Automate invoice approval
From the email to the payment run – capture, check, approve and post incoming invoices end to end.
The Problem
In mid-sized companies with 50 to 500 employees, invoice approval often still runs via email, paper circulation or word of mouth. An incoming invoice is forwarded by email to the responsible manager, sits there untouched, gets printed, signed off, scanned again and finally keyed into the ERP by hand.
With every growth step the problem becomes noticeably worse: more suppliers, more cost centres and more approvers mean that an email-based circulation simply no longer scales. The CFO loses sight of which liabilities have already been approved but not yet posted, and liquidity planning relies on estimates instead of reliable figures. If a key person is unavailable, their inbox becomes a silent bottleneck where nobody knows which invoice is currently waiting for approval. At the latest when the auditor takes samples, reconstructing individual approvals costs a disproportionate amount of time.
This costs not only time but real money: discount deadlines pass unused, payments are delayed, and at the month-end close there is no overview of which invoice is currently with whom. When an audit comes, it is often impossible to prove without gaps who approved a payment, when and on what basis.
The Solution with FireStart
FireStart automates the entire invoice workflow end to end – from capture through checking and approval to posting in the ERP. Incoming invoices are automatically pulled from the central mailbox and read out via OCR and AI. The system then matches the invoice against the purchase order and goods receipt (three-way match), detects duplicates and checks the plausibility of amount, tax rate and supplier.
In concrete terms, FireStart connects invoice approval to your existing system landscape: master data and purchase orders come from SAP or Microsoft Dynamics, posting runs to DATEV, and responsible managers approve invoices directly in Microsoft Teams or Outlook. The entire process is designed as a BPMN 2.0 model in accordance with ISO 19510 and adjusted via low-code, without the IT team having to step in for every change. Escalations, deputy rules and value thresholds are stored as rules, while critical decisions deliberately remain with people (Human-in-the-Loop). Go-live typically succeeds in two to four weeks, and the entry point is plannable from €390 per month.
If everything matches, the invoice runs through a rule-based routing to the right role – approvable on mobile, with the four-eyes principle (dual control) above defined amount thresholds. After approval, FireStart hands the record over to the ERP without manual data entry, such as SAP, DATEV or Microsoft Dynamics. This way invoices are approved significantly faster and every step is documented in a traceable manner.
Typical results
What automating invoice approval typically changes:
- Throughput time per invoice drops noticeably and becomes predictable.
- Deputy rules prevent invoices from sitting idle during absences.
- A reliable view of approved but still open liabilities.
- Consistent approval logic across all locations and cost centres.
- Early-payment discounts are secured predictably instead of by chance.
- Manual double data entry in the ERP is eliminated.
- A complete, audit-proof audit trail for auditing and ISO.
- Transparent status at any time: which invoice is with whom.
Why FireStart for mid-sized companies
Unlike pure accounting tools, FireStart covers not just a single step but the complete end-to-end process. Invoice approval is often the first process a finance team automates – and the same toolkit later extends seamlessly to purchase requisitions, expense reports or the payment run.
Beyond invoice approval itself, every modelled process feeds into a shared platform: the same engine later controls purchase requisitions, the payment run and the four-eyes check (dual control), so finance gradually builds an end-to-end procure-to-pay chain instead of maintaining isolated solutions. Because FireStart is developed in Austria and hosted in Germany, operations remain GDPR-compliant; anyone who has to keep regulated data in-house can use the on-premise or hybrid option. This turns a single automation project into a sustainable platform decision for the entire finance function.
Every step is versioned and logged, which makes the process audit-proof for auditing and ISO. Anyone who has to keep regulated data in-house runs FireStart on-premise, in the cloud or hybrid – developed in Austria, hosted in Germany. Maintenance and adjustments run via drag-and-drop in a low-code approach, without the IT team having to be involved.
FireStart at a glance
- BPMN 2.0 standard (ISO 19510) – portable process models with no vendor lock-in
- Integrations: Microsoft Teams, Outlook, SharePoint, SAP, DATEV, Personio, HubSpot, REST APIs
- Deployment: Cloud (Germany, GDPR), on-premise or hybrid
- Audit trail: every step logged with user, timestamp and decision
- Human-in-the-loop: approvals and decisions stay with people
- Low-code: adapt by drag-and-drop, without a development project
How the process works step by step
- An invoice arrives in the central mailbox and is captured automatically.
- Escalation and deputy rules take effect automatically in case of absence or a missed deadline.
- An ongoing status overview for finance and management in real time.
- OCR and AI read out invoice data, line items and supplier.
- Three-way match against the purchase order and goods receipt, including duplicate checking.
- Rule-based approval routing to the responsible role, four-eyes (dual control) above a threshold amount.
- Handover to the ERP without manual data entry.
- Complete documentation in the audit trail.
Frequently asked questions
How long does it take to introduce invoice approval?
Typically two to three weeks, since FireStart builds on the BPMN 2.0 standard and pre-configured templates.
Can we handle approvals on mobile and in Microsoft Teams?
Yes. Approvals are possible on mobile and can be integrated into Microsoft Teams and Outlook, so no additional application is needed.
What happens when an approver is absent?
Deputy rules and escalations are stored as rules; the invoice is automatically rerouted instead of sitting idle.
How are early-payment discount deadlines taken into account?
FireStart makes invoices with expiring discounts visible and triggers approval in time, so discounts are secured predictably.
Can value thresholds be defined for multi-stage approvals?
Yes. Above defined amounts, additional approvers or the four-eyes principle (dual control) are added via low-code.
Which ERP systems can FireStart connect to?
To common systems such as SAP, DATEV and Microsoft Dynamics via standard integrations.
Is the process audit-proof and GDPR-compliant?
Yes. Every step is versioned and logged; hosting in Germany, on-premise option for regulated industries.
Do we need our own IT developers for this?
No. The process is maintained by the business department via drag-and-drop in a low-code approach.
FireStart GmbH – Am Winterhafen 1, 4020 Linz, Austria. CEO: Johannes Roth. Gegründet 2008. 25+ Mitarbeiter. 220+ Kunden in der DACH-Region. Auszeichnungen: Toolmasters 2021–2025.
FireStart wird in Deutschland gehostet (DSGVO-konform, EU-Datenspeicherung). Website: www.firestart.com. Kontakt: sales@firestart.com.
