How to Process Invoice Attachments with Intelligent AP Automation

Table of Contents

• How to Process Invoice Attachments with AP Automation
• How to Track Document Queue and Statuses
• Supplier Recognition with AP Automation
• Item Recognition with AP Automation
• Improve Recognition for Documents
• Can’t Find a Feature? Suggest It in Our Roadmap

How to Process Invoice Attachments with AP Automation

To start processing invoices with AP Automation, make sure the Intelligent AP Automation feature is set up and your users have the necessary permissions. More about Intelligent AP Automation setup in this article.

Once Intelligent AP Automation is active, you’ll see a new section in the right menu called AP Inbox. Here's what you can do there:

• Collect invoices and credit notes sent to your dedicated AP Inbox email address automatically, or upload attachments through Precoro directly.
• View attachments and track their processing statuses.
• Use notes and assignees to organize and track attachments.
• Create invoices or credit notes based on the processed documents, matched to the right purchase orders when applicable.

Now, let's walk through the step-by-step process of uploading attachments in Precoro. You have three options to choose from:

1. Via Precoro inbox email: This is a dedicated email address to which your suppliers can send invoices. Once sent, Precoro will automatically scan and upload them as drafts to your AP Inbox where you can track their processing status. To get the email address, click the “Upload Through Email” button at the top of the AP Inbox page and share it with your suppliers.

   💡Pro tip: If you have multiple companies in Precoro with different emails where suppliers send invoices, you can set up auto-forwarding to the shared email on the AP Inbox page. This way, all documents will be sent to all AP inboxes at once.
   
   

2. Via the AP Inbox page: Alternatively, you can upload invoices directly to the AP Inbox. Simply click the Upload Attachment button, select the document, and it will be processed for AI recognition.
   
   
3. Via the Invoices page: Go to the Invoices page, click Add Invoice with AI, enter the required CFD information, attach the document, and click Create to begin processing.
   
   

How to Track Document Queue and Statuses

You can easily track the status of AI-processed documents in two places:

• On the AP Inbox page.

• On the AP Inbox Documents page. You can find it by clicking the AP Inbox Documents button on the top panel of the Invoices page.

Here's what each status means:

If your company runs out of AP credits, the Paid Limit Exceeded banner appears in the AP Inbox. Users with the Configuration role can click Buy more to open Billing and purchase additional AP credits. Users without this role will see the button as inactive and should contact their company administrator.

Supplier Recognition with AP Automation

When no supplier is preselected, Precoro uses AI to compare extracted invoice details (such as name, phone, tax ID, email, and address) against your supplier list. This comparison happens securely within the system to suggest the most relevant match.

If multiple matches are possible, Precoro automatically applies additional checks—including tax ID, phone, and email—to finalize the selection.

If AI cannot confidently identify a match, no supplier is assigned, and you'll be able to manually add them under the Identified Supplier field on the AP Inbox page.

The auto-fill supplier feature works on:

• The AP Inbox page

• The Invoice creation page

• The Invoice from PO creation page

When you add a new supplier to Precoro—whether manually, through an import, or via invitation—the "Enter Invoice as One Line" setting (if enabled in your Intelligent AP Automation configuration) will automatically apply.

This means that when you process an invoice from that supplier, all items will be combined into one line instead of being listed separately. This is helpful for invoices that don’t need detailed itemization.

Item Recognition with AP Automation

AI recognition simplifies invoice processing by automatically capturing item information from your invoices.

Depending on your preferred settings, the document can be processed in either One-Line mode or Multi-Line mode.

One-Line Mode

In One-Line mode, all items on the invoice are combined into a single line item. The total amount of the invoice is displayed as the item amount, and the invoice name is used as the item description. 

• When to use it: This mode works best for invoices where item-level detail isn’t necessary, such as service invoices or consolidated billing.

• How it works: For example, if your invoice is titled Invoice192.pdf, the system will create one item labeled Invoice192.pdf and will set the total amount of the invoice as the value.

To activate: 

1. Go to the Intelligent AP Automation configuration. Here are the links to specific servers: US server link or EU server link.

2. Check the Enter Invoice as one line setting.

3. Save the changes.

Alternatively, activate the feature for a specific supplier by editing their profile and checking the Enter Invoice as one-line box.

Multi-Line Mode

In Multi-Line mode, AI will break down invoices into individual items, even if the invoice contains 50 or more line items. This feature is applied automatically to all invoices unless you activate the Single Line mode.

• When to use it: Use this mode when you need each item listed separately in an invoice and matched with the corresponding items in a PO.

• How it works: Precoro's AI processes each item individually, extracting key details like descriptions, quantities, unit prices, and total costs for precise matching.

Improve Recognition for Documents

If AI recognized document details incorrectly, you can send feedback directly from the document using the Fix Recognition button.

You're able to send the feedback in 3 ways:

Option 1. In the attachment list.

• Open the AP Inbox and choose the document in Draft status.

• In the Action column, click the More Actions icon (three vertical dots) next to the draft.

• Select Fix Recognition from the drop-down menu.

• Describe what AI recognized incorrectly and submit your comment.

Option 2. When creating a standard invoice.

• Open the AP Inbox and find your document in Draft status.
• In the Action column, click the + icon next to the document.
• Select Standard Invoice from the drop-down menu.
• On the Add Invoice page that opens or directly within the Invoice Draft, click the Fix Recognition button.
• Describe what AI recognized incorrectly and submit your comment.

Option 3. From a PO-based invoice draft.

• Open the Invoice from PO that is currently in Draft status.
• Click Fix Recognition on the invoice document page.
• Describe what AI recognized incorrectly and submit your comment.

Can’t Find a Feature? Suggest It in Our Roadmap

If you know a feature that would make working with Precoro easier, it may be in development or waiting to be requested. To see what's in store, please check out our Open Product Roadmap.

There, you can:

• See what’s planned and in progress

• Upvote ideas that matter to you

• Leave comments to share your use case

• Subscribe to announcements and follow relevant ideas

• Submit new feature requests

To get started:

1. Review existing ideas and upvote the ones that you find helpful.

2. Log in or sign up using your business email to access full functionality.

3. Submit new ideas and share insights with your peers in the comments.

Every suggestion counts—your feedback shapes what we build next. Refer to this article for more details on working with the product plan.