For organizations working with Unit4 Financials, the question is rarely whether e-invoicing is relevant. The real question is how to make the step without losing grip on existing processes. In that playing field, the collaboration between Solmate and eConnect arose, with a clear division of roles and a common goal: to realize implementations that work operationally right away.
The case shows that this is also possible under challenging circumstances. In a period when almost everyone worked remotely, two large customers were brought live with a hybrid e-invoicing approach in the cloud, including Scan & Recognize. This not only delivered technology, but also demonstrable feasibility in a complex practice.
The challenge for Unit4 customers is often twofold. On the one hand, there is operational pressure to modernize the invoice process. On the other hand, the chosen approach must fit with the existing setup, budget holders, authorizations, and reporting cycles. Without good chain integration, a solution quickly emerges that works technically, but causes friction in daily practice.
An additional complication was added during this period. The implementations took place in a phase where project teams, key users, and support largely worked remotely. Meetings, setup, coordination, and user guidance had to be organized completely virtually.
In such a context, collaboration between specialists becomes decisive. Not wanting to do everything yourself at once, but ensuring that each party takes on the role in which it is strongest.
The core of the approach was a clear proposition. Solmate focused on the implementation side for organizations working with Unit4 Financials. eConnect provided the e-invoicing technology, including API connection and hybrid processing capabilities in the cloud.
Hybrid in this case meant that not only structured electronic invoices were supported, but also documents via Scan & Recognize. This made a realistic migration path possible; organizations could already go live with e-invoicing, while the chain could also handle documents that do not yet arrive fully structured.
An important substantive point in the approach was the processing logic in Unit4. An invoice enters the register electronically and immediately contains the relevant basic data, such as creditor information, amount, and invoice number. This is followed by a check for legitimacy and duplicate delivery, so that noise is filtered out early in the process.
The accounts payable administration can then code the invoice, for example with a cost center and VAT code. When the commitments module is used, coding can be automatically taken over from the purchase order. After approval by budget holders, payment can take place.
By having the chain connect step by step to existing working agreements, the implementation was not experienced as a separate IT project, but as an improvement of the daily finance process.
The most tangible result from this case is that two large customers went live in a short, intensive period, despite the limitations of fully virtual collaboration.
This has not only achieved technical delivery, but also organizational adoption. The projects included both project meetings and remote user training, and according to the teams involved, this required extra flexibility and creativity from all parties.
A second result is the confirmation of the chosen division of roles. The combination of implementation expertise on Solmate's side and e-invoicing technology on eConnect's side, according to both parties, was a good match for the operational demand of clients. This makes the model scalable for similar Unit4 environments.
The case also shows that a cloud-oriented approach goes well with strict financial governance. By validating invoices early in the chain and having the follow-up steps clearly connect to the existing authorization process, the transition remained manageable for both finance and IT.
This was also reflected in customer experience. In the source, customer satisfaction is explicitly mentioned as a core pillar, with concrete examples of support efforts outside regular hours to make critical customer moments possible. This shows that success in this type of project comes not only from software, but from consistent execution, even at times when deadlines are really tight.
Finally, the hybrid approach offers a practical route for organizations that cannot work fully standardized all at once. By using e-invoicing and Scan & Recognize in combination, progress is made without the process stalling on exceptions.
This makes this project not only an implementation story, but also a roadmap for phased maturation. Organizations do not have to wait for a perfect end-state; they can start with a workable hybrid basis and develop from there in a controlled manner.
"Customer satisfaction is one of our most important pillars, we do a lot for that." Carlo Rolle, Solmate
- Work with a clear specialist division of roles, which accelerates decision-making during implementation.
- For migrations, choose a hybrid route if the document flow is not yet completely uniform.
- Explicitly set up virtual collaboration, including meeting structure and user guidance.
- Link technical validation directly to process steps in finance, to prevent rework afterwards.
- Do not see support as an afterthought, but as an integral part of a successful go-live.
- For organizations that use Unit4 Financials or Unit4 ERP and want to modernize their incoming invoice process.
- For finance and implementation teams that want to combine e-invoicing with Scan & Recognize within one workable chain.
- For organizations that want to go live in a controlled manner under time pressure or in hybrid collaboration forms.
Do you want to know how this works in your situation? Schedule a meeting.