Automating Accounts Payable with GP & Mineral Tree - InterDyn BMI

Automating Accounts Payable with GP & Mineral Tree Webinar Attendee Questions Question

Answer

Do you have to use the payment process from MineralTree, or can we use the GP system for generating checks still?

Although we would highly recommend that you take advantage of MineralTree executing the payments on your behalf, it is not required and you are able to use GP if you'd like.

How much does it cost?

Cost varies depending on invoice/payment volume. It is best to contact your InterDyn BMI Account Manager who will work with MineralTree to put together a customized pricing plan for your business.

Is this program web based?

Yes, it is a web-based solution.

We have both a US and CN entity within GP with separate bank accounts. Can the invoices be directed to separate entities and paid in the correct currency of that entity?

At this time, we could only support your US entities.

What are the differentiating characteristics that make Mineral Tree a better option from our current system (MetaViewer)?

Metaviewer is solely a document management and invoice approval workflow solution and does not have any payment approval or execution component. In Contrast, MineralTree covers the entire Invoice-to-Pay process.

Does your system have employee travel reimbursement?

MineralTree is not made for collecting documentation for travel reimbursements. However, we do have customers that process travel expenses with MineralTree by setting up each employee as a vendor and treating their expense reports as invoices to be processed.

Will you be covering the estimated costs of this service?


How does MT know how to GL Distribute? Much setup with that? Desk Scanners needed at each desk?

Coding in MineralTree mirrors your chart of accounts in GP. Therefore, you can code the entire bill to the correct accounts, or split up each line item. If you have paper invoices, then you would need to scan them in. If you have electronic invoices, you can email them directly to your MineralTree email address or upload them for automated invoice capture.

Can you integrate with accounting systems other than Microsoft GP either via API or FTP?

Yes, we have an API integration with NetSuite, Microsoft Dynamics GP, QuickBooks, and Intacct. We will be implementing file based integrations with all ERPs in the near future.

What process could we use for attaching related documents such as a receiving document?

You could do this in the "Attach Additional Documents" section on the documents tab in the invoice details screen within MineralTree.

If we eventually migrate away from the solution, what happens to the documents/images etc.?

With unlimited document storage, MineralTree stores your documentation in the cloud. If you decide to migrate away from our solution, we can provide an export of all your documentation.

Is it capable of handing multicurrency?

Currently, we do not support multicurrency. However, this feature is in the works.

Does this system feed GP for a 3 way match in GP and then extract matched AP for approval for distribution?

No, our customers continue to use GP for their PO-based workflows and utilize MineralTree for payment approval and execution (and additional invoice approval if needed).

Can it link to an outside purchase order system to pick up g/l numbers, analytical accounting, etc.?

At this time, we do not handle purchase orders (this feature is currently in development) or Analytical Accounting.

What features does the bank need to provide in order for that link to work? We have a smaller commercial bank that may not be super IT savvy.

The bank doesn't have to do anything other than offer a compatible online banking product. If you tell us the bank, we can check if it's supported.

What documentation is sent out with the checks? How much control do we have over that? Is it customizable?

Remittance detail is sent both on the check stub as well as via email to the vendor. Since MineralTree does not use intermediary accounts, all the information on the check reflects the business' bank account and address. You can control the signature on the check, if needed.

Are the mobile phones connect via VPN to approve? or does it go thru cloud?

Mobile approval is done via the cloud-based web app. Two-factor authentication is available for additional security.

Can you please tell us if/how backup documentation gets attached into GP.

Right now, documentation attached in MineralTree does not sync back to GP.

Does it handle intercompany trans? Does the integration to GP generate a new vdr id each time or does it recognize the GP vdr id?

We don't handle intercompany transfers in MineralTree. However, we do have multi-entity customers who use intercompany transfers. These can be done after a batch is posted back to GP, but before that batch is posted within GP (we integrate with GP's batch-based model, thus the distinction). We sync vendors, and recognize them during invoice capture.

What is the fee structure?


How does this work as far as purchase orders and then receiving inventory and then matching. po to invoice You mention it but not sure how it is done with your system

At this time, we do not handle purchase order matching. This feature is currently being developed for release in the second half of 2016. However, you can still match the PO's according to your current process and still leverage MineralTree for payment authorizations and execution.

how does this work with analytical accounting?

MineralTree does not work with analytical accounting at this time. However, we have several clients that have some workarounds that we can share that ultimately still allow them to get significant value from the product.

Do the invoice PDF's/captures in MineralTree get transferred to GP as well?

Right now, documentation attached in MineralTree does not sync back to GP.

Can you add multiple GL codes for each vendor based on products (item codes) purchased from the vendor?

Yes, different line-items can be coded to different GL accounts.

Can the system identify that some invoices from the same vendor would go to different entities?

It depends on how your Intacct and MineralTree accounts are set up, but typically we can set up individual email accounts to send invoices into for each entity.

Can we assign a default GL account number for each vendor?

Yes, this is set up in the vendor details page in either MineralTree or GP.

Is it capable of handling multi company GP databases?

Yes, MineralTree can support multi-entity businesses.

How do you process an invoice with multi lines , splitting between several GL numbers?

During the invoice capture process each line item can be captured and can then be coded separately between as many GLs as needed.

Does MineralTree pull the next check # from Dynamics to ensure proper check #'s when making payment?

Currently, MineralTree uses our own check numbers which are then posted back to GP.

I apologize if I missed this at the beginning of the presentation, but where is the software housed?

MineralTree is a web-based solution.

How are new vendors set up? Is this still on our end?

New vendors are created in GP on your end, but edits to existing vendors can occur in either MineralTree or GP.

Besides Accounting Manager/Payment authorizers, are there options for other users to log in to Mineral Tree to view invoices, or have different functionality?

Besides Accounting Manager and Payment Authorizer, MineralTree has Invoice Approvers who have the ability to approve invoices. Depending on what functionality you are looking for, we can work to setup a solution for your users. In this case, it would be best to discuss what you are looking for in person.

Can you please tell us how exactly the information gets from Mineral Tree to GP? Is it a downloaded CSV report, etc.?

The information syncs from MineralTree to GP via an API integration. This sync happens automatically. A "MineralTree" batch is created in GP for both the invoices when posting, as well as the payment details after making payments. In both cases, you simply have to go back into GP and post the batch.

Can we scope the GL accounts? We have thousands of accounts and a pulldown could be unwieldy

We are implementing a search capability within dropdowns to make them more user friendly for users with massive numbers of GL accounts.

Can this work with intercompany distribution?

Yes, intercompany transfers are handled in GP after invoices posted from MT->GP.

How often do batches get updated back to GP? Is it a scheduled sync (e.g. hourly)?

Batches are updated every 5 seconds and run in the background via API integration.

There was a 'Reports' tab shown in the screenshots of Mineral Tree, could you elaborate a bit more on what types of reports there are and what you can do with them?

In the reports tab, the available reports are "recent payments" and "cleared transactions." Additionally, you can receive daily reports of payment activity.

Can we scope the GL accounts? We have thousands of accounts and a pull-down could be unwieldy.

See above.

Do we have to use the payment options mentioned today or can we still cut our own checks?

Although we would highly recommend that you take advantage of MineralTree executing the payments on your behalf, it is not required and you are able to use GP if you'd like.

We process about 400 payments per day totaling about $75 mill/year. Could MineralTree handle this much volume?

Yes, MineralTree could easily handle this volume.

Are there free trials?

If you are interested in a trial, please contact your InterDyn BMI account manager or the MineralTree team.

Are the invoice captures/data stored locally for each company, or some other way?

Unlimited documentation is stored in the MineralTree cloud, however we can provide them to clients upon request.

What is your largest customer's monthly volume, in terms of invoices processed?

We have clients that process up to 15000 invoices/month. Also, the system provides a means to batch approve large volumes of payments to ease the approval process where needed.