Aberdeen Group’s ePayables Solution Selection
Report Supports A/P’s Business Case for Automation

November 23, 2007 – Once considered a tactical, back-office procedure, the Accounts Payable function is now coming into focus as enterprises recognize that automation can alleviate many of the manual and paper-based A/P processes that are eroding the bottom-line. The Aberdeen Group’s “ePayables Solution Selection” report details the many reasons why organizations should move to an automated A/P solution and provides tactics to help them identify an application that is aligned with their unique needs.

Leveraging the insights of over 300 Procurement and Payables executives from more than 300 companies and conducting demonstrations and assessments of 20+ ePayables solution providers, Aberdeen research revealed the following:

• Enterprises participating in 2007 Aberdeen benchmark studies consistently rated Accounts Payable automation among the top enterprise technology investments prioritized over the next year.
• Aberdeen analyst discussions with A/P Managers, Controllers, and other Finance Executives point to increasing awareness that A/P is a highly inefficient enterprise function.

Based on research culled over the past two years, Aberdeen recommends that enterprises assess ePayables application capabilities in four (4) primary areas:

• Receipt: Electronic invoice receipt may occur in any one of numerous formats
• Approval and Inquiry: Once received, an invoice may be processed using rule-based logic to define the proper routing and approval workflow
• Validation and Reconciliation: The verification of invoice accuracy and the resolution of any errors, discrepancies, etc.
• Settlement: Payment processing

To effectively optimize the A/P solution selection process, a plan of action must be devised that includes:

• Defining goals and objectives for the initiative, documenting processes, and outlining the formal scope of the project
• Engaging other key stakeholders throughout the organization, including Treasury and Finance, Procurement, IT, and Suppliers
• Building a business case that demonstrates the cost savings, but also addresses additional softer benefits such as visibility
• Establishing performance metrics and ROI targets based on internal discussions

“Typically, we help each of our customers build a Business Case for a complete P2P solution. This, of course, includes streamlining A/P processes,” states Tim McEneny, President and CEO of PurchasingNet, Inc.

Click here for a complimentary copy of the Aberdeen Group’s ePayables Solution Selection Report.

About Aberdeen Group, a Harte-Hanks Company

Aberdeen is a leading provider of fact-based research and market intelligence that delivers demonstrable results. Having benchmarked more than 30,000 companies in the past two years, Aberdeen is uniquely positioned to educate users to action: driving market awareness, creating demand, enabling sales, and delivering meaningful return-on-investment analysis. As the trusted advisor to the global technology markets, corporations turn to Aberdeen for insights that drive decisions.

As a Harte-Hanks Company, Aberdeen plays a key role of putting content in context for the global direct and targeted marketing company. Aberdeen's analytical and independent view of the "customer optimization" process of Harte-Hanks (Information – Opportunity – Insight – Engagement – Interaction) extends the client value and accentuates the strategic role Harte-Hanks brings to the market. For additional information, visit Aberdeen www.aberdeen.com or call (617) 723-7890, or to learn more about Harte-Hanks, call (800) 456-9748 or go to www.harte-hanks.com

PurchasingNet, Inc. (www.PurchasingNet.com) is a leading provider of Web-based eProcurement and ePayables software to mid- and large-sized companies. The company has over 1,400 customers in Financial Services, Retail/Consumer Products, Professional Services, Media/Publishing, and a variety of other industries.

Founded in 1983, PurchasingNet has focused exclusively on the development and implementation of Procurement and Payables applications since inception. In addition to building an extensive, blue-chip client base, PurchasingNet possesses deep domain expertise in Purchasing and Payables business processes. The average length of service at PurchasingNet is 8 years per employee.

PurchasingNet's customers include US Bank, Navy Federal Credit Union, American Financial Group, Liz Claiborne, HBO, EarthLink, XM Satellite Radio, Black & Decker, Kroger, and General Mills.