Elari optimizes invoice processing with its own software

It’s no coincidence that saving time is at the heart of what Elari does. That’s why we’re constantly improving both our software and our own spend management processes. In this success story, we’ll share two examples of how we’ve improved our own invoice processing: using XML and PEPPOL.

Optimizing Elari XML invoicing with PostNL

One of our clients, an educational organization, noticed that XML invoices from PostNL could not be processed correctly. This was because the invoices were delivered in a format that didn’t match Elari’s settings. The PDF file and the XML invoice differed from one another, causing Elari to unfortunately process the invoice twice. Obviously, this had to change. Together, we looked for an efficient solution.

Consultant Anna and Customer Success Manager Jasper explored their network to find a way to connect with PostNL. Fortunately, Jasper turned out to have a contact there. He reached out to Peter Bonewit, which resulted in a positive response from Pension Officer Ans and Finance Shared Service Center Manager Ebele-Jan. They got to work right away and, together with us, optimized the digital XML invoice processing workflow.

Quick action taken by supplier PostNL

PostNL understood the challenges the educational organization was facing and acted efficiently. We are therefore very pleased that we were able to optimize the process together. Jasper said proudly: “Ebele-Jan’s team did a great job. It’s wonderful that PostNL handled this so well. This is how we work together to provide the educational organization with a pleasant user experience. So, letting them know you need help optimizing processes in Elari really does work.”

How are we implementing the PEPPOL network for ourselves?

Customer Success Manager Jasper explains: “Of course, we can’t recommend the PEPPOL network to all Elari users and then not use it ourselves. This project had been in the works for a while, and I’m incredibly happy that we finally took this step toward optimization in 2024. Of course, we want our customers to experience the benefits of PEPPOL when receiving invoices from Elari as well.”

“We certainly can’t recommend the PEPPOL network to all Elari users and then not use it ourselves.”

Jasper, Customer Success Manager at Elari

How did the PEPPOL project get started?

It all began during one of our monthly themed webinars, in this case about XML invoices and PEPPOL. “Together with Jasper, we first took stock of potential pilot customers. This resulted in 17 customers who wanted to participate,” says our Finance Administrator Tabitha. “During the webinars, they had indicated that they wanted to test the PEPPOL network together with us. In this case, these were clients who were already using PEPPOL, which makes a huge difference.” Jasper adds: “Unfortunately, we ran into some issues with three of those clients. The process didn’t go as smoothly as we had hoped.”

In collaboration with Visma subsidiary AutoInvoice

Jasper continues: “The invoicing system we use requires support from a Visma sister company (AutoInvoice) if we want to implement PEPPOL. That’s why we worked with AutoInvoice to explore the options. Initially, the integration wasn’t working properly because our invoicing system was configured for the Scandinavian countries. The regulations and required fields there are different from those in the Netherlands. It’s now all set up properly, and I’m very proud of that.”

“We noticed, for example, that VAT numbers were required when sending invoices. In the Netherlands, that’s not necessary, as we use Chamber of Commerce (KvK) numbers instead. Because of this, we were temporarily unable to send invoices. We received an error message about it, but fortunately, I was able to resolve the issue together with my colleague Tabitha. So that’s all sorted now, but it’s definitely something to keep in mind if you want to start using PEPPOL yourself. Be sure to check carefully which fields are required for sending invoices.”

So here’s a great tip from Jasper: “If you register with the PEPPOL network through Elari, always use your Chamber of Commerce number. That makes the implementation process a lot more efficient. And keep in mind that your suppliers may not be sufficiently familiar with PEPPOL. You’ll need to be proactive and patient in this regard.”

Best practices for a successful PEPPOL implementation

“The most important takeaway for me was that PEPPOL isn’t as ‘plug-and-play’ as we thought,” says Jasper. “It’s not a matter of flipping a switch and getting started right away, so to speak. I also want to emphasize that the benefits outweigh the effort we put into it. PEPPOL definitely pays off.”

“For example, I was surprised by how many parties are involved in the PEPPOL implementation. You have to be prepared for that. We use software to send invoices. This software uses AutoInvoice to send the invoices. To send invoices via PEPPOL, we use the Maventa access point. To receive invoices in Elari, we use the Storecove access point. Fortunately, these systems do ‘talk’ to each other, but it’s important to be aware of this. In short: you’ll need to set aside some time to set this up properly.”

Maventa and Storecove ensure that the systems communicate with each other: that the invoice can be sent from the invoicing system to Elari.

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