Invoice approval software built for businesses with fleets

Invoice approval software is a tool that collects the invoices your vendors send, sends each one to the person who needs to approve it, and keeps a record of every decision. 

Instead of forwarding invoices by email and waiting for a reply, you set rules for who approves what, and the software applies those rules to every invoice that comes in.

An invoice arrives, either by email, by upload, or as a photo from someone in the field. The software reads the invoice and extracts the vendor name, invoice number, amount, and due date. 

It then checks the invoice against the rules you set and sends it to the right approver, who gets an alert and can review the details on any device. 

Once that person approves it, the invoice is cleared for payment, and the record of who approved it stays available for as long as you need it.

An accounts payable workflow is the series of steps a bill goes through from arrival to payment. A typical workflow includes receiving the invoice, entering its details, matching it against an order or receipt, routing it for approval, paying the vendor, and recording the transaction. 

AP workflow software automates these steps so each bill moves through the process without manual handoffs.

Coast handles job costing by ensuring every vendor invoice, field expense, and fuel transaction is assigned to a specific project before it ever hits your accounting books. Because Coast manages vendor bills alongside fuel and employee corporate cards, all direct project costs are tracked in one dashboard, so you can see how money is being spent.

The right choice depends on what you need. Fleet businesses get the most from a platform that covers more than bills. 

Coast is built for companies that operate fleets, such as construction, plumbing, and transportation. It combines AP automation together with fuel cards and corporate card expense management, so you manage bills, fuel, and card spend in one platform.

Getting started is easy. Apply for Coast and connect your QuickBooks Online account to instantly import your Chart of Accounts, vendors, and active job codes. 

Then, set up your dedicated Coast AP email inbox so the platform can begin automatically capturing, coding, and routing your vendor invoices for digital approval. The setup takes little time, and you can get up and running in days.

Electronic invoice approval helps in several ways:

• Less data entry. The software captures the vendor name, amount, and due date from each invoice, so your team doesn’t have to type them.
• Faster approvals. The right approver gets notified as soon as an invoice needs their signature. 
• Fewer mistakes. The software pulls details right off the invoice, which reduces the chances of typos and duplicate payments that come with manual entry.
• Timely payments. When approvers sign off on invoices quickly, payments go out on time, and you avoid late fees.
• A complete approval history. Every decision is recorded with a name and a date, which makes month-end close and any future audit easier to get through.

Start by writing down how invoices move through your business today, including who approves what and at what dollar amounts. Then connect the email address your vendors send invoices to, so new invoices arrive in the system on their own.

Next, enter your approval rules, add the people who will approve invoices, and connect your accounting software so approved payments flow into your books. 

Most businesses can complete this in a single sitting and start processing invoices the same week.

Here are some features to pay attention to:

• Automatic invoice capture. The software should be able to extract invoice details automatically rather than requiring your team to enter them.
• Pre-defined approval rules. You should be able to set your own approval rules and change them as your business grows.
• Mobile approvals. Check that approvers can review and sign off from a phone, which is important if they’re often in the field. 
• An accounting integration. Confirm the software connects to the accounting system you already use, like QuickBooks Online, NetSuite, or Sage Intacct.
• Payment methods. Ideally, the invoice approval software should also allow you to process payments, so you don’t have to use two different platforms.

Pricing varies widely. Some providers offer basic invoice approval for free and charge for automated routing and capture, often around $15/user per month (+ platform fees). Others charge for accounts payable as a standalone product, starting closer to $35/user per month (+ transaction fees). 

When you compare options, ask what the per-user cost is, whether there are fees per payment, and whether the features you need require a higher plan.

Coast Bill Pay integrates directly with QuickBooks Online (QBO) to automate your accounts payable workflow. Instead of manually re-keying data into your accounting software, your invoices and payments flow directly from Coast into QuickBooks, keeping your records accurate in real time.