International electronic invoicing, a possibility for the company

The transition towards electronic invoicing presents itself as a common obligation for all companies with a VAT number, but its implementation is not uniform for everyone.
In this context, B2B e-invoicing emerges not only as a legal fulfillment, but also as a strategic opportunity to improve operational efficiency.
We explored this topic in depth with Moreno Ferri, Head of SAP Practice & International e-Invoicing of Archiva Group, a point of reference company for over 30 years for the development of outsourced digital services and for consultancy specialized in digital transformation.
1) Electronic invoicing, after Italy, is progressively becoming "mandatory" in all European and non-European countries through the implementation of different schemes and models.
Therefore, it is not the same for everyone.
How, therefore, can companies operating in an international context comply with a common obligation while responding to different needs? B2B electronic invoicing in Europe and around the world has had a strong boost thanks to legal obligations and in the Italian case it has shown that it can translate into an opportunity to achieve operational efficiency, if approached with the right spirit of innovation and change.
The digital transition to international electronic invoicing processes allows any company to optimize and rationalize the related transactional processes.
The result obviously translates into greater productivity, efficiency and speed thanks to the reduction of manual work and errors resulting from paper management.
Obviously the fact of being able to trace and digitize the active and passive cycle, incoming and outgoing payments, customers and suppliers means being more productive and faster.
Despite the differences between companies and reference product sectors, it is certainly important for any company to create synergies between the IT Department and the Administrative Department: the former will focus on functional issues, the latter will have to enter into issues of construction of the UBL/Xml file according to local regulations .
To support them in Change Management, Archiva has created the Business Enablement Program, an interdisciplinary consultancy activity (Regulatory, Process Mapping, Program Management), which designs a change scenario together with the client, even with different implementation waves, focused on regulatory compliance , starting from the analysis of the context of the individual country.
2) What are the advantages of electronic invoicing already registered in Italy, but found for all international companies? As anticipated, the transition from paper to digital invoicing, therefore the digitalisation of a process involving multiple parties, has as its main advantages: The efficiency of administrative processes with the consequent reduction in costs and times: manual archiving and management of paper invoices, they presuppose the use of manpower and resources for the company with the consequent risk of making significant errors.
Electronic invoicing, on the other hand, represents the opportunity to automate the process, reducing time, errors and costs.
The traceability of operations: every step and attached document, thanks to electronic invoicing and in particular the automation of the process, allows for full traceability and visibility of commercial operations.
Having a history available allows you to carry out analyzes and also make strategic decisions.
Furthermore, it is a process that can be easily integrated into companies' ERP systems, allowing further analysis and promoting the compliance required at a regulatory level.
Benefits for the environment and sustainability: the positive impact on the environment should not be overlooked.
In fact, the elimination of paper and, consequently, the disposal processes connected to it, reduces the environmental impact and gas emissions.
Opportunities for innovation and technological development: In the digital age, the ability to extract valuable information from invoices should not be considered an option.
Optical character recognition (OCR) systems, advanced real-time analysis and reporting applied to the electronic invoicing process, represent the opportunity to collect valuable information for the development of business and new digital solutions.
3) What are the specific advantages of personalized electronic invoicing based on your business needs? The main advantage of turning to a partner like Archiva for your electronic invoicing processes is certainly security.
Entrusting this process to companies that deal with digitalisation and document management, which therefore have digital transformation at their core, "protects" you from any sanctionable non-compliance, from delays and errors in issuing or receiving invoices; leaving the task to someone who has made this his core business.
4) Foreign invoices are often a problem for companies.
What approach to electronic invoicing can simplify the process of issuing and receiving foreign invoices? Archiva's approach, customized for each business, responds well to one of the most common needs: understanding the future scenario of the countries with which it has commercial relations and how to respond to it operationally.
In fact, at a global level, and in particular in Europe, there is a notable acceleration in favor of electronic invoicing but the timing is uncertain.
From 2024 onwards we will increasingly witness the transition towards digital and the biggest challenge for companies that have an international presence is the complexity of managing a progressively increasing number of formats and areas of application.
Archiva, by combining the consultancy approach with the technical-organisational one, allows us to support this evolution in the simplest and most effective way possible.
Each company has its own customized solution, which varies depending on needs.
Archiva offers a complete electronic invoicing service: capable of managing invoices in any format, digitizing the entire document management, importing the data into the customer's management system.
Specifically for customers using the SAP ERP, Archiva has developed specific and certified solutions, allowing – for example for customer invoicing – to issue active invoices according to the standards required by the legislation of the destination country.
The fact of being able to choose between various options and relying on Archiva's consultancy for updates on regulations and formats allows companies to register a series of advantages: Make the most of the advantages of increasingly international electronic invoicing.
Implement an invoicing process in compliance with the legislation of the countries involved.
Scale quickly to other countries.
Integrate invoice management procedures into the company's ERP.