Adapting E-invoicing: Benefits, Challenges and Future Strategies to Overcome Challenges : A comparative case study of Finnish Companies

Abstract

Electronic invoicing (i.e., e-invoicing), which involves electronic transfer of invoice documents among business partners, is becoming very popular among European companies. It allows companies to benefit from fast payments, large volumes of invoices, no manual work, fewer errors, no printing and postage costs, as well as enhanced security and improved relationships with partners. However prior research has largely ignored the challenges of adopting e-invoicing and how firms plan to overcome these challenges. Therefore, the purpose of this thesis is to explore the benefits and challenges of adapting e-invoicing in companies, and how companies overcome these challenges. A framework of the benefits, challenges and strategies to overcome these challenges in adopting e-invoicing is proposed and empirically tested by collecting primary data through interviews from thee Finnish companies. The overall findings of the study suggest that e-invoicing is beneficial, however companies face several types of external challenges in fully adapting e-invoicing. In addition, companies face several internal challenges, which includes human and invoice handling errors, employees’ lack of motivation in adapting e-invoicing and selection of an operator. Furthermore, companies are convincing their vendors to use more invoicing, pushing operator to operate internationally and improve service, and training employees to adapt e-invoicing.