Dash AP Robot VS. APSmart | AP Automation for SYSPRO Comparison

Although we may be inclined to say that our accounts payable automation solution is the best on the market, the reality is that the needs of each company call for solutions that fit their unique circumstances.

When it comes to AP automation, and especially AP automation for SYSPRO, it’s important to understand what your options are in terms of systems that integrate. 

Two of the main options for SYSPRO AP automation are DASH’s AP Robot and CloudX’s APSmart program. In this article, we’ll take a look at each solution, detailing features, setup, and system structure in an attempt to provide an honest and critical look into the differences between the solutions.

Ready to see how AP automation can drive efficiency in your financial organization? Request a personalized demo today!

System Structure + Potential Additions

We’re going to compare DASH’s AP Robot solution separately from their DDX service offering, which supports the AP Robot with document storage and management. 

Within the purchasing process, the AP Robot and APSmart work in the same functional area: from the time the invoice is presented, to the time when it’s posted to the ERP. How each of those solutions functions within this process we’ll review in depth below. But for now, we’ll look at the additional solutions that each company offers to support their accounts payable automations.

DASH: DDX TOOL

Dash offers a document management solution that extends far beyond the purchasing process - but for the sake of this comparison, we’ll look at its potential use within accounting, and more specifically, purchasing. 

DDX can help you store, share, and search important documents such as:

• Purchase Orders
• Proforma Invoices
• Supplier Invoices
• Customer Statements
• Accounts Payable Checks

It’s worth noting that with the AP Robot alone, you can capture and digitize invoices for review. But without DDX, those files won’t be easily searchable or shareable beyond your already established systems and processes (email and ERP). 

Also, the only place where simple review and approval workflows can be created and managed is within the DDX system. With the AP Robot alone, exceptions must be handled manually with minimal control or visibility over ownership or invoice timeline management.

CLOUDX: PRSMART AND PAYSMART

Systematically within the purchasing process, APSmart alone plays a similar role to the DDX and AP Robot combo.

APSmart can store all invoices and checks, as well as provide a searchable, shareable, and trackable history of each and every one of those documents.

When it comes to additional resources beyond document filing, document management, and invoice processing automation, CloudX provides the PRSmart and PAYSmart solutions which supplement invoice processing on either side.

• PAYSmart: PAYSmart is a module that can be added to any instance of APSmart in order to simplify and automate the payment process. This means you can synchronize and simplify your payment process to include virtual card payments, ACH, and check transactions all from a single payment file (also called integrated payables).  This provides you the ability to focus on your core business without the disruption of managing multiple payment types all while earning sizable and sustainable cash rebates to your business.  It’s an optional add-on to APSmart, but can extend its capability to include not only automation of payments, but to create an trackable end-to-end timeline for each invoice, beginning at the invoice capture stage.
• PRSmart: Available only for SYSPRO, Ross, and Quickbooks accounting systems, PRSmart automates and simplifies the purchase requisition process by providing a digital space for all approvals and communications of purchase orders. PRSmart also auto-generates purchase orders, which can then be stored, searched, and referenced within APSmart.
  
  

FEATURE COMPARISON

As you can probably tell by now, APSmart and DASH’s AP Robot represent vastly different approaches to invoice processing automation and document process management in general. 

Below we’ve analyzed some key features for each product for your review:

Ready to see how AP automation can drive efficiency in your financial organization? Request a personalized demo today!

KEY SIMILARITIES

Automated 3-way matching

This is a big one if you’re in manufacturing. Having a 3-way match means that your accounts payable automation tool with verify receipt of goods vs. invoices vs. purchase orders to identify potential discrepancies. Both APSmart and the AP Robot from CloudX provide an automated validation process for receipt, invoice and PO. 

Automated posting

If you’re a user of the SYSPRO ERP with a fairly recent version (DASH quotes v7 and above), both of these accounts payable automation softwares can post automatically to your accounting system. These functionalities are likely very similar between the solutions, besides many of the deliverables coming before this step.

Duplicate identification & fraud detection

APSmart and AP Robot both feature a fraud detection system which identifies mismatches and duplicates in the system. There is fairly large difference in the depth at which this service is performed, primarily because CloudX creates an end-to-end auditable trail for the paper process which can be quickly filtered and searched. Without the DDX service combination, the AP Robot performs only basic de-duplication and mismatch tagging.

Key Differences

Configurability & customization

This one comes with a double edged sword.  AP Robot claims to be super easy to implement - only a few hours before the program is up and running. That’s great, except for when you start running into capability obstacles. This is where CloudX’s APSmart solution takes the cake - APSmart is implemented with a host of customized categorization and workflows which make the end process seamless, while likely making the implementation process significantly longer

Handling of exceptions and mismatches

So what happens in your finance organization when an invoice can’t be automatically processed? If you’re using DASH’s AP Robot, the exceptions are piled into one group for review. They aren’t categorized and automatically delivered to account holders nor are they batched by type of exception (to knowledge at current writing). With APSmart, these workflows and ownership are not only customizable but highly controllable, making this feature comparison a “not even close” scenario.

IMPLEMENTATION TIME

As mentioned above in “Configurability & Customization”, the single largest pro of adopting the AP Robot is its speed of implementation. With AP Robot, you could be up and running today - and that’s great, especially if you’re a small company processing less than 100 invoices per month. However, if you’re a more complex company with larger needs, it may be worth waiting the 2-6 weeks for CloudX’s APSmart program.

CONCLUSION AND COMPARING OPTIONS

As a document processing automation company that’s been operating since 2011, we understand that each company’s circumstances are unique. The document management systems that you use, the number of invoices you process every month, and the split between PO and non-PO invoices you process are just a few variables that can affect your decision between different accounts payable automation solutions. 

That being said, it’s always a good idea to explore your options. Please reach out to us by requesting a demo and we’ll show you exactly how CloudX’s APSmart can revolutionize your accounting processes while integrating seamlessly with your SYSPRO system. 

CloudX’s APSmart continuously updates and is available for the latest SYSPRO versions including v.8 and v.7.

Ready to see how AP automation can drive efficiency in your financial organization? Request a personalized demo today!