Customer story:
How Pancreatic Cancer UK Achieved Accounts Payable Process Improvement and Reduced Processing Time from 63 to 22 Days
Pancreatic Cancer UK transformed its finance function through strategic accounts payable process improvement. By implementing automated invoice processing, the charity eliminated misplaced invoices, improved approval visibility, and strengthened financial control during a critical period.
Product:
Invoice Automation
Industry:
Charity / Non‑Profit
erp:
Infor SunSystems
Region:
UK
Employees:
120
Invoice volume:
100 monthly
Read Time: 6 minutes
Charity / Non-Profit
Fewer miscoded and missing invoices
Automated expense management
CASE STUDIES:
What Finance Leaders in Charities Are Saying
For Pancreatic Cancer UK, accounts payable process improvement was not just about speeding up invoices, it was about creating structure, visibility, and control across the entire AP workflow.
THE CHALLENGE:
Limited Visibility and Inefficient Accounts Payable Processes
Before implementing accounts payable automation, Pancreatic Cancer UK faced structural inefficiencies across its accounts payable process that delayed payments and reduced financial visibility.
Key challenges included:
- Manual invoice handling and fragmented, email-based invoice approval workflows
- Invoices frequently misplaced or miscoded due to manual entry
- Invoice processing time averaging more than 63 days
- Limited real-time visibility into the invoice approval workflow
- Increased operational pressure during remote and hybrid working
Without structured controls or automated invoice processing, the organisation struggled to achieve meaningful accounts payable process improvement, resulting in delays, administrative burden, and limited transparency.
THE SOLUTION:
Accounts Payable Automation to Drive Process Improvement
To modernise its finance function, Pancreatic Cancer UK implemented Kefron AP to enable structured accounts payable automation and automated invoice processing.
The solution provided:
- Centralised automated invoice processing from supplier and staff submissions
- Intelligent data capture, coding, and validation to reduce manual errors
- Rule-based invoice approval workflow automation
- Seamless integration with Infor SunSystems, eliminating re-keying
- Secure digital storage for improved audit readiness
- End-to-end expense automation to streamline reimbursements
By digitising its accounts payable process, the organisation replaced fragmented manual workflows with a controlled, automated system designed to deliver sustainable AP process improvement.
THE OUTCOME:
Faster Invoice Processing and Sustainable AP Process Improvement
Following implementation, the charity achieved measurable accounts payable process improvement:
- Invoice processing time reduced from 63 days to approximately 22 days
- Significant reduction in manual data entry and coding errors
- Misplaced and miscoded invoices virtually eliminated
- Automated expense workflows introduced additional efficiency gains
- Real-time visibility across the full invoice approval workflow
The finance team now operates within a structured and transparent accounts payable process, enabling faster decision-making, stronger governance, and improved financial control.
Why Accounts Payable Process Improvement Matters for Finance Teams
This case shows how AP automation can help charities tackle common financial challenges:
Reduce administrative burden, enabling staff to concentrate on mission‑driven work
Digitise approvals and controls for more transparent financial governance
Significantly shorten invoice processing times, freeing finance resources
Eliminate errors caused by manual entry and misfiled paper
Similar Customer Stories
How Allego Improved Invoice Processing with Sage Intacct Integration
Allego integrated Kefron AP with Sage Intacct to eliminate heavy manual entry, gain full invoice journey visibility, and scale AP without changing supplier behaviour.
Product:
Invoice Automation
Industry:
Technology
erp:
Sage Intacct
Region:
Global
How Riviera Travel Automated AP and Saved 32 Hours per Month
Riviera Travel implemented Kefron AP to stabilise Sage 200c processing, automate routing, and save 32 hours monthly in AP administration.
Product:
Invoice Automation
Industry:
Travel
erp:
Sage 200c
Region:
United Kingdom
How Dentex Reduced AP Processing Time by 30%
Dentex automated multi-practice AP with Kefron AP and AccountsIQ, cutting invoice processing time by about one-third and supporting rapid acquisition growth.
Product:
Invoice Automation
Industry:
Dental / Healthcare
erp:
AccountsIQ
Region:
United Kingdom
Ready to Improve Your Accounts Payable Process?
Discover how accounts payable automation can streamline workflows, reduce processing time, and modernise your finance operations.
Frequently asked questions:
What is accounts payable process improvement?
Accounts payable process improvement is the structured effort to make the AP function faster, more accurate, and more controlled. It involves streamlining the invoice-to-pay workflow, reducing manual tasks, improving visibility, and implementing automation to optimise performance across the entire accounts payable process.
How does accounts payable automation improve the AP process?
Accounts payable automation improves the AP process by replacing manual data entry, paper approvals, and email chasing with digital invoice capture, automated validation, and rules-based approval workflows. This reduces errors, shortens invoice cycle times, and strengthens financial control and compliance.
What role does automated invoice processing play in AP process improvement?
Automated invoice processing is a core driver of AP process improvement. It captures invoice data electronically, validates it against purchase orders or coding rules, and routes it through an automated approval workflow. This eliminates repetitive manual steps and increases touchless processing rates.
How can improving the invoice approval workflow boost AP performance?
Improving the invoice approval workflow with automation ensures invoices are routed instantly to the correct approvers based on predefined rules. Automated reminders and escalation paths reduce bottlenecks, shorten approval cycles, and improve overall accounts payable performance.
What are the key steps to start accounts payable process improvement?
To begin accounts payable process improvement, organisations should map their current AP workflow, identify bottlenecks, centralise invoice receipt, standardise approval rules, implement accounts payable automation, and track KPIs such as invoice processing time and invoices processed per FTE.
Which metrics show that AP process improvement and automation are working?
Successful accounts payable process improvement is measured by shorter invoice processing time, fewer late payments, reduced manual touchpoints, higher straight-through processing rates, and improved visibility of outstanding liabilities across the AP function.