Automating email data entry into accounting software
Discussion
I'm in search of a software solution or add-on that can help streamline our accounting process by automatically extracting data from emails and inputting it into my accounting software. Essentially, I'm looking for a tool that can:
1. Receive emails containing relevant financial information
2. Extract data from either the email body or attachments
3. Automatically enter the extracted data into the appropriate fields within my accounting software
This would greatly reduce the manual effort required to keep financial records up to date based on email correspondence.
I would greatly appreciate any insights, recommendations, or experiences you can share regarding software or add-ons that can accomplish this task. If you have used or know of any tools that fit this description, please let me know.
Thank you in advance for your help!
1. Receive emails containing relevant financial information
2. Extract data from either the email body or attachments
3. Automatically enter the extracted data into the appropriate fields within my accounting software
This would greatly reduce the manual effort required to keep financial records up to date based on email correspondence.
I would greatly appreciate any insights, recommendations, or experiences you can share regarding software or add-ons that can accomplish this task. If you have used or know of any tools that fit this description, please let me know.
Thank you in advance for your help!
2 sMoKiN bArReLs said:
I'm a bit of an old fossil...
...but, wouldn't you worry about control balances etc to make sure the right stuff was populated correctly?
We also use the Xero expenses app, take a photo of a receipt or invoice, add to "drafts", then check the criteria is correct....but, wouldn't you worry about control balances etc to make sure the right stuff was populated correctly?
Repeatable suppliers, account codes can be setup.
Why spend an hour on a task when it can be done in 10 mins?
There is a forum in Xero whereby hundreds of people have ask the same thing.... eg why do we have to take a photo of a printed invoice and upload it for analysis why not just email it straight to the system (it wont let you)
BGARK said:
2 sMoKiN bArReLs said:
I'm a bit of an old fossil...
...but, wouldn't you worry about control balances etc to make sure the right stuff was populated correctly?
We also use the Xero expenses app, take a photo of a receipt or invoice, add to "drafts", then check the criteria is correct....but, wouldn't you worry about control balances etc to make sure the right stuff was populated correctly?
Repeatable suppliers, account codes can be setup.
Why spend an hour on a task when it can be done in 10 mins?
There is a forum in Xero whereby hundreds of people have ask the same thing.... eg why do we have to take a photo of a printed invoice and upload it for analysis why not just email it straight to the system (it wont let you)
Be a bit easy to abuse that and there’s plenty of folk around who would do it just for ”fun”.
There are platforms where people can submit invoices electronically after going through a brief registration and setup, like hicx. There’s also things like quickbooks that can email out invoices and take payment via a web link, that then gets put onto your books.
There are platforms where people can submit invoices electronically after going through a brief registration and setup, like hicx. There’s also things like quickbooks that can email out invoices and take payment via a web link, that then gets put onto your books.
I use Xero, you can set up an email address in Xero that you forward invoices to as received.
Xero will then extract what it can and save it as a draft bill for correction (if needed) and approval.
I find it's pretty good with any sort of standard invoice template (eg Microsoft invoices) but can struggle with anything very bespoke (eg a small business knocking something up in Word).
Certainly a big time saver.
Does anyone use Xero that's found a solution for auto-generating bills based on a PDF? Several platforms I use don't email bills so I have to download and key them in manually. It seems odd they don't make the email parser available for uploaded bills too.
Xero will then extract what it can and save it as a draft bill for correction (if needed) and approval.
I find it's pretty good with any sort of standard invoice template (eg Microsoft invoices) but can struggle with anything very bespoke (eg a small business knocking something up in Word).
Certainly a big time saver.
Does anyone use Xero that's found a solution for auto-generating bills based on a PDF? Several platforms I use don't email bills so I have to download and key them in manually. It seems odd they don't make the email parser available for uploaded bills too.
andyb28 said:
What exactly is being emailed?
Is it likely stuff that Dext could handle?
Email isn't a great platform to have in the middle.
However, if thats your only way, take a look at Zapier and Power Automate as tools that can help you achieve what you want to do.
Most suppliers email us invoices, few post, thus another manual process is to type this into software, seems pointless if it can be automated.Is it likely stuff that Dext could handle?
Email isn't a great platform to have in the middle.
However, if thats your only way, take a look at Zapier and Power Automate as tools that can help you achieve what you want to do.
Dext looks interesting, thanks for that.
Zapier is something are looking at testing also.
grumbas said:
I use Xero, you can set up an email address in Xero that you forward invoices to as received.
Xero will then extract what it can and save it as a draft bill for correction (if needed) and approval.
I find it's pretty good with any sort of standard invoice template (eg Microsoft invoices) but can struggle with anything very bespoke (eg a small business knocking something up in Word).
.
That's interesting, I assumed Xero could not do this.... is there a particular area or setting you could direct me to, thanks, does it work from the body text also, (eg an Amazon invoice)Xero will then extract what it can and save it as a draft bill for correction (if needed) and approval.
I find it's pretty good with any sort of standard invoice template (eg Microsoft invoices) but can struggle with anything very bespoke (eg a small business knocking something up in Word).
.
BGARK said:
grumbas said:
I use Xero, you can set up an email address in Xero that you forward invoices to as received.
Xero will then extract what it can and save it as a draft bill for correction (if needed) and approval.
I find it's pretty good with any sort of standard invoice template (eg Microsoft invoices) but can struggle with anything very bespoke (eg a small business knocking something up in Word).
.
That's interesting, I assumed Xero could not do this.... is there a particular area or setting you could direct me to, thanks, does it work from the body text also, (eg an Amazon invoice)Xero will then extract what it can and save it as a draft bill for correction (if needed) and approval.
I find it's pretty good with any sort of standard invoice template (eg Microsoft invoices) but can struggle with anything very bespoke (eg a small business knocking something up in Word).
.
https://central.xero.com/s/article/Email-PDF-bills...
https://central.xero.com/s/article/Hubdoc-in-Xero?...
Ezzybills sounds similar to Dext
I’ve set many clients up on Dext, emailing invoices in is the best way to get the info in.
I once had a client that had several hundred invoices a month from a supplier, which she was manually entering in Sage.
Transferred her onto Xero and linked up Dext, switched on Autopublish for that supplier and she never had to ‘enter’ a single invoice again from them, saved her many hours per month. She thought I was God after that !
I’ve set many clients up on Dext, emailing invoices in is the best way to get the info in.
I once had a client that had several hundred invoices a month from a supplier, which she was manually entering in Sage.
Transferred her onto Xero and linked up Dext, switched on Autopublish for that supplier and she never had to ‘enter’ a single invoice again from them, saved her many hours per month. She thought I was God after that !
BGARK said:
grumbas said:
I use Xero, you can set up an email address in Xero that you forward invoices to as received.
Xero will then extract what it can and save it as a draft bill for correction (if needed) and approval.
I find it's pretty good with any sort of standard invoice template (eg Microsoft invoices) but can struggle with anything very bespoke (eg a small business knocking something up in Word).
.
That's interesting, I assumed Xero could not do this.... is there a particular area or setting you could direct me to, thanks, does it work from the body text also, (eg an Amazon invoice)Xero will then extract what it can and save it as a draft bill for correction (if needed) and approval.
I find it's pretty good with any sort of standard invoice template (eg Microsoft invoices) but can struggle with anything very bespoke (eg a small business knocking something up in Word).
.
If you buy from online supplies regularly, it can be worth checking if you can download invoices in pdf. There are a couple we use that email text invoices but have pdfs if you log in to their system.
There are two sides to every accounting entry - that's why it's called "double entry". All these systems will perform a "double entry" transaction for each item posted.
For example, if it's a supplier's invoice, the entry should go to the relevant profit and loss or balance sheet category (material, purchases, overheads, fixed assets etc) and also to the supplier's ledger account as a liability.
If it's a bank payment, the two entries would be a reduction in funds in the bank and a charge either to a profit and loss or balance sheet heading or an offset against a supplier's ledger account.
I'm not always sure if non-accountants or non-bookkeepers appreciate correctly how these transactions are supposed to be handled. And consequently, they don't understand whether these automated softaware systems are doing the right thing with the postings.
For accountants, unscrambling the mess made by computerised bookkeeping systems is more complex and time consuming than sorting out accounts from simple summaries and spreadsheets.
For example, if it's a supplier's invoice, the entry should go to the relevant profit and loss or balance sheet category (material, purchases, overheads, fixed assets etc) and also to the supplier's ledger account as a liability.
If it's a bank payment, the two entries would be a reduction in funds in the bank and a charge either to a profit and loss or balance sheet heading or an offset against a supplier's ledger account.
I'm not always sure if non-accountants or non-bookkeepers appreciate correctly how these transactions are supposed to be handled. And consequently, they don't understand whether these automated softaware systems are doing the right thing with the postings.
For accountants, unscrambling the mess made by computerised bookkeeping systems is more complex and time consuming than sorting out accounts from simple summaries and spreadsheets.
grumbas said:
I use Xero, you can set up an email address in Xero that you forward invoices to as received.
Xero will then extract what it can and save it as a draft bill for correction (if needed) and approval.
I find it's pretty good with any sort of standard invoice template (eg Microsoft invoices) but can struggle with anything very bespoke (eg a small business knocking something up in Word).
Certainly a big time saver.
Does anyone use Xero that's found a solution for auto-generating bills based on a PDF? Several platforms I use don't email bills so I have to download and key them in manually. It seems odd they don't make the email parser available for uploaded bills too.
Thank you!Xero will then extract what it can and save it as a draft bill for correction (if needed) and approval.
I find it's pretty good with any sort of standard invoice template (eg Microsoft invoices) but can struggle with anything very bespoke (eg a small business knocking something up in Word).
Certainly a big time saver.
Does anyone use Xero that's found a solution for auto-generating bills based on a PDF? Several platforms I use don't email bills so I have to download and key them in manually. It seems odd they don't make the email parser available for uploaded bills too.
You've just saved me a day's work per quarter in entering bills from pdfs.
Eric Mc said:
There are two sides to every accounting entry - that's why it's called "double entry". All these systems will perform a "double entry" transaction for each item posted.
For example, if it's a supplier's invoice, the entry should go to the relevant profit and loss or balance sheet category (material, purchases, overheads, fixed assets etc) and also to the supplier's ledger account as a liability.
If it's a bank payment, the two entries would be a reduction in funds in the bank and a charge either to a profit and loss or balance sheet heading or an offset against a supplier's ledger account.
I'm not always sure if non-accountants or non-bookkeepers appreciate correctly how these transactions are supposed to be handled. And consequently, they don't understand whether these automated softaware systems are doing the right thing with the postings.
For accountants, unscrambling the mess made by computerised bookkeeping systems is more complex and time consuming than sorting out accounts from simple summaries and spreadsheets.
So the Xero tool just tries to minimise the time it takes to enter a suppliers invoice.For example, if it's a supplier's invoice, the entry should go to the relevant profit and loss or balance sheet category (material, purchases, overheads, fixed assets etc) and also to the supplier's ledger account as a liability.
If it's a bank payment, the two entries would be a reduction in funds in the bank and a charge either to a profit and loss or balance sheet heading or an offset against a supplier's ledger account.
I'm not always sure if non-accountants or non-bookkeepers appreciate correctly how these transactions are supposed to be handled. And consequently, they don't understand whether these automated softaware systems are doing the right thing with the postings.
For accountants, unscrambling the mess made by computerised bookkeeping systems is more complex and time consuming than sorting out accounts from simple summaries and spreadsheets.
Without automation to enter a suppliers invoice you'd have to search for the correct supplier, diligently copy from the invoice received the dates, refereneces, key in any line items (allocated to the correct account) with amounts, etc.
What Xero does is take a forwarded email and automatically extract all that data from the attached PDF invoice and generate a draft suppliers invoice (or bill to pay in Xero terminology) for approval. So nothing changes in the way the accounting system works, it's just using modern tech to streamline processes.
Another big time saver is the Xero bank feed to streamline reconciliation.
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