I was recently amazed at the story behind orkut.com, a Google owned social media website similar to Facebook and MySpace.  According to Wikipedia, Orkut started as an independent project by a Google developer namedOrkut Büyükkökten. While not very popular in the United States, the website is extremely popular in Brazil. It’s success in an unexpected place reminded me of the fictional rock band, Spinal Tap, and how they found success in Japan of all places.

Google launched orkut.com in 2004, and like many Google beta web applications membership was by invitation only. The initial membership base was primarily American, but largely due to word of mouth more and more Brazilians became members. By 2010 close to 50% of Orkut traffic was Brazilian while only 2.6% was from the USA. This dramatic yet organic (membership was invitation only) shift of the user base from the US to Brazil resulted in Google actually moving the Orkut operations completely to Brazil.

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I am a giver; a man of the people. A problem solver of sorts.  I have come to the realization that the latest trendy word or acronym has not been coined by a  “professional” in the Accounts Payable space in a long time.  We all know the easy ones like Automation, Touchless Transactions, OCR, Content Management, etc…….Snore.  Well I am here to give the people what they want; a term to be used when credibility is paramount.  I Brandon Henderson will deliver the next Trendy AP word. How about “Simplicity”. It’s a good word, no?  We all want simplicity in our life.  Unfortunately we all know that invoices are not simple, the idea of an invoice is simple, but the 120 line item non po invoice, not so simple.   Ok, so simplicity is out.  But is it?  Can someone provide a method that provides a simple way to process invoices? That’s a different topic for another day.  I am here to brain storm, to provide Controllers across the this great country of ours the ability to use a word that makes them seem smarter than their CFO.  I am not here to talk about providing less complex technology that provides a real time view of expenditures and liabilities. I am not here to talk about the ability monitor invoice approval times and enforce compliance measures.  I am here to summarize. I am here to vocalize a word that will flip the AP world upside down. I am….drawing a blank right now. If “Simplicity” isn’t fitting, there is bound to be another word better suited for this task. Maybe I’ll think of something in the next few days…

Yesterday morning I was enjoying a cup of coffee and reading the paper when I stumbled across an article that was both frightening and eye-opening. The article discussed different situations caseworkers in Michigan were facing when confronted by their angry clients. Caseworkers reported that clients were making violent threats, by-passing security guards and showing up at their desks unannounced/uninvited, and in one event a piece of concrete was hurled through the window of a welfare agency. Remember, these are caseworkers…the people that are trying to help the very people acting out in frustration.

If the events these caseworkers are facing on a regular basis weren’t enough to make me shake my head in disbelief, the proposed solution definitely did. According to the paper, seven caseworkers went to the state Capitol to ask for help – better security, more staff, and help with the problem computer system. One of the ‘helpful’ lawmakers suggested they consider carrying handguns. Yes, you just read that right…I had to re-read the paragraph twice to comprehend this recommendation. Handguns? What is this…the Wild West? Caseworkers provide help; they do not enforce law or act as body guards! Needless to say, this suggestion did not sit well with the caseworkers. I’m sure there were better suggestions offered up from lawmakers, but the newspaper did not mention them.

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With the cost of stamps going up and the postal service talking about halting Saturday delivery, it is a wonder that any money-conscientious business would regularly use the postal service to deliver monthly items such as bills or invoices when those items could be handled more efficiently and securely through on-line services. Whether you are mailing out invoices or mailing in a payment, there are options that will allow your business to handle these things electronically, saving both time and money.

The USPS is planning to raise rates, meaning the costs associated with mailing paper invoices and bills are going to increase.  Add to that the cost of paper to print the invoices and people to handle and mail the invoice or bill; what you are left with are a lot of unnecessary costs that increase your bottom line. On the flip-side, if you and your suppliers have a way to submit invoices and receive payments electronically, rising USPS rates will not effect to your bottom line, cost of paper will decrease, and the employees that once spent time handling and mailing invoices and bills can use their time more efficiently elsewhere.

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The European Union announced Feb 22^nd, 2010 that it’s framework for a unified electronic invoicing standard is nearing completion. A recent report from Capgemini predicts potential annual benefits of up to €40 billion across Europe in the b2b field alone.

This initiative will result in dramatic cuts in cost for b2b invoicing:

• Quicker retrieval of money from customers by reducing delivery time for invoices
• Reduced printing and postage costs
• Quicker and cheaper processing, as the information in electronic invoices can be fed directly into a company’s accounts payable software, like Prodagio AP
• Lower storage costs

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I am looking forward to attending “Building Strategic Partnerships with your Suppliers” session at the National Contract Management Association (NCMA) World Congress on Monday, July 19, 2010, from 3:45 pm – 5:00 pm.