Automated order confirmation in SAP®
Are you still typing away, or are you already using intelligent logging?
Everyone working in the field of purchasing management knows the situation well: Order confirmations are received daily in the Purchasing department. They come in by fax, email or sometimes even by post. It might be just a handful, but it could also be dozens or even hundreds of confirmations – often requiring time-sensitive processing.
Important order confirmations must be handled quickly, of course. In other words: The order confirmations must be entered into the “purchasing system”. This process involves many manual steps that must be repeated day in and day out. Whether the flood of confirmations is handled by copying and pasting from the email into the system or simply by typing in the data straight from the paper confirmation, this routine work is time-consuming, error-prone and exhausting.
Advantages of automated order processing in SAP®
If you are thinking that there must be a better way, then we agree. EASY Order Confirmation for SAP® Solutions will drastically improve the situation. Have your incoming order confirmations read, imported and checked automatically. It doesn’t matter whether they come on paper, as an email or in another digital format. The efficiently designed smart data capture solution from EASY is the perfect complement to your purchase-to-pay process, and it’s 100% integrated into SAP®.
- Accelerated processes: Automatic linking of order confirmations to order processes makes it possible for invoices to also be automatically booked on receipt (with a reference to the order).
- Clear view of all order confirmation details: Delivery times, quantities, prices, etc. are automatically and accurately captured by EASY Order Confirmation for SAP Solutions.
- Increased process precision: Higher process quality and precision by eliminating entry errors that otherwise occur during manual entry of order confirmations.
- Improved process transparency: EASY Order Confirmation for SAP Solutions provides individually customizable dashboards for regular monitoring of order confirmations in reports and analyses.
- For the good of the environment: The solution eliminates the need for paper documents and file folders.
- Quality improvements in downstream processes: Processes that follow the order confirmation, such as goods receipt and entry of the invoice in SAP, can be linked with EASY Order Confirmation to create an efficient purchase-to-pay process in SAP. Possible errors and their sources are quickly identified.
Process steps for automated order confirmation in SAP®
Capturing the order confirmation
Whether you still receive your order confirmations on paper or in a digital format (PDF, XML, EDI, Office documents, etc.) – the smart document reader reliably captures all the relevant elements and passes them on to the SAP system. The days of manual and error-prone data entry are behind you. This improves the process quality and relieves your employees of the laborious tasks involved in manually entering order confirmations.
Validation of the order confirmation
Promptly discover irregularities and errors in order confirmations with EASY Order Confirmation for SAP Solutions. This will save you time-consuming frustrations caused by incomplete and/or inaccurate deliveries. EASY Order Confirmation validates all Incoterms of the digital order confirmation with respect to the data of the original order in the central SAP ERP system. Delivery times and delivery locations, quantities, and the prices of an order can all be monitored and promptly corrected thanks to validation of the order confirmation.
Intuitive operation
Another key feature of the solution is its intuitive operation. The optimized interface offers all authorized users a quick visual overview of the orders and order confirmations. The interface is implemented in SAP Fiori and uses a familiar colored traffic light function to indicate the status of the order confirmation. In case of doubt or mismatches, the user can contact the supplier directly with a single click.
Electronic order confirmation for a fully digital purchase-to-pay process
Digital procurement processes are continuously evolving and are now capable of linking all subprocesses along the logistics chain. However, scanning and digitizing order confirmations is just one sub-process, although certainly an important one. EASY Order Confirmation for SAP Solutions also provides interfaces for connecting with upstream and downstream processes. This establishes a foundation for a fully digital purchase-to-pay process – with the following benefits:
Minimized manual work
Manual changes to order confirmations could introduce errors and should be avoided as far as possible. Thanks to clever AI and nearly one hundred percent accuracy in reading the order confirmations, the smart document reader reliably speeds up the P2P process. Confirmations with values that fall within freely definable tolerance ranges can be booked automatically. All recognized data is passed by EASY Order Confirmation to the SAP ERP system in a structured format – quickly and without errors.
Seamless integration in SAP ERP
Thanks to the seamless integration into the SAP ERP system, EASY Order Confirmation reliably minimizes the administrative workload. Integration into the SAP permissions system enables detailed role and rights management. Adjacent processes can be integrated quickly and reliably, with little effort.
Shorter processing times
The integrated process control and coupling with upstream and downstream process steps in the EASY solution can massively reduce the time required for processing order confirmations. If you need to make a correction to the order confirmation or view the original order, you can do all this directly in EASY Order Confirmation for SAP Solutions.
Form follows function
EASY Order Confirmation makes life incredibly easy for purchasing managers. Context-sensitive navigation from the order confirmation to other SAP business objects (suppliers, orders, contracts, etc.) simplifies their daily work. EASY Order Confirmation can do more than just handle order confirmations.
Maximized process transparency
Enjoy transparent monitoring of the ordered goods, including quantities, prices, delivery times and locations and even checking of all typical Incoterms for all your order confirmations. EASY Order Confirmation will make the entire process more transparent. Thanks to the quick and easy integration of processes that follow or are related to the procurement process, EASY Order Confirmation represents the first step towards a fully digital P2P process.
Questions about digital order confirmation in SAP®
How long must I retain an order confirmation?
- As soon as an order confirmation is received, it is considered legally binding and must be retained as a business document for 6 years [DE].
- If you still need the relevant archiving software, we recommend EASY Archive.
Which SAP® ERP systems support the integration of EASY Order Confirmation?
- SAP® Fiori Launchpad (on-premises or SAP Cloud Platform) with SAP Fiori Libraries
- SAP® NetWeaver > 7.40 (patch level no older than one year)
- SAP® Fiori Version > 1.71
Can EASY Order Confirmation for SAP Solutions also be used on smartphones and tablets?
Yes. We support the current versions of iOS and Android.
Does EASY Order Confirmation support other P2P applications?
- EASY Order Confirmation for SAP Solutions can be seamlessly integrated into your purchase-to-pay process. This ensures a smooth process and controlled workflows from the initial requisition to the requesting of offers, placing of the order, the order confirmation, the delivery itself, and receipt of the invoice.
- EASY Order Confirmation works great with our other SAP-integrated solutions: EASY Delivery Notes for SAP Solutions, EASY Invoice Management for SAP Solutions, and EASY Contract Management for SAP Solutions.
How does EASY Order Confirmation help me maintain an overview of my order confirmations?
EASY Order Confirmation quickly and efficiently associates order confirmations with current procurement processes. The order confirmations are directly compared against information from the initial order (delivery quantity, delivery conditions, etc.). This ensures that users always have a contextual overview of the order as well as the instructions for the supplier based on the order confirmation.
Can EASY Order Confirmation handle order confirmations with content that does not match the order, such as when the supplier provides notice of partial deliveries?
- Yes.
- In the event of an order confirmation that deviates from the order (content, quantity, date, location, legal basis, etc.), the customer – in other words, the recipient of the order confirmation – decides whether to accept the deviations (implicitly, if appropriate), to formally modify the order, or to contact the supplier directly via the EASY solution.
Why are order confirmations important?
- In the order confirmation, the supplier provides the customer with a confirmation of the exact conditions of the order and specifies any additional details. This constitutes a binding agreement.
- In international and domestic business transactions, the parties make use of Incoterms (International Commercial Terms). Incoterms consist of abbreviations that specify standardized conditions for the transfer of risk, the delivery location, the transport costs and risks and any obligation to provide transport insurance.
Which fields can EASY Order Confirmation read?
- Name, address, and contract information of the contractor and the customer
- Reference to the order
- Information about the goods or services
- Quantity of the goods or scope of the services, plus the unit of measure
- Article numbers
- Potentially the suppliers and article numbers
- Designation of the goods or the type of service
- Compensation (purchase price, fee)
- Payment conditions (payment method, due date, early payment discount, or other offered discounts)
- Delivery date and/or service date
- All typical Incoterms defined by the ICC
- Other delivery conditions
- Other fields can be easily configured
How binding is an order confirmation?
When an order confirmation is received, it is considered legally binding. It must be retained in financial accounting as part of the business transaction documentation.
Are order confirmations mandatory?
The order confirmation represents a declaration of intent by the supplier, specifying acceptance of the order under the conditions specified in the confirmation. It is not mandatory in Germany, but this depends on the jurisdiction of the particular nation.
In which cases is an order confirmation required?
If an order is modified, if an order is placed too late, or if a customer places an order without first obtaining an offer, an order confirmation is required.
Resources
Discover useful white papers, webinar recordings, guides and checklists on Purchase-to-pay.
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Whitepaper: Smart incoming invoice processing in SAP®
Learn in our whitepaper how to avoid stumbling blocks and optimize the incoming invoice process in a short time with digital incoming invoice processing in SAP® .
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Webinar: The Paradox of Choice
Finding Meaningful Differentiation in a World of Technological Parity. As is the case with many digitization and process optimization initiatives, implementing an A/P automation solution is very rarely a ‘one-and-done’ event… far from it!
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Whitepaper: The Purchase-to-Pay Process in SAP
Learn about the benefits of digital purchase-to-pay processes in SAP compared to traditional procurement in the whitepaper.
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Digital document workflows as a cure for slow and error-prone paper processes at WEPA.
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Amey first implemented SAP as its finance and resource management system, it invested in EASY Software’s SAP Packaged Services to capture and manage incoming Accounts Payable documents electronically.
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To maximise the benefits of SAP, the Council simultaneously introduced EASY for SAP, on the recommendation of one of the IT contractors.
