Accounts payable used to sit quietly in the back office. Now it sits close to the profit line. Supplier shortages, higher operating costs and tighter liquidity have put AP teams under a brighter spotlight, and finance leaders want proof of performance. The difficulty is that many AP decision-makers aren't sure they're tracking the right numbers, and they often lack the tools to track them well. This ebook from Esker cuts the list of possible metrics down to ten that matter most, and shows how AP automation changes the results you can expect from each.
The accounts payable KPIs that reveal real AP efficiency
There is no shortage of things an AP department could measure. The ebook takes a "quality over quantity" approach, comparing it to the handful of vital signs a doctor checks. Each of the ten KPIs gets its own short chapter that explains why it matters, what's at stake when it slips, how your numbers compare to industry research, and which practices top performers use to improve it.
The metrics cover the full span of AP work. Some measure the basics of invoice handling. Others reach into supplier relationships and cash strategy. Among the areas covered:
- What it really costs, and how long it really takes, to process a single invoice
- How many invoices arrive electronically, link to a purchase order or flow through with no human touch
- Exceptions, supplier inquiries and the staff time they quietly absorb
- Early payment discounts, on-time payments and days payable outstanding
That last metric is handled with particular care. Days payable outstanding is one of the few AP numbers that speaks directly to cash management, and the ebook explains how to calculate it and why the "right" figure depends on your own cashflow and supplier strategy rather than a single target.
Benchmarks that show what AP automation changes
Knowing your numbers only helps if you know what good looks like. Throughout the ebook, Esker draws on published benchmarking research from APQC, Ardent Partners and the Institute of Finance & Management to compare teams with little automation against those with mature automation. You'll see the gap in cost, speed, exception rates and touchless processing, which gives you a realistic yardstick for your own department and a stronger footing when you make the case for investment to your CFO.
The benchmarks are paired with real company results. Short examples from manufacturers, retailers, distributors and a global pharmaceutical company show what happened to specific KPIs after they automated their AP process. Two longer success stories follow: Hall's Culligan Water, which moved off a fragmented setup of three separate tools, and Luxasia, which centralized invoice processing for operations across Asia.
How invoice processing AI supports better measurement
Tracking ten KPIs by hand would defeat the purpose. The later sections look at the technology side: real-time dashboards that let you choose which KPIs to watch, and the AI features inside Esker's source-to-pay suite. You'll read how invoice data extraction combines deep learning with OCR, how predictive invoice coding matches invoice lines to purchase orders and goods receipts, and how generative AI drafts answers to the "where's my payment?" emails that eat into your team's day.
The ebook also covers supplier risk monitoring, bank account verification, ESG tracking, ERP integration and payment options such as early payment discounts, virtual cards and supply chain financing. These sections help you picture what a connected AP workflow automation setup could look like in practice, and which capabilities affect which metrics.
It closes with a simple two-step path from average to best-in-class, one that any AP manager can put into a planning conversation.
Get the full ebook
Download 10 Accounts Payable KPIs You Should Be Measuring to get all ten metrics with the benchmark figures behind them, practical advice for improving each one, real customer results and a clear picture of how AI-driven automation supports better AP performance. Fill out the short form and use it to measure where your team stands today and to build the case for where it should go next.