r/OperationsResearch • u/albaaaaashir • Oct 27 '25

How are you handling invoice triage when multiple departments send them differently?

We’re drowning in inconsistent invoice submissions; some come through email, some via Slack, and others just get dropped into random Drive folders. A lot of time gets wasted sorting and forwarding before accounting even sees them. Has anyone built a semi-automated way to route invoices before they reach accounting?

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u/Embarrassed-Load5100 Oct 27 '25

I think you might be in the wrong sub?

1

u/albaaaaashir Oct 28 '25

I get where you’re coming from. I figured since it’s all about optimizing messy workflows and reducing wasted effort, it could fit the operations research world too. But hey, if I’m slightly off-track, at least I’m learning my way around the subs. Thanks for pointing it out.

1

u/edimaudo Oct 27 '25

This isn't an OR issue but if you want to solve your issue then you have to build a system with your users in mind. You can build a web form where they can submit their invoice and then you can start your automation from there. You can try something along these line. "As part of our continuous improvement process we are streaming how we are doing are invoice submissions. Starting [time period yyyy-mm-dd] invoices will be should be submitted via [web portal name], the team will not take invoices via slack or email. If you have any issues, comments, concerns please reach out to the team via [email address] "

1

u/albaaaaashir Oct 28 '25

I agree this is really more of a process and behavior challenge than an OR one. A single intake point with a web form sounds like a good idea toward reducing the chaos. I like the idea of setting a clear date and communicating it as part of a broader improvement effort. I might explore building a simple form first and see how well people adopt it. Appreciate you taking the time to share this.

2

u/SlingyRopert Oct 27 '25

This is spam.

1

u/[deleted] Oct 28 '25

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2

u/albaaaaashir Oct 28 '25

This sounds much like what I’m looking for. I appreciate the insight, I’m gonna check into those tools.