How the relocation agency Foreigners.cz replaced lengthy email threads with a streamlined invoice workflow in SmartFP, including the extraction of attachments and export to Pohoda.
Invoices Module
100 to 120 invoices per month
Export to Pohoda
What Has Changed
BEFORE
Before
Approval Processes in Long Email Threads
Several people read and monitor the invoice at the same time
The accountant manually picks out documents from email
Manual posting, in weekly batches
It’s hard to keep track of due dates; you can’t see them
Invoices sometimes get misplaced or lost
Mon
Today
Communication and notes directly on the invoice
One click in SmartFP instead of 20 emails
The data is extracted from the attachment automatically
One-Click Export to Pohoda
Balances and due dates clearly organized in one place
Nothing gets lost; everything has an audit trail
~2 days
Monthly savings (accounting)
10% of the time
reassigned to another task
100+
The number of emails per month decreased
Where Foreigners.cz Got Its Start
Incoming invoices, especially those sent by email, were processed manually. Approval took place directly within the email, so in more complex cases, long threads would develop where it was easy to get lost. It was difficult for accountants to determine what had actually been finally approved and could be reimbursed and posted to the books.
Four people were involved in the processing of a single invoice four people: namely the service requester, the finance approver, the accountant, and the assistant responsible for ensuring the consistency of expenses in the invoicing system. Everyone read the same long threads. The process from receiving an invoice to posting it to the books could easily take a week to ten days; due dates were tracked manually, and twice a month it was necessary to deal with reminders or track down invoices in email.
Step-by-Step Guide
1
Phase 1
The Decision to Go Digital
The accountant was familiar with approval systems from her previous companies and knew that manually circulating documents via email took up too much time. Together with a colleague from IT, they chose SmartFP and decided to implement it before the company launched another major project that would generate dozens of additional invoices each month.
2
Phase 2
Deployment and Transition to Live Operation
Once the configuration was complete, the Invoices After the New Year module went live. Communication with the SmartFP consultant was helpful; whenever we needed a little nudge, the team responded and provided assistance.
3
Phase 3
Invoice Extraction and Verification
SmartFP automatically extracts data from invoice attachments. The accountant chose a semi-automatic mode: the system retrieves the data, and the user simply reviews it and sends it for approval. Over time, the details for suppliers, VAT, and account assignments were fine-tuned, so today almost nothing needs to be entered manually.
4
Phase 4
One-Click Approval
Approvers no longer read long threads. In SmartFP, they can view communications and notes right next to the invoice and approve it with a single click—even from a mobile device. The system also allows invoices to be returned for additional information with a comment.
5
Phase 5
Export to Pohoda and Payments
Approved invoices are exported to the Pohoda accounting system. A custom option has been added to exclude “unselected documents” (such as advance invoices) from being sent to the accounting system. SmartFP now also generates documents for payment orders.
“Getting SmartFP up and running saved me almost two days of work per month, which is one-tenth of the time I could devote to other things. And most importantly, I’ve gotten rid of a lot of emails—now I only deal with an invoice once it’s been approved in SmartFP. It’s a handy tool that you’ll quickly come to appreciate after just a short time using it.”
Kristýna Baldrmanová
Accountant, Foreigners.cz
Do you still approve invoices via email?
During this half-hour call, we’ll walk through how you currently handle invoice processing and approval. We’ll show you where there’s the most room for improvement and provide 2 to 3 specific suggestions you can implement right away. No sales pitch. No obligation.
