Invoice automation for IFS Cloud
Invoice automation for IFS Cloud turns supplier emails into posted invoices. An AI agent reads the attachment, validates the supplier against live IFS data, posts the record through the native IFS Cloud connector — and asks a person only when something does not add up.
Where AP time actually goes
Most accounts payable teams do not have an invoicing problem; they have a retyping problem. Invoices arrive as PDF attachments in a shared mailbox. Someone opens each one, reads the header, finds the supplier in IFS, keys the lines, attaches the file, and chases an approver over email. The ERP holds the truth, but the work happens in the inbox.
That swivel-chair loop is slow on a good day and brittle on a bad one. A mistyped amount surfaces weeks later as a payment error. A vacation means a mailbox nobody watches. And at month-end, finance closes late because the last unposted invoices are hiding in email threads, not in IFS.
- Invoices land as PDFs in a shared mailbox and wait until someone opens them
- Header and line data is retyped into IFS by hand, and typos surface later as payment errors
- Supplier numbers, PO references and bank details are checked by eye — if at all
- Approvers are chased over email, and nobody can say where an invoice is stuck
- Month-end close waits on invoices that exist only in inboxes
Email to posted invoice, step by step
This is the flagship NgageFlow flow: a handful of steps in the visual builder, no code, using the same connectors your team already trusts.
- 1
Gmail or Outlook — new email trigger
The flow watches the AP mailbox and fires when a message with an attachment arrives. Filters skip newsletters and internal mail so only candidate invoices enter the flow.
- 2
AI agent — extract the invoice
The agent reads the PDF or image attachment and extracts supplier name, invoice number, dates, currency, totals and line items — regardless of layout. No template per supplier, no OCR project.
- 3
IFS Cloud — Read Records
The agent queries supplier records in IFS Cloud to confirm the supplier exists, is active, and that the PO reference and bank details on the invoice match what IFS already knows.
- 4
Branch — clean or exception
Invoices that match go straight through. Mismatched bank details, unknown suppliers, duplicate invoice numbers or out-of-tolerance amounts branch into a human review path.
- 5
IFS Cloud — Create Record
The validated invoice is posted to IFS Cloud through the native connector, with safe concurrency handling so nothing collides with work happening inside IFS at the same moment.
- 6
Microsoft Teams — notify AP
The AP channel gets a short summary — supplier, amount, posting reference — and exceptions arrive as approval requests a person can act on in one click.
Every step here is a standard piece of the platform: connectors from the 700+ integration library, the native IFS Cloud connector, and AI agents as workflow steps — assembled in the visual builder, no code required.
Agents prepare, people decide
The agent never gets blanket authority. You draw the line in the flow itself — and the flow enforces it.
What the AI agent does
- Reads attachments in any layout and normalizes the extracted fields
- Cross-checks supplier, PO and bank details against live IFS records
- Drafts the posting and writes a one-line summary for the AP channel
- Flags anomalies: new bank details, duplicate numbers, price variances
What people approve
- Approves exceptions above tolerance before anything is posted
- Reviews new suppliers and any change to bank details
- Keeps final release authority wherever your policy demands it
What changes
No invented numbers — but here is what teams running this pattern typically see.
Invoice handling drops from days to minutes, because nothing waits for a free pair of hands
Entry errors fall sharply — data is extracted and validated, never retyped
AP sees the status of every invoice in one place instead of mailbox archaeology
Month-end stops waiting on the inbox: what arrived is either posted or visibly in review
Invoice capture is one loop in a bigger AP picture. NgageChat lets finance teams ask IFS for overdue invoices or supplier balances in plain language, and the rest of the Ngage Suite covers forms, apps and advisory. All of it is built by EX10, a consultancy founded by former IFS leaders.
Invoice automation for IFS Cloud: questions, answered
How does invoice automation work with IFS Cloud?
A flow watches your AP mailbox, an AI agent extracts the invoice data from the attachment, and the native IFS Cloud connector validates the supplier and posts the invoice. Clean invoices go straight through; anything unusual is routed to a person for approval before posting.
What happens when the agent is not sure about an invoice?
It stops and asks. NgageFlow has human-in-the-loop steps built in, so uncertain extractions, new suppliers or changed bank details pause the flow and send an approval request to your team. Nothing is posted to IFS without passing your rules.
Do we need IFS API development to set this up?
No. NgageFlow ships a native IFS Cloud connector that reads records, creates and updates them, and executes IFS actions out of the box. You assemble the flow in a visual builder — the typical invoice flow is six steps and needs no custom code.
Other flows IFS teams build first
See invoice capture on your IFS
Book a demo with a real invoice and your IFS Cloud entities, or reserve an early-access pilot.