PO Matching at a midsize manufacturer
Cognitive AI Use Case
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How Stampli can match POs with human-level accuracy — but at scale.
Think of Stampli’s Cognitive AI as a service. A customer will offload the vast majority of its PO matching labor to the AI, just as they would to an outsourcing service, with the AP team retaining both oversight and ultimate accountability.
PO matching today
Sarah is a seasoned member of the AP team at a large manufacturing company. Before Stampli’s Cognitive AI for PO Matching, she and her two teammates would begin each day with a large pile of invoices waiting for them, spending their days matching every line item against the PO that authorized the order and the delivery receipt that confirms what the company actually received.
With Stampli’s AI in place, Sarah's day looks very different:
- Sarah would typically begin by opening up the ERP to access the database of POs. Stampli’s AI integrates with the ERP and pulls in all the PO data and regularly syncs status updates.
- Then, Sarah would start sorting through the invoices, quickly assessing which ones correspond to which projects and vendors. The AI does this instantly, even identifying correct POs when the numbers on the invoices are partially referenced or missing.
- For each invoice, Sarah would pull up the corresponding PO and delivery receipt(s) and mentally prepare for a detailed comparison. The AI mirrors this by comprehensively analyzing all aspects of those documents simultaneously.
- Just as Sarah would, the AI methodically goes through each line item. Beyond looking for exact matches, it considers various scenarios Sarah often encounters:
- “Is this a partial delivery?”
- “Did they substitute one line item for another?”
- “Does the quantity we received match what they’re invoicing?”
- Discrepancies are commonplace. These include inconsistent descriptions, quantities and prices; mismatched unit types; missing deliveries or line items split across multiple deliveries and others.
Each discrepancy is resolved methodically through a logical process. Sarah would investigate each one further, checking wording, units, quantities, acceptable price or delivery variances, change orders, additional delivery receipts, other invoices, and other sources of available data to resolve issues logically. The AI replicates this problem-solving approach.
- For complex discrepancies she can’t immediately resolve, Sarah would need to reach out to colleagues or vendors for additional information. While the AI does not do this itself, Stampli allows Sarah to send these messages without leaving the invoice processing screen, ensuring a complete audit trail for her investigation.
- Sarah oversees the AI’s work, reviewing and approving its conclusions. She now focuses on strategic decisions and exception management, confident that routine matching has been handled with the same care and intelligence she would have applied herself.
The results
By the end of the day, the AI has processed the entire batch of invoices, replicating her expertise and attention to detail. It has made hundreds of small decisions, resolved numerous discrepancies, and flagged only the most complex issues for her personal attention. Sarah now can focus on these strategic decisions and exception management, confident that the routine matching has been handled with the same care and intuition she would have applied herself.
But the impact of the AI has extended beyond Sarah’s daily tasks. Two of the three people on Sarah’s team have been completely freed from PO matching tasks. They now focus on more strategic projects , such as improving the accuracy of their activity-based costing. They are still reviewing invoices, but they are doing so in order to ask strategic questions to stakeholders. This results in higher quality financial data for the company.
But the impact of the AI has extended beyond Sarah’s daily tasks. Two of the three people on Sarah’s team have been completely freed from PO matching tasks. They now focus on more strategic projects , such as improving the accuracy of their activity-based costing. They are still reviewing invoices, but they are doing so in order to ask strategic questions to stakeholders. This results in higher quality financial data for the company.
Learn more about PO matching in Stampli
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