During two recent webinars, we asked participants how their organizations currently handle e-invoicing, incoming invoices, and document processing. The responses provide a useful snapshot of where many finance teams stand today.
Three patterns stand out clearly. Many organizations are still at the beginning of their e-invoicing journey, PDF remains the dominant invoice format, and the role of Intelligent Document Processing is still evolving for many teams.
Many organizations are still preparing for e-invoicing
When asked how far their organization has progressed with e-invoicing, most respondents indicated they are still in the analysis or preparation phase. Only a small group reported that e-invoicing is already fully integrated into their processes.
This is notable given that several European countries are introducing structured B2B e-invoicing mandates in the coming years. For many organizations, this means that e-invoicing is not only a technical implementation but also a broader operational change. Systems need to support structured formats, suppliers need to be onboarded, and internal processes must adapt.
Organizations that start early generally have more time to stabilize processes and support suppliers during the transition.
68% of organizations are still in the analysis or preparation phase of e-invoicing.
PDF via email remains the dominant invoice channel
Another clear outcome from the poll is that PDF invoices received via email remain the most common scenario within incoming invoice flows.
This reflects what many finance teams experience in practice. Even when e-invoicing is introduced, PDF invoices often continue to account for a large share of the volume. There are several reasons for this:
- Suppliers are not yet connected to e-invoicing networks
- International suppliers operate with different standards
- Existing email-based processes remain in place
As a result, finance teams frequently need to manage multiple document streams simultaneously: structured e-invoices, PDF invoices, and sometimes scanned documents.
77% of incoming invoices are still received as PDF via email.
Intelligent Document Processing is on the radar, but is still being explored
When participants were asked about the potential role of Intelligent Document Processing in their financial processes, two responses stood out.
Some respondents see IDP primarily as a way to automatically process multiple document types. At the same time, a nearly equal group indicated that the role of IDP still needs further exploration.
This suggests that the technology is increasingly part of the conversation, but many organizations are still determining how it fits within their existing processes.
In practice, IDP is often used to classify documents, extract relevant data, and handle exceptions more effectively. In environments where multiple document formats coexist, this can help finance teams create more structure and consistency in document intake.
The real challenge is managing multiple document streams
Looking at the poll results as a whole reveals a broader pattern.
Many organizations are operating in an environment where:
- e-invoicing initiatives are still being prepared
- PDF invoices continue to dominate the incoming flow
- multiple document types need to be processed alongside each other
The challenge, therefore, shifts from implementing a single technology to managing the entire document flow in a structured way. Finance teams must not only introduce new standards but also bring existing document processes under control.
Only 16% of organizations have fully integrated e-invoicing into their processes.
What this means for finance teams
The poll results show that many organizations are currently in transition. That is not surprising. New e-invoicing regulations, changing supplier behaviour, and increasing document volumes are forcing finance teams to rethink how documents enter and move through their processes.
The key question for many organizations is therefore not only how to implement e-invoicing, but also how to bring different document streams together into a single manageable process.
Teams that create structure in their document flows early often build a stronger foundation for further automation and control.
Want to understand where your document flow breaks down today? Start with a structured assessment of your incoming invoice process. This typically reveals where PDF handling, data capture, and e-invoicing integration create friction and delay.
