5 Ways Invoice-to-Pay Automation Helps Community Associations Achieve Their Goals in 2025
“Do more with less.” It’s a mantra that accounts payable (AP) leaders know all too well.
As we enter the new year, many of us are setting personal resolutions: cutting unnecessary expenses, finding time for what matters, improving relationships, staying organized, and staying safe. These goals aren’t just relevant in our personal lives – they align perfectly with what finance leaders at community management associations aim to achieve for their organizations. The good news? Invoice-to-pay automation can help your community association accomplish these goals in 2025.
This article shows you how.
1. Reduce Operational Costs
Personal Resolution: Cut unnecessary spending.
Just as individuals look to save money by trimming their budgets, community management associations can benefit from reducing operational costs tied to manual invoice processing and payments. Manual payables processes are time-consuming, error-prone, and expensive – especially when factoring in late payment penalties, duplicate payments, and the high cost of paper checks.
Invoice-to-pay automation eliminates these inefficiencies. By automating invoice receipt, approval workflows, supplier payments, and reconciliation your association can significantly lower its accounts payable (AP) costs and free up cash for community initiatives that directly benefit residents.
2. Free Up Staff for Value-Added Activities
Personal Resolution: Make more time for what matters.
One of the biggest challenges for finance teams at community associations is balancing day-to-day invoice-to-pay tasks with strategic initiatives. Just as individuals strive to make more time for family, hobbies, or wellness, AP automation helps your team focus on what truly matters.
With an automated invoice-to-pay solution, keying invoice data, shuffling paper and emails, chasing down information, cutting checks, and manual reconciliation becomes a thing of the past. Your staff can redirect their time and energy toward data analysis and other initiatives that improve resident satisfaction, strengthen the association’s financial health, and enhance long-term planning.
3. Strengthen Supplier Relationships
Personal Resolution: Improve relationships.
Strong relationships are key to success – whether it’s with friends, family, or suppliers. Suppliers are essential partners for community associations, delivering services that keep properties running smoothly. Yet slow, error-filled invoice-to-pay business processes can strain these relationships.
Invoice-to-pay automation ensures suppliers are paid accurately and on time, every time. It also provides suppliers with visibility into the status of their invoices and payments, reducing inquiries and frustration. And electronic payments cannot become delayed or lost in the mail. Happier suppliers mean more reliable services, better terms, and stronger partnerships for your association.
4. Improve Visibility into Cash Flows and Corporate Spending
Personal Resolution: Get organized and stay on top of finances.
For individuals, staying on top of finances means creating a budget, tracking expenses, and planning for the future. Community associations need this same level of control – but manual invoice-to-pay processes make it nearly impossible to get a real-time view of cash flows and corporate spending.
An automated invoice-to-pay platform gives finance leaders instant visibility into cash positions, spending trends, and upcoming obligations. With this data, you can make more informed decisions, better manage budgets, and ensure your community association remains financially strong.
5. Mitigate the Risk of Fraud
Personal Resolution: Stay safe and secure.
Just as individuals take steps to protect their personal information and assets, community associations must safeguard their financial resources. Unfortunately, manual invoice-to-pay processes leave associations vulnerable to payment fraud, whether through phishing attacks, Business Email Compromise (BEC), fraudulent bank account changes, or unauthorized check payments.
Invoice-to-pay automation mitigates these risks. Features like user access permissions, multi-factor authentication (MFA), systematic approval workflows, audit logging, bank account ownership verification, and electronic payment methods ensure secure, transparent, and traceable transactions. With these controls in place, you can rest easy knowing your association’s funds are protected.
Achieve More in 2025 with Invoice-to-Pay Automation
The new year is the perfect time to set goals for improvement – for yourself and your organization. By reducing costs, freeing up staff time, strengthening supplier relationships, improving visibility, and mitigating payment fraud risks, invoice-to-pay automation empowers community associations to operate more efficiently and achieve their goals. Ready to see how Edenred Pay can help your community management association succeed in 2025? Learn more at www.edenredpay.com.
