What is Peppol and how does it work?
The Peppol network, the global standard for e-invoicing between businesses and governments, uses UBL as the standard XML format for electronic message exchange. It is like a ‘phone network for invoices.’ Meeting Peppol requirements can be time-consuming and expensive for organizations — especially for smaller companies with government clients. Without Peppol, though, e-invoicing the central government is often impossible. So, companies need to prepare for future requirements.
Is your organization required to invoice through Peppol? Whitevision offers a solution. With its seamless connection to Peppol, Whitevision provides a reliable and efficient way to process invoices and orders, meeting all Peppol requirements. This allows companies to operate with confidence within the Peppol network.
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Want to learn more about using smart solutions within your organization? Download our white paper on the future of electronic document processing and discover the benefits for your team.
All-in-one solution for efficient e-invoicing
Nowadays, you receive documents through various channels. Examples include email, portals, web services, or the Peppol network. Managing all this can be challenging. But Whitevision is here to help. With our advanced solutions, we simplify the process of receiving, processing, and sending e-invoices and e-orders through the Peppol network.
No matter the incoming document’s format, Whitevision processes everything in one smooth flow. The XML is interpreted and enriched with OCR data from the PDF. The booking proposal is prepared, so manual work is minimized and errors are prevented. What makes Peppol relevant is that it provides a standardized method for electronic document exchange, which results in cost savings and reduces administrative operations. Peppol also allows you to exchange invoices with different organizations in a fast and secure way. Safety first!
Peppol. A global road to digital success.
Countries increasingly require organizations to use the Peppol network to send e-invoices. In Belgium, this obligation has been in place since 2017 for those who invoice Flemish government agencies. It has forced Belgian companies to modernize their systems and processes, which has resulted in more efficient and streamlined billing practices.
Once connected to Peppol, companies worldwide can exchange invoices and other electronic messages with any other company that’s also part of the Peppol network. Dutch suppliers have been required to send e-invoices to the government since April 2019, if contractually stipulated or stated in the tender.
Discover the benefits of e-invoicing
Uniform processing
All incoming documents are processed consistently — without the hassle of different processes for different document types.
Time saving
Whether you receive or send documents through Peppol, Whitevision guarantees fast, easy, and accurate processing.
Enrichment of data
Whitevision uses information from attached PDFs to enter missing data into XML documents. That way, you are always assured of correct data, regardless of the format.
You are in good company.
Gebroeders Pol BV
Hurks
Cnossen Infra
LenGo
Aalberts
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the relationship between XML and e-invoicing?
‘Electronic invoicing’ refers to sending invoices based on structured data, linked to a variety of standards such as XML. An e-invoice is a structured digital file.
How does Whitevision help me process XML files?
With Whitevision, you can process invoices digitally – in a fast, easy and accurate way. That includes e-invoices! Our smart software recognizes invoices in XML format, prepares posting lines and provides a visual check. With our solution, you can also route and approve any e-invoice.
My ERP vendor can read invoices in XML format directly. Do I still need Whitevision then?
With our solution you can embrace the process of e-invoicing, as well as collect, recognize, process, route and approve invoices in other formats. Whitevision ensures uniform processing of all types of incoming invoices, regardless of how they enter your organization. This keeps your administration running as efficiently and reliably as possible. Because you minimize manual operations when you use our solution to process an invoice and match it with the order and receipts. And you use solid workflow software to approve invoices. This leaves you with more time to spend on other important activities.
Can I approve invoices in XML format with workflow software?
Yes. The Whitevision Workflow facilitates the routing and approval of each e-invoice.
Will XML make processing incoming documents even faster and less error-prone?
Getting a completely correct XML file in saves you a number of steps. But there are several bottlenecks that many organizations don’t consider. The ideal picture is for all XML invoices to enter your organization in the same way. But currently there are different formats. You have to figure out how to get all those invoices into your process in a uniform way so it can go through. And even if electronic invoices all take one form one day, you will still need to optimize your process. Ultimately, you want to process every incoming e-invoice on the correct dimension, cost center and general ledger account in your ERP system. And then all approvers must smoothly approve the invoice. The ultimate goal, of course, is to process all incoming documents quickly, efficiently and with the lowest possible error rate – regardless of format and how they come in. As a Whitevision user, you don’t have to worry about this, because our solution takes care of all of this for you. Do you need SMART-OCR, for example, to process a PDF? Then we will route the document there. Is it an XML document? In that case, we extract the information from it. The end result is always an excellent booking proposal that you can process – possibly after approval – in your ERP system.
What benefits can I expect if I want to get started with XML invoices?
The promise of XML invoices is that you can process (purchase) invoices faster, more accurately and efficiently. With Whitevision, you can set which invoice type is leading at supplier level: pdf or XML. In practice, we see that organizations send and receive only a limited amount of (standard) XML invoices. Often a pdf invoice contains more information – and this is simply not available on an XML invoice.
How does matching order confirmations with an XML invoice work?
This depends on how order confirmations are delivered. If you receive them in pdf format, Whitevision scans and recognizes the order confirmation to match it with a pdf or XML invoice. Is the entire process – from quotation request to invoice – fully digitally supported by XML transaction messages? Then Whitevision matches order confirmations and corresponding invoices. Where necessary, our solution provides enrichment with external data. It then prepares a visual check that you can use within a workflow.
I am receiving invoices in an XML format that my ERP system does not recognize. Can Whitevision help?
Yes. We have been working closely with various ERP vendors for years. Because of these partnerships, our solution integrates seamlessly with various ERP packages. We also offer support for the most widely used XML standards in the Netherlands.