Smart Scan for Supplier Invoices and Automated PO Matching

Overview

Smart Scan for supplier invoices and Automated PO Matching combines OpenAI-powered document reading with Counta's rules-based PO matching. Smart Scan reads incoming supplier invoice PDFs and identifies key details, including the invoice number, invoice date, and Purchase Order (PO) number.

If it identifies a posted PO, Counta's matching logic locates the PO, applies its validations, and creates the supplier invoice entries from the PO details. This reduces manual entry while retaining the review and approval controls in your normal AP process.

Before you begin

Smart Scan only works on invoices received through the Incoming Supplier Invoices inbox. Reference the links below for more details on this prerequisite.

How it works

1. The invoice is received

A supplier sends a PDF invoice to your agency’s supplier invoice email address. It appears in Incoming Supplier Invoices, ready for processing.

2. Smart Scan reads the invoice

Smart Scan uses OpenAI to identify key details from the PDF:

Invoice number
Invoice date
PO number
Default the supplier and related office
Populate PO details and invoice lines
Apply jobs, tasks, G/L accounts, descriptions, units, rates, tax codes, currency, amounts, and other PO line-level values
Apply the same office and currency validations used by Add From PO

3. Counta identifies the PO

Counta uses the extracted PO number to look for a matching, posted PO. Common labels include PO Number, Purchase Order Number, Order Number, and Client Order Number. The supplier is not inferred from the PDF: Counta uses the supplier assigned to the matched PO to default the supplier on the incoming invoice. If no matching posted PO is found, the user can complete or change the supplier manually.

4. Counta prepares the invoice from the PO

When a matching posted PO is found, Counta uses rules-based matching and the same principles as Add From PO to:

5. Review and continue processing

Users review the prepared supplier invoice, including the supplier, invoice number and date, PO, jobs and tasks, currency, amounts, and descriptions. Information can be updated before continuing. The invoice then follows the normal workflow: created, submitted for approval, approved, and posted according to agency settings.

If a PO cannot be matched

You can still create and complete the invoice manually if it does not contain a PO number, no matching PO is found, or the PO is unavailable. The normal supplier invoice process continues.

Important notes

Smart Scan assists with invoice preparation; it does not replace user review.
Information populated from a PO can be updated before the invoice is submitted.
If a matched PO has no remaining balance, Counta creates a blank invoice line.
The invoice total is populated from the PO amount, not the amount identified on the supplier invoice.
The invoice currency is populated from the PO currency. If it differs from the supplier invoice currency, review and update the invoice before continuing.