Executive Summary
Automating invoice processing was a top priority for a regional manufacturer with facilities scattered across three states. Our team implemented n8n to orchestrate data flows between their ERP, email system, and call center dashboards. The solution eliminated manual re-entry of invoice details and provided a single source of truth for account status.
The new workflows transformed collections and payables. Rather than chasing down paperwork, staff now monitor a queue of clearly prioritized tasks generated by the system. As a result, invoices are processed quicker and account representatives have more time for strategic work.
About the Client
This mid-market manufacturer ships industrial components worldwide. Prior to our engagement, each location maintained its own spreadsheets and email chains for tracking invoices. AR specialists often spent hours per week reconciling records and requesting updates from branch offices.
Leadership recognized that these silos hindered growth and created confusion for the customer support team. They sought a flexible automation platform that could tie together disparate systems without disrupting existing operations.
Challenge
Accounts Payable and Accounts Receivable teams operated on separate processes, leading to inconsistent notifications for outstanding balances. When customers called in, support agents rarely had up-to-date information, forcing them to escalate simple requests. The company needed a unifying workflow to sync financial data and share updates automatically with the call center.
Additionally, each facility followed slightly different naming conventions in their documents, making a one-size-fits-all integration difficult. Any solution needed the flexibility to adapt to local variations while still providing centralized oversight.
Technical Deep Dive
ExpertTech leveraged n8n’s modular approach to map triggers from the ERP system directly to Slack notifications and email summaries. We built custom nodes in TypeScript that parsed invoice PDFs, extracted relevant fields, and synchronized them with the accounting database. A set of decision branches routed overdue invoices to the appropriate collections queue.
The diagram below shows how data moves from ingestion to final reporting dashboards. Because the workflows run on Docker containers, the client can easily scale the system when monthly transaction volume spikes.
Results & ROI
Processing costs decreased by 25% in the first quarter after launch. More importantly, customer service agents gained instant visibility into payment status, reducing hold times and improving satisfaction scores. Automated reminders cut the number of overdue invoices nearly in half.
The finance team estimates the project will pay for itself within six months thanks to faster collections and reduced manual effort. The organization now plans to extend the n8n platform to other back-office functions.
Testimonial
“We finally have a real-time view of our receivables and no longer worry about missing an important update,” reported the Controller. “ExpertTech’s solution was seamless and required minimal training for our staff.”
