Brightflag Unveils AI-Driven Invoice Verification Platform
Brightflag, a leader in legal operations platforms, has launched an Artificial Intelligence (AI)-enabled invoice validation tool that will empower in-house teams to instantly verify the accuracy of information provided by external vendors.
A multinational tech firm that utilizes Brightflag’s platform typically deals with an influx of approximately 1,000 invoices from external law firms every month. Ensuring the accuracy of details like the billing entity and matter reference number was traditionally a manual task, according to Kevin Cohn, Brightflag’s Chief Customer Officer.
Bringing Efficiency with PDF Check Technology
However, the introduction of Brightflag’s PDF Check technology has dramatically improved the process. There’s no longer a need for manual review of invoices, which are predominantly submitted in PDF format.
Cohn explains that when the company’s legal firms upload their invoices in PDF via Brightflag, the AI-enabled software instantly alerts them to any necessary corrections before the invoice is submitted. This immediate feedback means the invoices can be passed on to the finance department without the risk of being returned for corrections.
“The invoices more consistently get paid faster, and that’s good for the law firms and for the relationship with law firms” said Cohn.
Availability and Addressing Current Challenges
Following a beta testing phase, PDF Check has now been released for widespread use, making this revolutionary technology accessible to a larger number of legal departments.
Cohn points out that the challenge faced by the tech company is not an isolated case. Many in-house teams have to dedicate countless hours to reviewing invoices from law firms and other vendors. This responsibility often falls on e-billing specialists and legal operations staff in large corporations or in-house counsel and even legal chiefs in smaller firms.
However, redirecting these professionals’ focus to invoicing takes them away from tasks that offer higher value. Additionally, manually reviewing invoices often leads to undetected errors until the finance department reviews the documents, causing a repetitive cycle of submission and review.
“It’s adding another series of weeks, or potentially months, before the law firm gets paid” noted Cohn. With the implementation of Brightflag’s AI technology, the legal invoice verification process is set to experience a much-needed transformation.
