’re condent you

will be able to achieve greater adoption rates and optimize the performance of your

Esker solution.

To learn more, please visit our website, www.esker.com, or contact us directly.