What Is Touchless Processing?
Touchless processing (or straight-through processing) refers to invoices that move from capture to payment with zero manual intervention:
- Invoice is received digitally
- Data is auto-captured and validated
- PO match or 3-way match happens automatically
- Invoice is approved and paid without human touch
It’s not just about speed, it’s about error reduction, visibility, and scale.
What 80% Really Looks Like
Getting to 80% straight-through means:
- High supplier compliance (e.g. e-invoices, proper POs)
- Accurate master data
- Minimal exceptions
- Automation-first workflows
Top benchmarks show:
- 58.8% STP after automation rollout
- 70%+ STP in top-performing AP teams
- 80% STP = best-in-class with clean data and integrated systems
But it doesn’t mean zero problems. Even at 80%, 1 in 5 invoices needs manual intervention.
Where the Manual Work Still Happens
Invoices that don’t go touchless often involve:
- Non-PO or services invoices
- Missing or incorrect POs
- Quantity or price mismatches
- Poor scan quality
- Currency/FX complications
Exception handling remains critical, the goal is to streamline both STP and exception paths.
Strategic Finance Implications
Reaching high STP unlocks more than AP efficiency:
- Cash control: predictable payables improve DPO and liquidity
- Forecasting: faster approvals = better spend visibility
- Compliance: auto-match ensures approvals follow policy
- Scaling: supports growth without adding headcount
In short, AP stops being a bottleneck and starts driving financial control.
ROI Benchmarks: Manual vs 80% STP
"80% straight-through" isn’t just a metric, it’s a signal that your AP process is mature, efficient, and scalable.
It doesn’t happen by accident. It takes:
- Clean data
- Supplier alignment
- Workflow automation
- Exception management
But when it comes together, your finance team unlocks real speed, accuracy, and control.
Book a demo to see how touchless AP actually works in practice and how close your team can get to 100%.
