Paying vendors might seem like a straightforward transaction, but the work behind it can be surprisingly complex. Invoice approvals, supplier onboarding, payment security, reconciliation, and cash management all intersect in the accounts payable process—and each introduces opportunities for friction or risk.

A surprising amount of business-critical information still arrives in documents rather than structured systems. Invoices, contracts, purchase orders, and forms contain data finance teams need, but extracting and organizing it can require hours of manual work before a process can even begin.