AP Multitasking

One significant advantage of SAP Invoice Management by Open Text automation is that it reduces or eliminates calls from vendors inquiring about when invoices will be paid. In a manual process, the AP Analyst often receives several calls per day while they are entering and posting invoices.

In reading a recent article on multitasking I was reminded that being interrupted during a routine task such as entering and posting invoices results in significant time loss and leads to errors.

The article point out that workplace studies found it can take up to 15 minutes to return to a deep state of concentration after a distraction. It also mentioned that when our working memory is presented with a new problem, within 15 seconds it will become difficult to recall the prior issue. This is not unlike the stories we hear about how using a cell phone is a major distraction from driving our cars.

If you apply this logic to the world of an Accounts Payable Analyst, you can quickly see how receiving one “where is my money” phone call from a vendor can have a dramatic impact on the number of invoices normally processed around the time of the call.

By ensuring the vendors are paid timely and accurately, the distracting phone calls are reduced if not eliminated. Fewer distractions results in more efficient processing of invoices

See SAP EcoHub for more on AP Optimization