This blog is part of a series detailing the projected outlook for purchase-to-pay (P2P) in 2020. Increased adoption of automated processes, a changing workforce, and increased government regulations all present challenges in the near future for many AP departments. Preparing for these challenges and meeting them head-on is essential to ensuring sustainability and profitability for any organization.

In our last submission to this series we identified perfect processing in the next 5 years: seamless collaboration between buyers and suppliers that ensures timely payments that capture the highest discounts and rewards. Next, we need to look at what the subsequent generation’s AP department will look like.

Today the average age of AP staffers is 48, while twenty years ago it was close to half that. The reason—it’s simple—today’s college graduates, generation Y or “Millennials,” shun manual data entry jobs. Millennials are very different from their baby boomer or Gen-X parents. In fact, in many ways, they’re polar opposites.  Millennials have a need for constant feedback and this is often seen as a bid for attention or a lack of know-how. In actuality, this is often just a result of being eager to please and having access to instant confirmation via the Internet and social networks most (if not all) of their life. Whereas the baby boomer generation fully accepted a hierarchical structure and a “work-your-way-up” philosophy, Millennials crave immediate gratification. They are data-driven, not concerned with emotion, and are used to dealing in hard facts. They desire equality and an equal say more than a formal pecking order. Millennials are action-oriented, self-motivated, and eager to achieve goals. Positions that don’t offer advancement and creativity will leave Millenials feeling restless and they will quickly move on. So the question remains, how can P2P departments reorganize to attract the new generation?

It starts with being open, honest, and realizing that change is inevitable. An automated P2P process is a necessity in today’s market. P2P managers need to communicate an automated vision with their staff and truly listen to their feedback. Holding face-to-face meetings individually with staff members is an essential component with Millenials because it gives them the opportunity to articulate their goals and find a common direction that will lead to productivity and innovation. Employees need to be energized to drive successful transformation to automation.

Implementing an automated P2P process will facilitate a realignment of staff and roles. Managers can take full advantage of this opportunity to redeploy their staff in the most effective way possible. Roles should be aligned with business units and existing employees should be able to self-select their new roles. Processing, analytical, and customer support staff should also be involved in the interview process since they will be working side by side with new hires as well as expected to collaborate with them on team projects.

For many, the biggest hindrance to a successful eInvoicing implementation is supplier adoption. Persuading suppliers to change their processes to align with buyers’ needs can be a costly and time-consuming process and success depends largely on the buyers’ ability to present a compelling value proposition to suppliers.

One of the best things that can be done for this is to keep them involved from the moment it is decided to make the transition. In doing so, an organization will likely gain higher adoption rates than if they autocratically demanded it after the fact. Another proven method to increase supplier acceptance of eInvoicing is to give suppliers the ability to conduct purchase order (PO) flips. The more accurate and timely an invoice, the quicker a supplier will get paid, and thus the more likely they are to adopt an eInvoicing payment method.

The steps taken today to automate invoicing and adopt P2P best practices will ultimately determine an organization’s future adaptability and success in attracting talented workers.