How To Fix Broken and Disconnected Invoice Processes with Invoice Lifecycle Management

A large number of organizations still rely on invoice processes split across tools, systems, formats and teams, preventing them from working as one connected flow.

A shocking 95% of organizations still rely on spreadsheets, meaning important data is stuck inside disconnected files instead of being part of the wider system. It’s no surprise then that 56% report missed invoicing or indirect tax deadlines.

Fragmented processes make consistent, real-time compliance almost impossible. And when you consider that 88% of firms with advanced compliance beat profit targets, fragmentation becomes a problem you can’t ignore. Below, we explore the problem of fragmented invoice processes in more detail and how Invoice Lifecycle Management (ILM) provides a game-changing solution.

What is Invoice Lifecycle Management (ILM)?

Invoice Lifecycle Management (ILM) is Basware’s unified, AI-powered approach that manages every stage of an invoice’s journey—capture, validation, matching, approval, payment, and reconciliation—on one platform.

By replacing fragmented tools and manual workarounds, ILM creates a single source of truth for all invoice data. It embeds global compliance, applies intelligent automation, and delivers end-to-end visibility so finance teams can reduce risk, improve accuracy, and operate more efficiently.

Proof it matters:

According to Basware’s From AI to ROI Report:

• 68% lower operating costs with AI-enabled AP
• 92% faster identification of suspicious or fraudulent activity
• 73% improved compliance with regulatory mandates

ILM connects them and paves the way towards a fully modern, end-to-end invoice process.

What do broken and disconnected invoice processes look like?

Workflows may look connected on paper, but as soon as invoices start moving between systems, teams, or geographies, problems arise fast. What’s supposed to be a single, linear process ends up being a series of separate steps held loosely together by spreadsheets, manual workarounds, and back-and-forth communication.

Here’s what this fragmentation might look like in your organization:

• Multiple systems handling different steps of the lifecycle.
• Inconsistent processes across regions or business units.
• Different invoice formats routed through separate workflows.
• Data scattered across ERPs, portals, and inboxes.
• Manual compliance checks or country-specific add-ons.
• Unpredictable supplier experience depending on how invoices are received.

These everyday inconveniences compound into larger problems, slowing down cycle times, inflating the cost per invoice, and keeping AP teams working reactively instead of strategically.

It’s no surprise that 40% of finance leaders doubt their organizations can deliver on large transformation initiatives with their current processes. Disconnected AP makes progress difficult by design.

How ILM unifies and modernizes AP

ILM unifies your entire invoice lifecycle on a single platform, removing the breakpoints that create manual work, risk, and inefficiency. Here are some specific ways ILM impacts AP processes:

An end-to-end invoice lifecycle ILM brings every stage of the invoice journey—capture, validation, matching, approvals, payment, and reconciliation—into one consistent flow. By replacing fragmented tools with a unified architecture, it creates a single dataset, a single workflow, and a single source of truth across the entire process.

AI trained on the world’s largest invoice dataset

With more than 2.3 billion invoices as training data, ILM delivers highly accurate predictive coding, anomaly detection, and automated exception handling from day one. This level of intelligence reduces errors, accelerates processing, and provides automatic insights that help finance teams stay ahead of issues rather than react to them.

Built-in global compliance

ILM embeds evolving regulatory requirements into the workflow, supporting mandates across more than 70 countries. It validates invoices in real time, maintains audit-ready records, detects fraud on both buyer and supplier sides, and updates automatically as regulations change—removing the need for manual checks or local workarounds.

Connected global networks

ILM operates across one of the world’s largest open business networks, allowing suppliers to onboard once and exchange invoices consistently across all regions. This creates a smoother supplier experience, reduces portal sprawl, and establishes predictable, scalable processes that strengthen relationships over time.

ERP-agnostic integration

ILM integrates seamlessly with SAP and non-SAP environments without extensive customization or IT effort. It reduces ERP modifications by a factor of ten, supports complex multi-ERP landscapes, and provides a clean-core foundation ideal for organizations moving toward SAP S/4HANA or other modern architectures.

The change is happening

As Yancoal Australia demonstrated, moving to ILM not only streamlined operations, but transformed the role of AP. Their team now enjoys more meaningful, engaging work, and the organization achieved 100% coverage of all costs and transactions, showing what becomes possible when AP operates as one unified system.

ILM is the foundation of modern AP

Disconnected invoice processes slow finance down. Finance teams need a unified control layer to move beyond manual workarounds and reactive problem-solving.

ILM delivers exactly that. It combines intelligent automation, built-in global compliance, and fully connected workflows to create a consistent, end-to-end process that can scale with business needs. Speak to a Basware representative today to see how connecting your invoice processes can streamline operations, strengthen compliance, and pave the way towards autonomous AP.