Managed invoice operations · ARDEM Invoice Manager

Managed Invoice Processing, Powered by Automation.

ARDEM owns the agreed result, combining our cloud technology, accounting specialists and quality controls to get the work done.

Discuss the invoice work you need handled See how we deliver

Defined output
Managed daily delivery
Exception ownership
Quality and follow-through

For invoice processing, that means moving incoming invoices toward reviewed records, an accepted accounting-system handoff or the other completion point defined for your service. We agree the required output, controls and responsibilities, then run the operation.

ARDEM Invoice Manager is part of ARDEM's cloud platform offering, used by our teams to support delivery of your managed invoice service. We combine it with the appropriate processes and connected systems to manage the agreed operation. Your team engages us for delivery, not another platform to operate.

Start with the work you need completed

You may want fewer invoices entered by hand, better control of a shared inbox, or less time chasing missing information. You may already have automation but still need people to finish the work it leaves behind.

ARDEM starts with that operational problem and agrees what completion should mean. We decide how to combine specialists, process design, automation and quality review to deliver the work. When something prevents completion, we own the follow-through within scope and bring the right evidence to any decision your team retains.

One owner for the agreed invoice operation

ARDEM takes responsibility for daily delivery, not just staffing a queue or giving your team access to software. We manage the operating procedures, trained team, appropriate technology, quality checks and corrective action required for the agreed scope.

Depending on the scope, ARDEM can manage invoice validation, coding, PO and receipt checks, approval follow-up, supplier inquiries and delivery of reviewed information to your accounting process. ARDEM Invoice Manager supports intake, capture, review and work coordination where useful. Our specialists manage the agreed responsibilities using the appropriate systems and tools.

Your team retains the accounting policies, approval rights and payment authority agreed for the engagement. ARDEM owns execution and corrective action within its defined responsibilities.

Explore the full managed accounts payable service

From an incoming invoice to the next completed step

Receive and assign. Bring invoice emails into the workflow and assign the work. Other channels, including paper digitization or client-system intake, can be included in the managed service where required.
Capture and review. Extract PDF invoice information, review required fields and correct uncertain or incomplete data.
Investigate and follow through. Apply the agreed processing checks. Pursue missing information, coordinate with the relevant supplier or client owner, and document the next action.
Complete the agreed handoff. Enter or deliver reviewed records through the approved accounting workflow. Confirm completion using the acceptance evidence defined for your system.

Before production, we agree the completion point and the evidence that confirms it. Reviewed data delivery, accounting-system acceptance, approval and payment are distinct milestones. The service defines which result ARDEM owns and which decisions or dependencies remain with your team.

When an invoice needs more than data extraction

Consider an invoice with readable line items but a missing purchase-order reference. Capturing its fields does not resolve the missing information.

In an agreed ARDEM workflow, a specialist identifies what is needed, contacts the appropriate party, tracks the response and brings the invoice back for review. If a decision requires your authority, it goes to the designated owner with the supporting information and a clear next action.

This is where managed delivery matters: the unresolved work has an owner rather than returning to an unmonitored inbox.

Workflow example, not a customer result. ARDEM specialists handle the exception and the required follow-through.

Invoice automation with human review and follow-through

ARDEM selects the tools around the operating requirement. ARDEM Invoice Manager can support the following parts of delivery; our service remains responsible for the work around them.

Organize incoming invoice work

Email intake creates a shared place to manage incoming invoices and related requests. Work can be assigned and tracked, helping the team see what needs attention and who is handling it.

Extract invoice information with AI assistance

ARDEM Invoice Manager uses AI-assisted extraction to capture header and line-item information from PDF invoices. Our reviewers check the required information against the source and correct uncertain fields before the agreed next step.

Keep people and correspondence connected

Supplier email conversations support the review and follow-up work. ARDEM specialists use the available invoice information to request clarification, pursue missing documents and respond within the agreed communication scope.

Maintain a record of the work

Ticket status, assignments and activity history help the team coordinate daily execution. The engagement defines which views and updates your team receives and what additional service reporting is needed.

Work with your accounting environment

You do not need to replace your ERP to discuss an ARDEM Invoice Manager-enabled service. ARDEM can operate within approved client systems, use its own tools where they help, or connect the two through a scoped solution.

During design, we define required fields, reference data, access, approvals and the method for delivering information. Depending on the systems, that method may involve approved application work, secure files or an available interface. We test representative invoices and exceptions, including what happens when information is rejected or a handoff fails.

We confirm the approved handoff for your systems before launch, whether it uses application work, files or an available interface.

Review AP transition planning and controls

Buy a defined operation, with a clear measure of success

Additional staff can help when you already have the process, tools and supervision in place. An ARDEM managed service owns the agreed delivery responsibilities as well as the invoice work you want handled.

Compare proposals on what gets completed and who owns the difficult items. The scope should explain processing responsibilities, quality review, exceptions, supplier communication, system handoffs, reporting and the work your team retains.

Together, we define relevant measures such as accepted invoice output, turnaround, open-item age and rework. Service reporting can combine available information from ARDEM Invoice Manager, client systems and operating records. Targets and reporting frequency are agreed for the engagement.

View a sample AP operating review

Start with a defined workflow and build from there

Bring us your invoice volumes, source formats, accounting systems and the work that is consuming your team's time. You do not need a finished technical specification.

We review representative invoices and exceptions, define the responsibilities and controls, and test the proposed process before expanding production. Your team contributes the necessary business rules, access approvals and retained decision-makers. ARDEM prepares the operating procedures and manages the agreed delivery work.

The starting scope can be a particular invoice stream or a broader AP operation. Further automation and additional responsibilities can be introduced through agreed changes as the workflow develops.

See managed invoice delivery in practice

Controlled invoice information ahead of an ERP migration

For a national energy distributor, ARDEM supported more than 33,000 main invoices and approximately 4,000 utility invoices each month. The workflow combined ARDEM Invoice Manager and ARDEM Utility Manager with document capture, reference-data checks, human validation, quality review and exception handling.

Invoice images were available within 24 hours. Structured XLS data followed a separate five-day delivery schedule.

Read the ERP-ready invoice processing case

AP processing inside an existing client system

A global marketing services firm needed recurring AP processing across approximately 800 vendors each month. ARDEM managed invoice review, coding, PO and currency checks, exceptions and approver routing in the client's Concur environment.

Read the managed Concur AP case

These cases describe specific managed engagements, not a performance guarantee or a list of features included in every ARDEM Invoice Manager deployment. The Concur case demonstrates client-system delivery rather than an ARDEM Invoice Manager connector.

Questions finance leaders ask before introducing automation

Are we buying software or a managed service?

You are engaging ARDEM to manage defined work and deliver the agreed operating result. We own the necessary combination of people, processes, technology, quality review and follow-through within that scope. ARDEM Invoice Manager can support delivery, but you are not being asked to buy software and assemble a separate team to operate it.

Will this replace our finance team?

The scope is built around the work you want managed. ARDEM can take on repetitive processing and follow-up while your team retains the policies, approvals and decisions agreed for the engagement. We define the working relationship before transition rather than assuming your team or organizational structure must change.

We already have an ERP or AP automation tool. Why would we need ARDEM Invoice Manager?

You may not need another platform. We first assess where work is getting stuck and whether your existing environment can support the solution. ARDEM Invoice Manager is useful where its intake, capture, review and work-tracking capabilities improve the operation. It can be one component of the service, not a mandatory replacement for tools you already use.

Can automation approve invoices or release payments without our control?

Approval rights, processing permissions and payment authority are defined before production. ARDEM Invoice Manager's capture and work-tracking functions do not themselves grant financial authority. Any approval, posting or payment responsibilities included in the wider service follow the agreed controls and authorized systems.

What happens when the AI reads an invoice incorrectly?

ARDEM Invoice Manager allows reviewers to check and correct extracted information. The managed workflow defines required checks and the conditions that need specialist attention. We assess the quality of the reviewed output, not just whether data was extracted, and keep uncertain items in the appropriate review or exception path.

How will our data and permitted AI use be controlled?

ARDEM Invoice Manager includes sign-in and role-based access controls and ticket activity history. Before production, we review the proposed environment, authorized access, data handling, permitted AI use and relevant assurance documentation with your team. We confirm deployment-specific requirements together, including data location, retention and permitted model use.

How much implementation work will our team have to do?

Your team helps define the required output, supplies representative inputs and rules, approves access and names the people who retain decisions. ARDEM prepares the operating approach, procedures and agreed technology work. Testing covers ordinary invoices, difficult exceptions and system handoffs. Timing depends on scope, access and dependencies; the rollout plan is agreed before launch.

How is this different from adding an AP employee or buying an AI tool?

An employee adds capacity within a process you manage. A tool automates particular tasks. ARDEM takes ownership of the defined operating delivery, including staffing, supervision, technology, quality review and exception follow-through. Compare who is responsible for completing the work and what remains with your team, rather than only an FTE rate or software subscription.

Could we build the automation ourselves?

Yes, if you have the resources to design, maintain and operate it. Compare not only the extraction technology but also system connections, process changes, quality control, exception work and ongoing support. ARDEM offers an alternative for organizations that want the operation delivered as well as the technology applied.

How will we know whether it is worth the cost?

Agree the baseline and the result being measured. Compare implementation and recurring service costs with current processing effort, supervision, rework and retained internal work. Distinguish extraction accuracy from final reviewed accuracy and data delivery from approval or payment completion. Savings depend on the invoice mix, exception workload, systems and agreed scope.

Can we start small, and what happens when our rules change?

The first scope can focus on a defined invoice stream, entity or bottleneck. We agree the operating requirements and test the workflow before expansion. Changes to business rules, systems or responsibilities are reviewed, documented and tested as appropriate; they are not left to unapproved automatic changes.

Can ARDEM also help with receivables and reconciliation?

Yes. ARDEM also manages receivables work such as cash application, customer follow-up, disputes and reconciliation within an agreed scope. Those workflows have different records, controls and financial decisions from supplier-invoice processing. We assess them separately rather than presenting every finance activity as a built-in ARDEM Invoice Manager feature.

Explore managed accounts receivable services

Additional reading

Tackling the Challenges of In-House AP Processing
Review the AP automation white paper for background on invoice processing, automation and managed support.

Read the AP white paper

What invoice work do you need handled?

Tell us what arrives, where the work gets stuck and what completed work should look like for your team. We will discuss a practical starting scope, the result ARDEM can own and the processes, tools and people needed to deliver it.

A senior ARDEM consultant will follow up by email. No finished process design is required to start the conversation.

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