Categorize Invoice

Prerequisites:

• Management Company uses an Invoice action item to process vendor invoices and bills
• Management Company has GL accounts configured in Vantaca
• Management Company has service providers set up in Vantaca

Purpose:

• Automatically extracts and validates invoice data from vendor bills and statements
• Verifies association is still actively managed before processing payments
• Matches invoices to correct service providers and identifies existing service contracts
• Prevents duplicate payments by checking against historical and pending invoices
• Assigns appropriate GL codes based on service contracts, historical patterns, or budget allocations
• Routes invoices through proper approval workflows based on completeness and special handling requirements
• Eliminates manual data entry errors and ensures consistent invoice processing standards

Management Company Workflow Discovery Questions:

Required:

1. Do you use the Invoice action item for processing vendor bills?
2. Walk me through your current invoice processing workflow from receipt to payment approval.
3. What are your standard approval steps for invoices?
4. Do you have any auto-pay or auto-draft arrangements with vendors?
5. How do you identify inactive or terminated associations in your system?
6. Do you process invoices from your management company (e.g., administrative billing)?

Optional:

1. What types of invoices do you typically receive (utilities, maintenance, legal, etc.)?
2. Do you have specific formatting requirements for invoice numbers when they're missing?
3. How do you handle zero-balance invoices or statements?
4. What are your rules for sales tax GL coding?
5. Do you have any special payment arrangements or bank accounts for certain types of expenses?
6. How many days do you typically set for "Due on Receipt" invoices?
7. Do you have any vendor-specific processing rules?

Visio for Client Conversations:

Make a copy of this if anything needs to be updated for your client. Or, just pull this up to talk through the workflow!

Categorize Invoice Diagram

Corresponding Action Item:

Will be within the "Invoice" action item category:

Trigger:

The trigger step should be set to the first step that receives the invoice, typically when it arrives via email or is manually entered.

Action Item Type: Invoice

Action Item Steps: Complete Data Entry (or similar initial step)

Priority: High

Typically, the Creation Date Range & Last Note Date Range will be set to "Today" or "Last 24 Hours" to process invoices promptly.

Override Guide:

Override Name	Override Meaning	Where to Find Correct Value
@MISSING_INFO_STEP	Name of the step where you want the action item to route if no attachment exists or critical information is missing.	Vantaca > Settings > Action Types/Steps > Invoice. Look for step that handles incomplete submissions. Default: "Complete Data Entry"
@ZERO_BALANCE_RULE	Instructions for handling zero-balance invoices.	Default: "For utility bills: Continue processing with zero amount. For non-utilities: Step to Void and stop"
@VOID_STEP	Name of the void/cancel step.	Vantaca > Settings > Action Types/Steps > Invoice. Look for step that cancels/voids invoices
@DATA_ENTRY_STEP	Name of the step for completing missing data entry.	Vantaca > Settings > Action Types/Steps > Invoice. Default: "Complete Data Entry"
@ASSOCIATION_KNOWN_ALIASES	List of association name aliases and variations that may appear on invoices.	Client-specific association alternative names that may appear on invoices
@STATEMENT_HANDLING_RULE	Instructions for handling customer statements vs actual invoices.	Default: "If just a statement with no new charges: Step to Void and stop"
@VENDOR_ALIASES	Known vendor name variations and aliases that may appear on invoices.	Client-specific vendor alternative names that may appear on invoices
@DEFAULT_INVOICE_FORMAT	Format for generating missing invoice numbers for standard invoices.	Default: "account number and due date in mm/dd/yy format"
@INSURANCE_INVOICE_FORMAT	Format for generating missing invoice numbers for insurance invoices.	Default: "policy number and due date in mm/dd/yy format"
@UTILITY_INVOICE_FORMAT	Format for generating missing invoice numbers for utility invoices.	Default: "service date range in mm/dd/yy - mm/dd/yy format"
@INACTIVE_PREFIX	Prefix used to identify inactive associations.	Default: "zz or ZZ" - associations with this prefix should be routed to inactive handling
@AP_ESCALATION_STEP	Name of the manager review step for escalations.	Vantaca > Settings > Action Types/Steps > Invoice workflow. Default: "AP Review"
@VENDOR_UPDATE_RULE	Instructions for handling vendor/service provider address updates.	Default: "Set to 'AP Review' and stop"
@DUE_ON_RECEIPT_RULE	Number of days to add when invoice is marked "Due on Receipt".	Default: "10 days after invoice date"
@MULTIPLE_INVOICE_RULE	Instructions for handling multiple invoices in one action item.	Default: "Route to manager review step - cannot process multiple invoices together"
@PAYMENT_LINK_RULE	Instructions for handling payment links instead of actual invoices.	Default: "Route to manager review step - payment links are not processable invoices"
@INACTIVE_STEP	Name of the step for routing invoices for inactive associations.	Default: "Void"
@DUP_DATE_RANGE	Date range for checking duplicate invoices.	Default: "45 days"
@DUPLICATE_STEP	Name of the step for potential duplicate invoices.	Default: "Possible Duplicate"
@MANAGER_APPROVAL_STEP	Name of the standard approval step.	Default: "Approve Invoice"
@DEFAULT_PAYMENT_TYPE	Default payment method when not specified on invoice.	Default: "Check"
@SALES_TAX_RULE	Instructions for coding sales tax line items.	Default: "Code to same GL as parent item"
@CREDIT_ADJUSTMENT_RULE	Instructions for handling credits or adjustments on invoices.	Add based on client requirements for credit processing
@MASTER_SUB_ASSOCIATION_RULE	Rules for handling master/sub association relationships.	Default: "If association is in master/sub relationship, request should be affiliated with Master association"
@MISSING_CRITICAL_INFO_RULE	Definition of what constitutes critical missing information.	Critical info includes: Service provider details, Invoice amount, Invoice or account number, Due date, Association
@SPECIAL_INSTRUCTIONS_DOC_TYPES	Additional document type handling rules specific to client needs.	Add based on rejection data - specific to client document types
@SPECIAL_INSTRUCTIONS_CREDITS	Credit/adjustment handling specifics beyond standard rules.	Add based on client requirements for credit processing
@SPECIAL_INSTRUCTIONS_MATCHING	Special matching rules for invoices beyond standard validation.	Add based on client requirements for invoice matching
@SPECIAL_INSTRUCTIONS_VALIDATION	Additional validation rules beyond standard processing.	Add based on client requirements for extra validation steps
@SPECIAL_INSTRUCTION_INACTIVE	Exceptions to standard inactive association rules.	Add specific association exceptions that should not be voided
@SPECIAL_INSTRUCTION_UTILITY	Utility-specific processing rules beyond standard handling.	Add based on specific utility providers and their invoice formats
@SPECIAL_INSTRUCTION_LEGAL	Legal invoice processing rules for specialized handling.	Add if client uses legal services with special requirements
@SPECIAL_INSTRUCTION_DUPLICATE	Additional duplicate detection rules beyond standard date range.	Add based on client-specific duplicate patterns
@SPECIAL_INSTRUCTION_GL_CODING	GL coding exceptions and special rules beyond standard mapping.	Add based on client GL structure and coding requirements
@SPECIAL_INSTRUCTION_ESCALATION	Additional escalation scenarios beyond standard rules.	Add based on client requirements for manager review
@VOID_INSTRUCTION	Additional scenarios that should be voided beyond standard processing.	Default includes receipts, newsletters, etc.

FAQs:

Q: "Can HOAi determine which GL accounts to use for different invoice types?" A: "Yes! HOAi uses a prioritized approach: first checking service contracts, then historical patterns, then budget allocations, and finally the chart of accounts."

Q: "What happens if HOAi can't find a matching association?" A: "HOAi will try multiple search strategies including address variations, name variations, and known aliases. If no match is found, it routes to AP Review with detailed notes about what was attempted."

Q: "How does HOAi prevent duplicate payments?" A: "HOAi checks both historical invoices and pending proposals using multiple matching criteria including invoice numbers, amounts, service dates, and account numbers."

Q: "Can HOAi handle invoices without invoice numbers?" A: "Yes! HOAi will create standardized invoice numbers based on the invoice type - using service dates for utilities, policy numbers for insurance, or account numbers with dates for other invoices."

Q: "What if our management company sends us administrative billing invoices?" A: "HOAi can be configured with special rules to identify and properly route management company invoices separate from utility bills or other vendor invoices."

Q: "Can HOAi identify when an association is no longer being managed?" A: "Yes! HOAi looks for inactive indicators like 'zz' prefixes and will route these invoices to be voided rather than processed."

Best Practices:

1. Document Requirements: Ensure all vendor invoices are attached as PDFs or images - HOAi cannot process payment links or references to invoices
2. Association Naming: Maintain consistent association naming in Vantaca and document any known aliases
3. Service Contracts: Keep service contracts updated with current GL codes and payment terms
4. GL Structure: Maintain a clear, organized GL structure with descriptive account names
5. Vendor Setup: Ensure all regular vendors are set up in Vantaca with correct payment preferences
6. Historical Data: The more historical invoice data available, the better HOAi can learn your GL coding patterns
7. Regular Review: Monitor rejected invoices to identify patterns that may require override adjustments

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