The aim is that when you place orders, invoice customers or produce receipts, all documents are in machine-readable (structured) format. Digital orders are called procurement messages, digital invoices e-invoices and receipts digital receipts. Digital vouchers are transmitted between companies and systems via interfaces. Read more about procurement messages, e-invoices and digital receipts.
An example of how digital vouchers would function in the future:
- When concluding a contract, trading partners prepare a catalogue of the products and services covered by the contract and the prices agreed for them.
- When a company places an order, a machine-readable (structured) procurement message is generated on the basis of the agreed catalogue. Because the order data is in machine-readable format, the data is immediately transmitted to the trading partner’s systems (such as accounts receivable, inventory system or the enterprise resource planning system), automatically and in a secure manner.
- The machine-readable order confirmation is transmitted from the supplier to the customer in the same manner.
- When the product or the service has been delivered, the invoice is generated on the basis of the structured information contained in the order and the order confirmation.
- When the customer receives the invoice, it will be automatically entered in the accounts payable.
- In principle, invoice details can be checked on the basis of the structured product and service catalogue prepared in connection with the tender, purchase decision and the contract; for example, do the hourly or daily rates and the unit or batch prices of the products correspond to the prices agreed in the catalogue.
- The company can determine how the factual checks and approval of invoices should be carried out.
- When all vouchers are in digital format, their accounting details are automatically entered in the bookkeeping of both partners and in a variety of different reports.