Invoice Processing for Dynamics 365

AP Automation for Microsoft Dynamics 365 Finance & Operations

Using Invoice OCR Data Extraction with AI

AP Automation and Invoice Processing for Dynamics can be difficult, and the most complex part in the overall process is the accurate extraction of invoice header and line item data. Even a small number of invoice volume for an Accounts Payable department can be a huge time drain for staff and average ap departments are 4000-500% slower that those that are best in class. The embedded video shows a quick overview of the AP automation process using Ephesoft Semantik and the Power Automate Invoice Connector to increase straight through invoice data rates, provide invoice validation, invoice approval automation and integration of invoice data and documents to Microsoft Dynamics 365 or GP. You can get a trial here:

AP Automation for Invoices

Using Ephesoft to Add Intelligent Automation to Microsoft Technologies

Ephesoft Automation for SharePoint, Azure, BI, Flow and Dynamics

We are ramping up our team for the Microsoft Inspire Conference (Booth 1237) in Washington, DC in a few weeks (July 9-13), and I thought I would put together some ideas on the power of Ephesoft technology when combined with Microsoft technologies.  We have been working with several Microsoft Teams (Azure, SharePoint, Flow) to bring solutions to market, and provide extensive document-centric solutions to their partner and customer ecosystem.  So how do we fit?  I will outline a quick primer.

 

Just Who Is Ephesoft?

Ephesoft was founded in 2010 by leaders from the document capture industry that wanted to drive innovation and disrupt the legacy document automation space.  The company has shown explosive growth through its unique perspective on taming unstructured content using patented complex analytics and machine learning.   Its technology has garnered broad interest, and investment from top-tier firms like Fujitsu and In-Q-Tel.

Just What Does Ephesoft Technology Do?

At the heart of Ephesoft Technology is an engine that provides automated document classification and data extraction.  Feed it documents from any source (fax, scanners, copiers, folders, legacy ECM systems, mobile devices, repositories) and it will do all the heavy lifting –  sorting, separating, classifying and getting you the data you need to drive efficiency, productivity, automation and decision-making with minimal end-user intervention.  Providing SaaS and PaaS solutions, and available on premise or in the cloud, the Ephesoft platform can provide great value to any size organization.  Ephesoft has two products:

Ephesoft Transact – a transaction document capture platform for day-to-day document processing.

Ephesoft Insight – a document analytics platform for ingesting large volumes of existing unstructured content and extracting meaning.

How Does Ephesoft Fit With Microsoft?

Think of Ephesoft as an added intelligent document automation layer that can be placed on top of other technologies as a catalyst for automation.  Below is a list of core technologies from Microsoft, and how Ephesoft can fit from a business perspective.

Microsoft SharePoint and Ephesoft

With SharePoint, Ephesoft Transact can be an intelligent on ramp for documents into SharePoint libraries.   As a front end loader, Transact can auto-identify and route documents from just about any source, and make sure they wind up in the right library, as a searchable PDF, with all the important metadata extracted.   It provides a standardized, repeatable process for adding any type of document to Microsoft SharePoint.

With Ephesoft Insight, SharePoint libraries can now be consumed and leveraged for Document Analytics.  Insight provides the “document side” of the analytics equation.

You can get more information here:

Ephesoft/SharePoint Integration

Email Classification with SharePoint

Microsoft Flow and Ephesoft

Utilizing Ephesoft Web Services in the cloud, you can add intelligence to any Microsoft Flow workflow.   Using the classification or extraction services, you can use Ephesoft Transact technology to “open up” documents mid-process, and make workflow branching decisions based on what you find.   An example of a Flow use case here:

Ephesoft and Microsoft Flow with SharePoint Online

Scanning to Microsoft Flow

Microsoft Dynamics and Ephesoft

ERP and Accounting systems can leverage the power of Ephesoft in many different ways.  As a processing engine, Ephesoft Transact can extract information from critical documents, like invoices or sales orders, and pass the information on to Dynamics.  No longer will employees have to hand key information, and waste precious time.  Along with time savings, data entry errors can now be eliminated through Ephesoft Transact’s validation and exception processing capabilities.  More info:

Ephesoft Accounting ERP Solutions

Microsoft Azure and Ephesoft

Document capture and automation is a great fit for the cloud.  Ephesoft’s web-based technology and RESTful APIs are cloud ready, and are available in Microsoft Azure.  As a Cloud Infrastructure partner, Ephesoft has worked diligently to insure compatibility with Azure, and also to take advantage of all the cloud has to offer from a scalability and availability perspective.  Read more on Ephesoft’s cloud platform:

Ephesoft Capture in the Cloud

This is just a short list of possibilities.  Ephesoft’s products are built for partners, and have an open architecture to facilitate the building of portable solutions to add value and drive revenue.  Come see  us at Inspire (Booth 1237), or reach out to us directly for more information: Contact Us.

 

The Benefits of Modern Intelligent Capture

Digital Transformation Platform = True Value

Our marketing department has been putting together some great resources on the advantages of a true, modern digital transformation platform when it comes to document processing.  Below are some snapshots from the new collateral.

Benefits of a Modern Capture and OCR Platform

Value of Ephesoft’s Digital Platform

Digital Transformation Platform: Accelerating Transformation with Web Services

The Value of Document Capture Web Service APIs

The Ephesoft Web Service APIs provide a valuable set of document capture, classification, extraction and OCR micro-services to “capture enable”” any application.  Need a searchable PDF?  Want to identify a type of document?  Want to extract or validate metadata?

We are seeing a movement in the market where customers want to leverage these functions to provide an invisible automation layer that just happens, and is transparent to users.  You can read more on that phenomena here: The Benefits of Invisible Capture

Below are two videos by our professional services and tech teams that show the capabilities.

 

CIO Insight: How to Anticipate Your Digital Transformation Roadblocks

Digital Transformation (DX) Roadblocks: The Survey

This past week I was at Alfresco’s Sales Kickoff Event in Chicago, and there were some great presentations that tied into my recent theme of Digital Transformation.  In my recent post, CIO’s Digital Transformation Playbook, I outlined the 6 keys to a successful digital transformation.  We all know that road is plagued with pitfalls and detours.  Wouldn’t it be nice to tackle and plan for those roadblocks prior to starting your DX journey?   Here are the top pain points in order (as outlined by Alfresco/Forbes Survey):

1. Technology (legacy issues/lack of integration) – As CIO’s prepare their vision for DX, they have to figure out their legacy impediments.  Are existing systems cloud ready and cloud adaptive?  How do you replace the laggard technology to enable transformation?
2. Talent/capabilities/skills gaps – the lack of quality IT talent on the street is a definite issue when it comes to transforming business.  How do you find that Azure or AWS expert?  If you decide to move from an on-prem ERP, can you find an experienced project manager to move to your chosen SaaS vendor?
3. Lack of collaboration between IT and LoB – ah, the same old story, the struggle between IT and the Business Users.  Cant we all just get along?  DX can be a painful and scary trip for the business, and moving to new technology or a new system can wreak havoc on operations.  Collaboration between tech and business can slow down the move, and may even bring it to a halt.
4. Organizational Silos – digital transformation is broad and all-inclusive, and breaking down silos to enable a true digital “flow” between departments can be a heavy challenge.  This ties into #3, and now IT becomes a facilitator between departments internally.
5. Disjointed processes across departments – recreating broken processes in the digital realm is a recipe for failure and challenges.  Process improvement efforts during DX can add layers of complexity, and also slow down efforts.
6. Company Culture – I’ll never forget a conversation I had with a CEO in my past, we were discussing paperless technology, and he said, “I can see all the benefits and the cost savings, but my employees will never go for that.”  What?!?!  Company culture and attitudes can be a massive inhibitor when it comes to transformative technology.

Alfresco has some great posts on Digital Transformation here:

Digital Transformation: It’s all about the flow

Digital Transformation Isn’t a Goal.  It’s A Journey.

CIO Playbook: 6 Keys to Digital Transformation Success

6 Core Keys for Digital Transformation Journey Success

I finally built out my Digital Transformation presentation deck, and recorded the video overview below.   This is an extension of my initial post:  BofA and Digital Transformation