For the Chamber of Commerce (KVK), digitization is not a separate project, but a strategic choice. As an independent administrative body, KVK supports entrepreneurs in growth, innovation, and trade, and that is precisely why the organization looked critically at its own financial process. Within the Financial Administration department, a clear ambition emerged: less manual work, more quality, and a working method that allows for advice instead of just execution.
That ambition gained momentum when KVK, after a tender, chose AFAS Software as its ERP solution, with e-invoicing as an integrated component. That laid the technical foundation, but real success depended on the next step: getting suppliers on board with the switch to electronic invoicing. That became the core of the project.
KVK faced a recognizable challenge for large organizations. Being able to receive and process e-invoices was technically feasible, but that does not mean that suppliers immediately follow suit. The starting situation was broad and diverse: from small suppliers with limited volume to large parties with complex systems.
In addition, there was more at play than just technology. For the finance organization, it was also about internal change. Spending less time on repetitive administrative tasks was a goal in itself, but the larger goal was a shift from executive work to activities with more steering and advisory value.
The timing made the project extra important. Digitization was already included in the KVK strategy, which created internal urgency and support. At the same time, the bar was set high: the transition had to be careful, safe, and with minimal disruption for suppliers.
The approach began with segmentation and activation. After a scan, it was first determined which suppliers were already known and registered on Simplerinvoicing/Peppol. That group could be asked directly to deliver the next invoices electronically. According to KVK, almost everyone in this group responded positively.
A broader campaign followed. On July 1, 2019, over 900 suppliers received a survey. After completing it, respondents automatically received customized advice on the best way for them to send e-invoices. This made onboarding practical and low-threshold, because suppliers did not have to figure out for themselves which route was suitable for them first.
An important part of the approach was guidance in order of maturity. Not every supplier could go live on the same day, and that was not expected. The campaign therefore combined several interventions: follow-up calls, reminders, and knowledge sessions. This mix ensured that the activation did not stall after the first mailing.
Monitoring also got a fixed place. KVK looked not only at numbers, but also at behavior patterns. A supplier that first successfully sends e-invoices and then falls back to email with PDF, requires different follow-up than a supplier that has not started at all. By actively picking up on those signals, the quality of the transition remained high.
The first results were immediately visible. After more than four months, the survey response was 30.6%, despite the summer vacation in the same period. Follow-up actions in the following months further increased progress.
On December 4, 2019, 32.6% of the invoice flow within KVK was converted to e-invoices. That is a concrete interim result in a project that was deliberately designed as a growth path, not as a one-off technical go-live.
Qualitatively, the results were also strong. KVK mentions, among other things:
- A large temporary employment agency that completely switched to e-invoicing.
- A large office supplier that previously invoiced by email and even by post, and then switched under supervision.
- An international IT service provider that actively contacted us early in the campaign to connect quickly.
What makes this result extra relevant is that the movement did not come from one type of supplier. Both parties with high volumes and suppliers with limited frequency made the switch. This confirmed that onboarding was not a niche approach, but a broadly applicable process that worked within different supplier profiles.
The survey results also showed where suppliers themselves experience the value:
Internally, the accounts payable department noticed the effect in processing. KVK already booked invoices within 3 days, with a payment term of 30 days. With further digitization, the organization expected extra acceleration through real-time receipt and processing.
Strategically, a next step was also named. KVK expressed the expectation that by the end of 2020, 50% of the invoices would be automatically read and booked, of which 60% would be hiring-related. In that context, self-billing was mentioned as a logical next step.
The broader lesson from this phase is that digitization in the finance field has the most effect when technology, communication, and follow-up are in the same rhythm. It was precisely this combination that made it possible not only to receive more e-invoices, but also to prepare the organization internally for the next maturity step.
"It is not for nothing that KVK has included digitization in its strategy. The impact of this is great, also for us as a finance department." Bianca de Graaf, KVK
- Start with suppliers that are already technically ready, that provides quick traction and internal confidence.
- Combine activation with guidance, just sending an announcement is rarely enough for sustainable adoption.
- Actively monitor for fallback behavior, so you can help suppliers with structural connection in a targeted way.
- Consciously use the time savings for role development within finance, not just for capacity reduction.
- Involve finance, project management, and software suppliers early in the same planning, which accelerates decision-making in the execution.
- For government organizations and other institutions with many suppliers and a mix of large and small invoice senders.
- For ERP landscapes in which e-invoicing is already technically possible, but supplier adoption is still lagging behind.
- For organizations that, in addition to digitization, also want to take a step towards more data-driven and advisory finance processes.
Do you want to know how this works in your situation? Schedule a meeting.