Both the invoice issuer and the invoice recipient benefit from the switch to e-invoicing in terms of cost savings, efficiency and transparency. Although digitalization has become an integral part of modern working life, many companies still work with analogue accounting. The benefits of digital incoming invoice processing are clearly noticeable, even for small companies. The main reasons are faster processing of incoming documents, lower printing costs and savings through compliance with discounts and payment deadlines. However, sending invoices electronically not only saves printing and postage costs: studies show that invoices sent digitally are paid more quickly. According to a survey by the Helsinki-Aalto University School of Business, the turnaround time from invoice receipt to payment is reduced by an average of two days.

The savings potential of digital invoice processing is very high and has been the subject of various studies. According to a market study by Swiss industry expert Billentis, up to 64 percent of the costs or EUR 11.20 per invoice for accounts payable management can be saved in collaboration with external partners. Heiko Paitz, Head of Consulting DMS at ComputerKomplett, calculates that with 25 goods invoices received by a company every day, the annual cost reduction can amount to 30,000 euros or 60,000 euros including document reading. There are also enormous cost benefits when sending invoices digitally, which Billentis puts at 6.60 euros per invoice. Assuming 30 accounts receivable invoices per day, according to Heiko Paitz, this results in annual savings of 29,000 euros. The expected return on investment is 6 months.

However, from ComputerKomplett's point of view, the switch to paperless accounting seems to cause difficulties for small companies in particular. The fear of not doing everything right in terms of data security, legal compliance and acceptance by the auditor is too strong. But laws are no longer an obstacle today. The introduction of the Tax Simplification Act on July 1, 2011 and the principles for the proper management and storage of books, records and documents in electronic form and for data access (BMF letter IV A 4 - S 0316/13/10003 dated November 14, 2014 [GoBD]) have removed the last serious hurdles. According to EU law, all suppliers to public administrations are obliged to issue their invoices electronically from November 27, 2020, with the exception of direct orders with an expected net order value of up to EUR 1,000.

Analysts expect a new era of digitalization and automation that will fundamentally change the electronic invoicing environment. Another study shows that around 25 percent of all invoices are paid too late. As a result, based on the total purchasing volume, this often results in a significant discount loss that affects earnings. The consulting firm Pitney Bowes Management Services (PBMS) shows: The typical processing costs of 13.00 euros per invoice can be reduced to 6.50 euros in a medium-sized company through digitization and data extraction. The Koblenz Chamber of Industry and Commerce (IHK Koblenz) even puts the processing cost savings in companies at up to EUR 11.60 per invoice.

Based on DMS, ECM and ERP systems, ComputerKomplett offers the implementation of a digital accounting system for small, medium-sized and large companies. According to the company, the return on investment is just 12 months.