Purchase inbox

Purchase Inbox is a function that helps to automize purchasing process. This manual explains all the features and settings related to Purchase Inbox.

With purchase inbox:

You have your own e-mail address where customers, suppliers and reporting persons can send documents (“Settings” > “Configuration” > section “E-mail”).
Invoices and attached files will be sent directly to purchase inbox (“Purchase” > “Purchase inbox”)
When it’s a new invoice, click on a button “Create invoice”
When you want to add files to an existing invoice, then choose the file and click button “Find and add to Invoice”.
You can find created invoices in “Purchase” > “Open Payables”.
Use invoice confirmation to confirm files and invoices before paying.

How to start?

Give your suppliers your new email address.
Give your email to employees, who have to submit invoices for expenses (reporting persons).
Turn the process around – all purchase invoices start from the purchase inbox.
Start using invoice confirmation.

1. All documents are in one place

1.1 Personal e-mail address

Every company has their own personal email address that can be given to customers, suppliers and reporting person. You can find that in “Settings” > “Configuration”.

This email makes sure, that all invoices, checks, files and other important documents are in one place. In addition, it’s perfect way to archive all those documents, so if you need to see these documents after five years, they will still be saved. This function provides, that none of the documents go missing.

You can get your own alias (e.g yourname@app.erplybooks.com). It’s free for companies with the big package. If you want your own domain name (e.g yourname@yourcompanyname.com) then this will incur a one time extra charge 500 EUR.

If you are interested in this, then connect us via email support@erplybooks.com.

NB! We have the right to delete email addresses with inappropriate names.

2. Previously uploaded files – purchase inbox

All invoices, files and other documents that are sent to previously described email address, will arrive in the purchase inbox. You can find that in “Purchases” > “Purchase inbox”.

If in “Settings” > “Configuration” you have indicated that you want to use invoice approval, then in the purchase inbox you will find sent invoices under the status “Not Confirmed”. If you don’t use invoice approval, then you find these under the status “Pending”.

You can see files with other statuses when you click on the cell “Status”. “Confirmed” means that the invoice has already been created from a file. You can see a green tick mark if files are confirmed and black exclamation mark when files are unconfirmed.

On the left side of the screen, you can see all sent files and on the right side you can see the invoice in PDF view, when you click on some invoices.

In the menu below there are two buttons, “Create invoice” and “Find and add to invoice”.

3. Create an invoice

If you want to create a new invoice from the file, then click on “Create invoice”. If it’s e-invoice and you click on “Create invoice” button, then the system can read the invoice, because all the needed information is there.

4. Find and add to invoice

Use this button when you want to add a file to the invoice. For example if you want to gather all the reporting person’s purchases, then you can find this reporting person and add files to him/her. Or if you already have some existing purchase invoice from that reporting person, then you can add files to this invoice. When you choose a suppliers name, you can choose previous invoices that are connected to this supplier.

Different file types

There are four different types of files: e-invoices, PDF’s, images and other (e.g Excel files).

With e-invoice, the parser can read out all the information. It means that result depends on how well supplier has compiled the e-invoice.
The PDF parser can read up to 80% of a file. When it can’t read some part of the information (e.g supplier’s name) then this information wasn’t in the database. The PDF parser reads the exact information, for example date, deadline, sum, supplier, invoice rows.
We support OCR (optical character recognition) method with pictures. This method can read out date, supplier, sum. Therefore, take a picture of a paper invoice and upload it with a phone. With the OCR method, we can make an invoice from a picture.
“Other” means all the other document types. For example Excel files. With these files, the invoice must be entered manually.

5. Where can I see the invoices?

You can see created files from open payables (“Purchases” > “Open Payables”). You will see invoices with status “confirmed” when you choose confirmed status on purchase inbox.

Automatical rules:

Type “Purchase invoice file importing rules” to the search box and you can add rules what program uses, when the file arrives to the purchase inbox.
You can add default parameters for purchase invoices in “Configuration” > chapter “Default purchase invoice importing rules”.
PDF parser will be used, when file arrives to the purchase inbox and the file has unique parameters, that the system can use in order to compile an invoice.
When you send e-invoice to the purchase inbox, then invoice will be made automatically.
OCR is a method that makes invoices based on the information that system reads from the picture. (for example, if you make a picture of your check with your phone and you send this picture to purchase inbox, then system can make an invoice from the picture. You can add rules for that process.

6. Invoice approval

6.1 Setting up the invoice approval

Invoice approval is a process that makes paying for purchase invoices more safe. This allows to assign certain persons who have to verify the invoice before someone pays for it. Because system confirms both files and invoices, it can be used as a digital archive.

When you want to use invoice approval, you first have to determine that you want to use this in settings. Go to “Settings” > “Configuration” and make a tick after “Use invoice approval”.

Next, go to the section “Invoice approval rules” and add following settings:

Enable (Yes/No)
Min number of approves?
Invoice must be approved by?

In addition, you can determine the hirarchy of verifiers. It means, that people, who are first in order will get the e-mail first.

Go to “Settings” > “Configuration”> go to the chapter “Automatic email approver process”.
Click on the “Manage” button. In order to add rows, choose the “+” button.
In column “Order of the operations” add the number.
In column “Invoice must be approved by” add an email address.

Then save and refresh the page.

6.2 Using the invoice confirmation

6.2.1 Who can verify invoices?

A person who has the verifier rights can confirm invoices. These privileges can be added when you go to “Settings” > “Users”. You will see the list of users. Make a double-click on the user email address to see the privileges. Make a tick in front of “Settings-Verifier”.

If verifier only checks, then it’s reasonable to remove the right to enter purchase invoices (remove a tick in front of “Edit – Purchase invoices”). Then click on save button.

6.2.2 Verifying process

Both file and invoice can be verified – depending on what you need in your company. If all your invoices must be archived in system, then demand that invoice can’t be sent out without a file. Then use only the invoice approval system- after you have created the invoice from a file, the system adds a “Confirmed” status to it. Therefore, you can’t create an invoice that has a file with a “rejected” status. If one verifier rejects the file and the other one confirms it, then the file has a declined status. The invoice can be confirmed if all verifiers have approved it.

NB! If you receive files later, then it’s reasonable to make the purchase invoices ahead of time. Your accountant can’t verify these and those invoices remain with status unconfirmed. Then the verifier can approve these invoices (or wait for the invoices and approve these).

Different file statuses:

Unconfirmed – Waits for someone to verify it.
Pending – File has been verified and user can create a invoice
Confirmed – The invoice has been created

Different invoice statuses:

Confirmed- a file has been added to the invoice and a verifier has approved it.
Not confirmed – a file might have been added to the invoice, but it has not been verified yet. Or there is no file
Locked- User can’t make any further operations with the file, when the file is locked.
Confirmed and payment sent to bank- file has been added and payment file has been created.

In the purchase inbox, there is a button “Ask confirmation”. When clicking it, the main approver, CEO or someone else important gets an email, that asks to confirm the invoice. The email recipient must be added to the user list (“Settings” > “Users”). When clicking on the “Ask confirmation” button, you can choose who you want to send this letter to. You can use this function, when a person doesn’t use ERPLY Books often, but you still need his/her approval. The recipient will get an email and will see an invoice file and when clicking on links, he/she can confirm or reject the invoice.

6.3 Details about invoice confirmation

Invoice/ file can’t be confirmed, if it has been sent to someone and the recipient hasn’t confirmed it (when you use button “Ask confirmation”). The recipient must verify or reject the invoice in email or in ERPLY Books
Verifying in email is a process outside of the main system. Users can use it on a phone and links go to only one operation- confirming or declining.
If you chose the wrong link by accident (wanted to approve but rejected) then you have to go to ERPLY Books and manually approve/ reject the file or invoice. It means that you can’t use one query twice.
When the user has declined the invoice 3 times and now clicks on “Confirm” then the last status remains and the invoice is confirmed now.

The following video shows further information about the Purchase Inbox:

FAQ

Why the PDF parser doesn’t work with my files?

The information will be read out when the system understands it’s an invoice (finds heading, footer and invoice rows) and the text must be in a copyable format. In addition, we support specific languages. If an invoice is in an unknown format and language, then PDF parser won’t work.

PDF parser changed the invoice and now the invoice rows look weird.

Use the button “More” > “Clear rows”.

What should I do with paper invoices?

If you have many paper invoices then take a picture of these and upload those with a phone. They will arrive in your purchase inbox and you can archive these.

What’s the easiest way to manage a reporting person, who has a lot of purchases in a month?

Give your ERPLY Books email to reporting persons. Then they can send all their invoices and checks to one place. When you click on the button “Find and add to invoice”, you can add files to a reporting person’s invoice.

What does the system do with e-invoices? (At the moment we support EE, LV, FI)

When it’s just a simple invoice, all the information will be read out. When there is a PDF or picture in this e-invoice, you can see this image on screen and the system can read out the information. When it’s another kind of information (not PDF, e-invoice or picture) then you will not see any images and you have to enter this invoice manually.

How can I make a copy of the invoice?

When you choose the supplier (purchase inbox) with whom you already have invoices, the button “Copy” appears in the bottom menu. Click on this button and see information about previous invoices connected to this supplier.

How can I find inventory products?

The function that enables to find ERPLY products from purchase inbox is an extra setting. You can add this feature in “Settings” > “Configuration”, in the section “Other options” make a tick in front of “Search products in purchase inbox?”.Then save and refresh the page.

This setting is useful in the situation where you don’t have any document that you can use to make an invoice. For example, when you have a purchase order, then it’s reasonable to create a purchase invoice when products arrive. In addition, you can get the information about purchase invoice through EDI. If you don’t have any previously compiled purchase invoices, you have to search all the products manually. That’s time consuming. Here, ERPLY Books can help you. If the system can find product codes from the purchase invoice, then it can find products from ERPLY, based on that information (assuming the system has the right information it can find the right products: suppliers code, EAN code, product name).

Process:

Create an invoice in purchase inbox
If you choose the supplier (or the program finds the supplier) and this is an inventory related supplier, then on the menu below, you can click on a button “Find in ERPLY products”.
Click on that button and the program will find matching products from ERPLY inventory.
If there is a green mark in front of the row, it means that system found the match from inventory.
If there is a red mark, then the system didn’t find the match and you have to search the products manually (click on a magnifying glass logo).
If all the rows are correct, then save.

NB! You can’t take products into inventory through the purchase inbox. You have to do that in the ERPLY inventory. Therefore, if you can’t find some product, then check if it’s in ERPLY Inventory. If not, you have to add it.

If there are different units in the inventory and in the purchase invoice then the system will not convert those units automatically. That’s an extra development and if you are interested in that then connect us via email support@erplybooks.com.

How can I return sales?

You can return sales if you have activated the function “Search products in purchase inbox?”. This is an extra setting and you can add this in “Settings” > “Configuration” and make a tick in front of “Search products in purchase inbox?”. Usually, when you get an invoice, there is a document with a list of products you have to return, then you should have to start to enter this data manually. Now you can forget about manual data entry, because PDF parser will do this automatically by linking products, that you have to return. See the reason why something is returned under additional information, in cell “Reason for return”.

If there are some products missing from that list, then add rows to add products. Save, if you have all the needed information.