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Try now for FreeMakersHub automates and simplifies accounts payable (AP) for businesses with complex operations and high payment volumes. Our solution streamlines bill capture, coding, approval routing, and payment processing, giving finance teams real-time visibility into project costs and cash flow. Learn more today.
Accounts payable problems often start as small frictions and then compound into costly delays, rework, and blind spots in cash planning. If your team is still managing invoices with email, spreadsheets, and manual uploads into the ledger, you are carrying hidden costs that show up as late fees, rushed closes, strained vendor relationships, and projects that stall because approvals are stuck. This blog outlines the five most common AP challenges we see in operationally complex organizations and shows how modern automation, built for line-item accuracy and dynamic workflows, removes the drag on finance performance.
MakersHub was built for businesses where every detail matters. Our platform automates bill capture, codes every line to your financial model, routes approvals based on policy, and syncs two-ways with your accounting system. The result is faster processing, higher accuracy, and real-time visibility into spend and cash. If your current tools focus on payments but ignore the hard work before payment authorization, this guide will help you evaluate a better approach.
Approval cycles stretch when invoices are trapped in inboxes or when approvers cannot see enough context to sign off with confidence. Project managers and department leads lose time chasing status. Finance loses discount opportunities and predictability in weekly payable runs.
A modern workflow solves this at the source. Bills enter a single intake channel, the system extracts complete data, and routing rules handle the rest. Approvers review from web or mobile with full context, including line items, PO match status, and prior exceptions. Parallel routing moves invoices to all required approvers at once. Time-boxed reminders and escalation keep everything moving without manual follow-ups.
With MakersHub, policies become software. For example, invoices above a threshold or tied to specific cost centers route to a lead and a controller, while lower-risk invoices flow straight through with light review. The approver sees exactly what they need to make a decision, and the system tracks cycle time automatically. If “invoice approval delays” appear in monthly retros, it is a signal that automation will unlock speed and working capital benefits.
Manual entry introduces risk at every step. OCR that only captures header fields forces teams to type line items by hand. GL coding depends on tribal knowledge in spreadsheets. One digit off in quantity or unit price can cascade into duplicate adjustments, vendor disputes, and extra work at month end.
MakersHub addresses the Clean Data Problem directly. Our WiseVision™ reads any bill or receipt regardless of layout, indexes the content, and labels every line with the right context. The platform suggests GL accounts, classes, projects, and departments based on your history, then enforces validation rules that prevent incomplete or incorrect entries from moving forward. Two- and three-way matching compares quantities and prices to purchase orders and item receipts, so the team pays only for what was received and agreed.
The impact is immediate. Fewer exceptions, fewer reclassifications, and fewer corrections during close. Accounts payable becomes a reliable source of truth that FP&A can use without caveats. If you are spending hours recoding invoices after payment or reconciling the same issues each month, full-text, line-item capture paired with policy checks is the fix.
Finance leaders need a clear view of approved but unpaid liabilities to plan cash with confidence. In legacy setups, invoices sit in folders and emails with no consistent status. Reporting shows what is in the ledger, not what is about to hit cash next week. Discounts are missed because they are not surfaced at the right time. Payments batch up at month end because the team cannot see which invoices are truly ready.
Automation creates a live picture of AP. Aging reports update in real time. You can filter by vendor, entity, project, or location and see exactly what is due in the next 7, 14, or 30 days. Approved invoices roll into scheduled payment runs that align with cash plans. Discount eligible invoices surface automatically. Because MakersHub syncs two-way with the accounting system, everyone operates on the same facts.
This level of visibility changes behavior. Teams stop hoarding cash “just in case.” Vendors get paid predictably, which improves pricing and relationships. CFOs and controllers answer “what is due Friday” in seconds, not hours. Forecast accuracy improves because the data is current and complete.
Accepting vendor banking changes over email, paying on PDF images without structured checks, and allowing informal approval workarounds all create risk. Duplicates slip through when systems rely on a single field like invoice number. Missing audit trails turn routine reviews into fire drills.
MakersHub bakes controls into everyday workflows. Vendor banking changes require verified steps and separate approval, which breaks common fraud patterns. Duplicate detection uses multiple fields and heuristics across vendor, amount, date, and line items. Policy-based approvals apply consistently, and exceptions are documented. Every action has a timestamped audit record with related documents attached.
This does not slow the team down. It speeds them up by preventing rework and uncertainty. When auditors arrive, the system shows who approved what, when, and why. When procurement runs a vendor review, the team can produce a complete history of invoices, matches, and payments in minutes.
High vendor volume adds administrative overhead when onboarding is manual. Collecting W-9 or W-8BEN forms, certificates of insurance, and contract updates through email creates gaps and expiry risks. Status requests flood the AP inbox because vendors cannot see where their invoice sits.
Automation turns onboarding into a guided, self-service process. Vendors submit tax forms and remit details through a secure portal. Required fields are enforced. Expiry alerts surface before issues impact payments or annual 1099 preparation. Vendors can check status without emailing AP, which cuts ticket volume and improves relationships.
On the finance side, this data flows directly into approval and payment workflows. Payment terms and vendor priority are centralized, so payment runs can account for strategic relationships and discount policies. Compliance becomes routine rather than a year-end scramble.
When AP runs on structured data and policy-driven flows, the difference is obvious across the business.
Speed and accuracy. Intake is standardized. Bills are captured from email, portal, or drag-and-drop, then parsed to line items with automatic coding recommendations. Exceptions are flagged early rather than discovered during payment or close. Approvals happen quickly because context is complete and routing is automatic.
Control and predictability. Teams plan weekly payment runs with confidence. The platform highlights discount windows and vendor priorities. Duplicates and out-of-policy items are blocked before they become problems. FP&A models reflect reality because AP data is current.
Collaboration at scale. Project managers and department leads approve in one place rather than across threads and spreadsheets. Procurement sees match status without asking AP for updates. Vendors get transparency without flooding the inbox. Finance leaders have the dashboards they need to steer cash and cost with precision.
Audit and compliance readiness. Controls are embedded in the process. Evidence is collected automatically. Reviews move faster because documents and decisions are already organized.
Most AP tools focus on consolidating bills and sending payments. They do not address the data and decisions that determine whether a payment is correct. MakersHub takes a different approach.
Purpose-built AI for AP. WiseVision™ reads any bill or receipt, indexes the content, and maps it to your financial model. Task-specific language models interpret vendor layouts and line items, then learn from your team’s edits. This is not generic OCR. It is structured capture that enables truly touchless workflows for high-volume, variable-format documents.
Deep accounting integrations. Your ledger is the source of truth. MakersHub syncs vendors, chart of accounts, classes, projects, and paid status so nothing falls out of alignment. You avoid workarounds and reconciliation headaches.
Configurable approvals and PO matching. Route by vendor, amount, GL, project, location, or entity. Use two- and three-way match to ensure you pay for what was received. Apply different policies to different parts of the business without custom code.
Collaboration that fits real operations. Finance, project managers, and vendors work from the same system with role-appropriate access. Comments, attachments, and histories live with the bill. Status is clear at a glance.
If your organization manages construction projects, operates multiple locations, or runs PO-driven procurement, this level of control is not optional. It is how you scale without sacrificing accuracy and cash discipline.
Teams sometimes worry that better controls will slow them down or that new tools will force process changes across departments. The safest path is to start where the pain is sharpest, then expand in phases.
Connect the ledger on day one. Sync vendors, COA, and projects. This lets the system make quality coding suggestions immediately and ensures changes flow both ways.
Standardize intake. Use a single AP email or vendor portal. Eliminate side channels that create duplicates or lost invoices.
Codify approval rules. Translate existing policies into routing logic. Use roles rather than individual names to keep processes resilient as teams change.
Measure what matters. Track cycle time, straight-through rate, duplicate prevention, discount capture, and time to close. Share the wins with stakeholders so adoption grows naturally.
MakersHub implements quickly because it was designed to fit how real teams work. There is no need to rebuild your chart of accounts or abandon your current procurement approach. You bring your processes. The platform makes them faster and more reliable.
If these accounts payable problems sound familiar, you have a strong case for automation that begins before the payment button. The fastest way to evaluate the impact is to see your invoices captured and routed in real time, then review the visibility you gain on approvals and upcoming cash. Finance should not be spending hours moving documents around. Finance should be steering the business.
Explore how dynamic approvals and line-item capture work together on our Bill approval software. For a broader view of how capture, matching, and payment scheduling connect, visit our AP automation software overview. When you are ready to see it live, book a demo.
How does automation reduce invoice approval delays without adding headcount?
By routing approvals according to policy, giving approvers complete context, and sending reminders with escalation. Managers approve from web or mobile in minutes, and cycle time becomes predictable.
Can an automated system handle complex GL coding and project splits?
Yes. With line-item capture and learning-based suggestions, coding becomes consistent and fast. Required fields and validations prevent incomplete entries from moving forward.
How does AP automation improve cash planning?
You see approved but unpaid liabilities in real time, filter by due date, and plan weekly payment runs that align with cash strategy. Discounts surface automatically, and surprises disappear.
What safeguards prevent duplicate or fraudulent payments?
Multi-field duplicate detection, verified vendor banking updates, policy-enforced approvals, and complete audit trails. These controls reduce risk without adding manual steps.
How long does implementation take?
Most teams start seeing value within weeks. Connect the ledger, standardize intake, codify routing, and measure cycle time and straight-through rates. Expansion to PO matching and vendor onboarding follows naturally.
Does MakersHub integrate with our accounting system?
Yes. MakersHub uses a two-way sync so vendors, accounts, projects, and paid status stay aligned. This eliminates reconciliation workarounds and keeps records current.
Is our financial data secure?
Security and compliance are core to MakersHub. We’re SOC 2 compliant. Role-based access, granular permissions, and complete audit trails protect sensitive data while enabling collaboration.
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