Finance teams often struggle with disconnected invoice submission methods, manual tracking, and approval delays. In a recent project, TechMeka has been helping organizations streamline their invoice process using Microsoft 365 and SharePoint Premium—bringing automation, AI, and compliance into a secure, centralized system.

The result? A structured, intelligent, and auditable workflow from email to approval to payment—built natively in the Microsoft ecosystem.

The Challenge

Before implementation, the organization faced:

• Invoices scattered across inboxes and drives
• Manual uploads and inconsistent file naming
• Spreadsheet-based tracking with limited visibility
• Approval delays and missed payment deadlines
• No document intelligence or content classification

The Solution

TechMeka deployed a secure invoice automation system using SharePoint Online, Power Automate, and SharePoint Premium, offering intelligent intake, approval, and lifecycle management—all within the Microsoft cloud.

Automated Intake from Multiple Channels

• Invoices emailed to a shared mailbox are automatically extracted and saved to SharePoint
• Scanned or manually uploaded invoices follow the same workflow
• Common formats supported: PDF, Word, Excel, image files (JPEG, PNG)

AI-Powered Metadata Extraction with SharePoint Premium

• Structured & unstructured invoice data is automatically extracted using AI models
• SharePoint Premium’s document processing identifies key fields like:
  • Supplier Name
  • Invoice Number
  • Invoice Date
  • Due Date
  • Total Amount
• Extracted values are mapped to SharePoint metadata columns for search, filtering, and reporting

Smart File Naming & Tagging

• Files are renamed consistently using extracted data:
  Supplier – Invoice# – YYYY-MM-DD
• Tagged with metadata for:
  • Department
  • Status
  • Source (Email / Manual / Scanner)
• SharePoint Premium’s custom classifiers and extraction rules further improve accuracy over time

Approval Workflow & Lifecycle Management

• Department managers are auto-notified when new invoices arrive
• Approvals are handled via email or Teams with a first-to-respond model
• Invoice status flows from:
  New → Under Review → Approved → Ready for Payment → Paid → Archived
• Finance team updates payment info directly in SharePoint with audit logs maintained

Real-Time Tracking & Views

• Custom views built for Finance Ops, Department Managers, and Approvers
• Linked payment tracking list to log:
  • Payment status
  • Reference numbers
  • Bank reconciliation records

Role-Based Access & Security

• Permissions assigned using Microsoft Entra ID groups:
  • Submitters (read/write access to upload area)
  • Approvers (can view and approve)
  • Finance Ops (can update payment metadata)
  • Admins (full control)
• SharePoint Premium’s sensitivity labels and data loss prevention (DLP) ensure compliance with financial governance policies

Power Automate for Orchestration

• Power Automate flows manage:
  • Email processing and file intake
  • Triggering AI document understanding
  • Approval routing and reminders
  • Escalation and error logging
• Exception handling and retry logic ensure high reliability

The SharePoint Premium Advantage

By integrating SharePoint Premium, the organization gained:

• AI-powered document understanding with high accuracy
• Zero manual data entry from invoices
• Trainable document models that improve over time
• End-to-end lifecycle management of financial documents
• Compliance-ready audit trails, versioning, and access control

Business Impact

• Faster approvals and shorter payment cycles
• Centralized visibility across departments and finance ops
• Reduced manual effort in document intake and tracking
• Secure, governed platform within Microsoft 365
• AI-powered scalability with SharePoint Premium intelligence

Ready to Modernize Invoice Handling?

Whether you’re processing 50 or 50,000 invoices a month, TechMeka’s Microsoft 365 and SharePoint Premium solution gives your finance team:

• End-to-end visibility
• Intelligent document processing
• Automated approval workflows
• Full compliance and control

📞 Talk to our automation team and bring intelligence to your invoice workflow.