6个你应该自动化的手工流程

As a controller managing a back office, it can often seem like the list of tasks is never-ending. 有永无止境的竞争问题和优先事项:人员配备水平, 内部客户需求, 事务的错误, 不断变化的业务需求.  

即使是大公司，拥有多个手动流程也是很常见的, 但这往往会导致人为错误. In addition, company growth can lead to longer working hours for staff, just to cover the workload.  长时间工作, 处理不满意的内部客户, and dealing with the effects of 事务的错误 can be frustrating for employees. 

 If your organization is looking to implement more efficiency and productivity into your processes, 是时候更聪明地工作了, 并不难实现自动化. 

为什么自动化很重要?  

 “…Constantly think about how you could be doing things better and questioning yourself.——埃隆·马斯克

High-performing controllers and finance managers are always looking at improving efficiency, 客户服务, 精度, 以及交易和流程的及时性. 许多事情推动了对自动化的需求, 但是会计流程自动化也有几个积极的影响: 

• Create scalability and customer satisfaction by improving efficiency and/or turnaround time for a transaction. 
• 降低每笔交易的成本——无需自动化, 随着公司的发展，交易量也随之增加, 运营费用持续上升. Implementing automated processes takes some up-front resources but can easily pay off in the long-run through much lower per-transaction costs.   
• 推动标准化-有效实施自动化, 必须制定一致的标准, 并删除手动流程中可能发生的一次性场景.  
• 改善及时性, tracking and 精度 of transactions – Automation of certain transactions can help reduce manual errors and provide solid tracking of transaction flow through a system.  

自动化改善的6个领域: 

旅游预订 & 费用补偿: 

• 考虑处理差旅和费用的应用程序, to leverage the intelligence from the travel bookings to minimize the effort of creating and processing expense reports. 旅客可以节省时间使用
  您的单一来源旅行预订应用程序, 在应用程序中维护他们的奖励计划, 公司可以直接访问旅游信息. 
• 在考虑应用程序时，以下可能是重要的功能: 
  • 手机应用程序，允许: 
    • 成像/收据捕获
      
    • 费用报表的创建/提交 
    • 批准  
  • 可配置的差旅和费用报告工作流，以及相关的审批 
  • 可配置的策略约束，以帮助遵守-旅行策略, 费用政策, 帐户编码
  • 公司信用卡数据接口功能-诸如日期之类的信息, 供应商, 金额可能与旅行相匹配 

每月结案流程:

• 许多erp都有上传日志分录的模板: 
  • Review your ERP for JE upload functionality and invest the time to set up templates for each recurring JE
  • 以适合上传模板的格式导出源数据 
• 考虑软件应用程序，帮助您处理关闭虚拟: 
  • 关闭检查表/任务管理 
  • 自动对账 
  • 日记账的自动化 
  • 诸如日记账分录和对账等任务的工作流/审批 
  • 报告/分析 

采购-采购订单(PO) vs. Non-PO采购: 

• 大多数公司的采购都需要PO，而其他公司则不需要.  采购政策应明确PO vs的要求. Non-PO购买. 
• 采购事项: 
  • Existing ERP functionality – This functionality may be very basic and consist of PO documents with matching capabilities or could include more advanced features. 
  • 实现策略遵从性的外部软件应用程序, 工作流功能, 通知, 供应商接口, 和报告. 
  • In-house applications that allow for form design and management may be used for basic tracking and approvals where a sophisticated PO system is not required.
• For Non-PO购买, one recommendation is the setup and use of Purchasing Cards (P-Cards).  P-Cards are credit cards that can be set up with limits to help manage non-PO purchasing, 它们提供了几个方便的好处:
  • 根据支出水平可获得的回扣. 
  • Reduction in AP workload by reducing the number of invoices the AP staff receive and process. 
  • Policy compliance management may be enabled through banking systems and card-related controls such as card limits and vendor MCC code limitations. 

应付账款:

• 手动接收、发送和处理供应商发票 需要多个接触点和员工的勤奋.  If 供应商 are not sending invoices to a central point, the invoices may get lost or duplicated.
  
• ERP软件公司已经改进了他们的AP功能.  探索您的ERP系统的功能.
• Consider applications that will interface with the ERP, including common features such as: 
  • OCR(光学字符识别)成像  
  • 用于策略遵从和批准的可配置工作流 
  • PO vs管理. Non-PO事务 
  • 可能与p卡或“幽灵”卡银行系统接口
  • 供应商付款处理 

工资 & 计时: 

• 手动时间表要求每个员工在表格上记录他们的时间, followed by payroll employees having to input the time into the payroll system and/or the ERP. Eliminate this duplication of effort by implementing timekeeping software that can interface into the payroll system. 
• In-house payroll requires staff with specific knowledge of payroll taxes and labor laws for different jurisdictions.  Consider using an external payroll service to leverage payroll and tax capabilities. 大多数工资外包系统也有人力资源功能, 从而更好地协调会计和人力资源之间的关系.  寻找任何工资单系统的功能，例如: 
  • Import capability – import timekeeping data and/or other payroll/benefits related data used for payroll calculation 
  • GL映射的收入和扣除代码 
  • Export capability for payroll data – export payroll data in a format for upload to your GL 
  • Explore the potential for payroll system to interface directly with finance ERP via API
  • 会计或人力资源部门使用的报告/分析 
  • Employee usability to view paystubs and update or view personal and tax information 

减少或消除检查:   

• 支票支付比大多数电子支付方式花费更多, 因此，减少或消除检查次数可以节省运营成本.  
• 工资应以直接存入的方式支付, 或者工资卡, 这样既省钱又能让员工在线查看自己的工资单. 
• 费用报销应直接存入.  Most automated expense reporting applications have email notification capability to employees. 
• 可考虑的供应商电子付款类型: 
  • ACH payments – Many ERPs have functionality which will email vendor remittance information and have ACH file exports for upload to the bank. 
  • “幽灵”卡或AP信用卡-使用这些卡, no plastic is generated but there is an AP credit card account set up with the bank specifically for vendor payments.  
  • p卡(采购卡)-与公司卡计划分开, this credit card program can be set up separately with different compliance parameters, such as for non-PO type transactions or to reduce the number of traditional AP invoices that AP staff must review and set up for payment.  

自动化各种流程可以提高会计团队的绩效, 员工福利, allows the company to grow without adding exponentially to its back-office costs, and provides accounting management with solid tools for managing the back-office functions. 

“美国的正确之处在于，尽管我们有一堆问题, 我们有很大的能力——智慧和资源——来做些什么.——亨利·福特

Whether it’s short turnaround “quick hit” efficiencies or software implementations, Bridgepoint咨询 has the expertise you need to identify and implement solutions to fit your needs. 拥有经验丰富的顾问团队, we’re ready to assist your organization with identifying and implementing automation to simplify business practices and drive growth