Invoices are among the central documents in business, and for decades, paper was the standard. However, these times are coming to an end: More and more countries are obliging companies to create, transmit, and process invoices exclusively electronically. The IT project E-Invoicing represents far more than merely sending a PDF via email. It refers to structured, standardized electronic invoices, often processed directly via government platforms.
Current Developments
A look at Europe shows how varied progress can be: Italy introduced a nationwide e-invoicing mandate several years ago, setting standards. Other countries like Poland, Belgium, France, and Germany are currently on the verge of implementation. The trend is clear: Step by step, e-invoicing is becoming the new normal in Europe. Read blog articles from our colleagues who take a look at France, Belgium, the UK, and Poland.
Latin American countries are even more advanced. Countries like Brazil, Mexico, and Chile have consistently relied on e-invoicing for years, achieving a new level of transparency, efficiency, and government control. For internationally active companies, this means: E-invoicing is no longer a regional peculiarity but is developing into a global standard.
IT Project E-Invoicing?
At first glance, it seems like a purely technical matter: a new data format, a few interfaces, and the job is done. In practice, however, there is much more to it. E-invoicing is not a pure IT project, but rather an organizational project. It changes the way companies operate. Invoices are automatically checked, approved faster, and processed seamlessly. Topics such as process optimization come to the forefront. Only when the fundamentals, from clean master data maintenance to well-conceived system customizing, are in place, can automation unfold its full potential.
In addition, there is the necessary cultural change: Working with stacks of paper, manual approvals, or handwritten checks were routines taken for granted for decades, but are now being replaced by digital collaboration, real-time transparency, and data-driven decisions. Employees must take on new roles, and the organization develops new forms of collaboration.
For this change to succeed, strong change management is required. People need to understand why something is changing, how they themselves will benefit, and what new skills are required. Only when technology, processes, and people are considered together can e-invoicing unfold its full potential.
Why E-Invoicing? – Turning Obligation into Opportunity
In more and more countries, there is a legal obligation to submit invoices exclusively electronically in specified standards. Without compliance, rejection by authorities or business partners is a risk. At the same time, electronic processing opens up new possibilities for collaboration between departments: Purchasing, Accounting, and Controlling access the same, up-to-date data and can jointly optimize processes.
These new possibilities become most apparent when looking at daily work. It becomes clear for both incoming and outgoing invoices: The step from paper and PDF to true electronic formats is more than just a small difference. It fundamentally changes workflows.
Incoming Invoice Processing – From Paper Stack to Straight-Through Processing
Typically, the following scenario occurs: A supplier invoice arrives at the company by mail. It is opened, manually recorded, stamped, circulated, and finally checked by several departments. It often takes days, sometimes weeks, until it is approved. Typing errors or lost documents are not uncommon.
A more efficient scenario could look like this: The invoice arrives electronically in a standardized format. The system automatically checks whether the order and delivery match. If the data matches, the invoice can be approved and posted within minutes without manual processing. Only in exceptional cases, such as discrepancies, will an employee become active. This noticeably increases the degree of automation and data quality, while transparency throughout the entire process is guaranteed at all times.
Outgoing Invoice Processing – From Printing and Postage to Real-Time Transmission
Typically, the process is structured as follows: After service delivery, accounting creates an invoice, prints it, envelopes it, and stamps it. Several days pass until the invoice reaches the customer. Only then does the payment period begin, and queries due to missing information or formatting errors are commonplace.
An optimized process in this case can be designed as follows: The invoice is generated directly in the ERP system, automatically converted into the required format, and transmitted electronically via the respective platform. The customer receives it in real-time, can process it immediately, and pay. This accelerates payment cycles, reduces queries, and ensures that companies have a better overview of their liquidity.
Anyone who views e-invoicing merely as an annoying legal obligation overlooks the opportunity to permanently optimize workflows, reduce costs, and improve data quality. Implemented correctly, it becomes a driver for more efficient processes and higher compliance. In this context, the topic of “Continuous Transaction Control” (CTC) also plays an increasingly important role. Here, transaction data (e.g., invoice information) must be mandatorily transmitted to the tax authorities so that they can check it almost in real-time.
Furthermore, e-invoicing supports sustainability goals. Less paper consumption means fewer resources, reduced environmental impact, and a credible addition to corporate responsibility. And last but not least, companies that switch early gain a clear competitive advantage: They are prepared when new legal requirements take effect and position themselves as modern, digital business partners.
What Will Change in the Future?
With the introduction of e-invoicing, far more changes than just the technical way invoices are transmitted. For companies, this step means a real cultural shift. Where paper, stamps, and manual approvals shaped daily routines, digital collaboration, transparency, and speed will come to the forefront in the future. Invoice processes will be automated, data will be available in real-time, and legal requirements will set clear standards for formats and transmission channels. However, the crucial point lies not solely in technology, but in the organization’s attitude.
E-invoicing forces companies to question routines and rethink processes. Roles and responsibilities are changing: Employees who previously checked or forwarded invoices manually now take on tasks in data quality, process control, or compliance. This requires not only new knowledge but also an openness to continuous learning.
At the same time, a new form of collaboration emerges. Information flows faster, decisions can be made based on current data, and interfaces between departments become a stronger focus. This increases the need to connect departments and work together on end-to-end processes.
The cultural shift is therefore evident in the fact that e-invoicing is not to be understood as an isolated IT project, but as an opportunity to establish a modern, digital and transparent way of working. Companies that actively shape this change not only benefit from more efficient processes, but also strengthen their innovative strength and competitiveness. This goes far beyond invoice processing.
And how can such a change succeed? It is crucial to involve employees at an early stage, communicate processes clearly and create space for qualification. Those who see e-invoicing as a joint project in which technology, people and organisation go hand in hand create the basis for a sustainable culture of change.
Change Management: The underestimated success factor
Technology can be bought, processes can be remodelled. Whether a change really arrives in the company is ultimately decided by the people. This is precisely where the central role of change management lies.
E-invoicing not only changes processes, but also interferes with habits and routines that have grown over decades. Many employees associate concrete images with “invoice”: paper, signatures, forwarding of folders. These self-evident facts are no longer applicable and this often causes uncertainty. Without active change management, the best solution remains only a technical shell that is not lived in practice.
Change management ensures that a pure changeover becomes a real change. It creates clarity as to why the change is necessary, what added value it brings and what each individual role looks like in the new process. It is not about “pushing away” resistance, but about understanding and taking it seriously. This is how acceptance is created.
A second aspect is empowerment. New digital processes require different skills. Be it in dealing with data, in the cooperation between departments or in the use of new systems. Change management means not leaving people alone, but taking them along step by step and supporting them in a practical way.
And finally, change management has a cultural dimension: those who manage to put employees at the centre build trust and lay the foundation for an open, future-oriented attitude in the company. This is particularly crucial for e-invoicing, because it is not a one-off technical introduction, but an entry into a permanently digital way of working.
E-invoicing is more than just an IT project – We make your company fit for the future
The introduction of e-invoicing is far more than a technical project. It means a cultural change in the working methods and processes of a company. This is exactly where adesso business consulting comes in: We accompany you not only in the technical implementation, but also in the design and anchoring of new processes in your organisation. With our experience from numerous projects, we support you holistically: From the initial strategic considerations to the successful implementation in day-to-day business. Our special foundation here: comprehensive SAP know-how, which we use in a targeted manner to optimally adapt your processes to the new requirements of e-invoicing. Whether customising, master data maintenance, integration into existing system landscapes or the design of end-to-end processes – we bring the technical depth that makes the difference. If you would like to learn more about e-invoices, you can find another blog article on the topic of “Legal requirements and digital implementation with SAP DRC”
