The New Normal in Accounts Payable: Speed, Accuracy, and Flexibility

In the wake of COVID-19, departments across every industry have reimagined how work gets done—and Accounts Payable (AP) is no exception. Finance teams that once relied on in-office workflows and paper invoices suddenly found themselves adapting to a remote, digital-first environment. And even as hybrid work models become the norm, the pressure on AP teams hasn’t eased. In fact, expectations have only grown. Today, AP departments are expected to operate with greater speed, accuracy, and agility—often with fewer resources. Manual processes that once passed as “good enough” are now seen as bottlenecks that hinder financial performance. The result? More finance leaders are turning to automation to meet these rising demands.

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Legacy Models Can’t Keep Up

Before the pandemic, many AP teams were still relying on outdated models—manual data entry, paper-based invoices, and rigid systems that weren’t built to support remote or distributed teams. This approach may have worked in a centralized office environment, but it simply doesn’t hold up in today’s fast-paced, flexible work culture.

No matter where your finance team is located—remote, hybrid, or fully in-office—the expectations are clear. Invoices must be processed faster, data must be accurate to support reliable financial reporting, and AP teams need the ability to work securely from any location. At the same time, most organizations are being asked to do more with less—fewer staff, tighter budgets, and greater scrutiny.

Why Invoice Capture Is the First Step

According to industry research, over 65% of finance leaders say invoice automation is now a top priority in their digital transformation strategies. And for good reason: manual AP processes are not just slow and inefficient—they’re costly and error-prone.

But when your current AP system isn’t fast or flexible enough, the solution isn’t always to rip and replace everything. In most cases, the biggest gains come from fixing the front end of the process: how invoices are captured and entered into your system. That’s where Freedom AP comes in.

Meet Freedom AP: Smarter Invoice Capture

Freedom AP is a cloud-based OCR and data extraction solution purpose-built to simplify and accelerate the front end of your AP process. It captures invoice data with precision and speed—whether invoices arrive by email, scan, or drag-and-drop upload—and transforms that information into clean, validated data that flows directly into your ERP or workflow platform.

Unlike full-scale AP automation tools that require complex changes to your systems and processes, Freedom AP integrates seamlessly with your existing stack. It doesn’t try to replace your ERP or workflow engine—it enhances them by eliminating the most tedious and error-prone step: invoice data entry.

Designed for Today’s AP Challenges

With Freedom AP, Accounts Payable teams no longer have to spend hours keying in invoice data or chasing down missing fields. By automating invoice capture, finance teams can process more invoices in less time while significantly reducing the risk of manual errors. This not only improves day-to-day efficiency, but also helps ensure accurate financial data for reporting and forecasting.

For finance leaders like CFOs and Controllers, Freedom AP delivers strategic value. Automating invoice capture reduces processing costs, increases visibility into payables, and strengthens compliance with internal controls and audit requirements. It also accelerates month-end close cycles by ensuring cleaner data is available faster.

Meanwhile, IT teams appreciate the lightweight deployment and low-maintenance design of Freedom AP. Because it’s cloud-based and built for flexibility, it requires minimal lift from IT and supports secure access for remote teams. Its compatibility with leading ERP and workflow platforms means your organization can modernize AP without disrupting the systems you already use and trust.

The Future of AP Starts Here

Freedom AP empowers finance teams to meet today’s demands head-on—with greater speed, accuracy, and flexibility. Whether you’re working to close books faster, reduce risk, or simply give your team some relief from the grind of manual entry, it all starts with transforming how invoice data enters your system.

If you're ready to future-proof your AP process, start where it counts most: at the front door. Freedom AP is the smarter way to capture invoice data—so your team can focus on what matters most.

Let’s talk about how you can modernize invoice capture without overhauling your entire AP infrastructure.