Implementation Guide

From Email to Searchable in 30 Seconds: Complete Document Processing Checklist

The industry average is 12 minutes per invoice. This checklist shows how to process ALL documents (invoices, POs, quotes, contracts) in under 60 seconds, automatically, accurately, and searchably.

8 min read January 2025

Key Takeaways

  • Industry average: 12 minutes per invoice, $15-17 per document processed
  • Automated processing cuts this to 30 seconds per document
  • Setup takes 15 minutes with zero IT resources required
  • Process 100% of documents (not just high-value invoices)
  • 195 hours/month in labor savings = $5,850/month at $30/hr

Industry average: 10-15 minutes per invoice, $15-$17 per document processed [1]. Here's how to cut that to 30 seconds, automatically.

Your accounts payable team is fast. They can process an invoice in 10-12 minutes: extract the data, validate the math, code it to the right GL account, get approval, and enter it into your ERP.

But here's the problem: 12 minutes x 1,000 invoices = 200 hours of manual work per month [1]. And that's just invoices. What about PO acknowledgments, quotes, packing slips, and contracts?

This checklist shows you how to process everything automatically in under 60 seconds per document. No templates, no manual data entry, no waiting for approvals to process.

The 30-Second Processing Timeline

0:00
Email arrives Vendor sends invoice/PO/quote to your dedicated inbox
0:05
Classification complete AI identifies document type (invoice, PO, quote, contract, packing slip)
0:20
Extraction complete All fields + line items extracted, math validated
0:30
Searchable & synced Document indexed for search, webhook sent to ERP

The Complete Implementation Checklist

Follow this checklist to go from manual processing to complete automation. Total setup time: 15 minutes.

1 Set Up Email Ingestion 2 minutes

Goal: Give every vendor and department a unique email address to send documents.

How it works:

  • Sign up for Kynthar → get your unique inbox address (e.g., vendors@inbox.yourcompany.kynthar.com)
  • Forward your AP email → all incoming documents automatically processed
  • Optional: Create department-specific addresses (procurement@inbox..., facilities@inbox..., contracts@inbox...)
Why this matters Email ingestion means zero API integration work. Vendors keep using email. No IT resources required.
2 Upload 5-10 Sample Documents 3 minutes

Goal: Test accuracy on your actual document formats before going live.

How it works:

  • Upload a mix: invoices, POs, quotes, contracts from different vendors
  • System processes each in ~30 seconds
  • Review extracted data and verify accuracy meets your standards
Why this matters You'll immediately see extraction quality on real documents (not vendor demos). If accuracy isn't 95%+, you know upfront.
3 Configure Webhook Integration 5 minutes

Goal: Push extracted data to your ERP automatically (QuickBooks, NetSuite, SAP, custom systems).

How it works:

  • Add your webhook URL in Kynthar settings
  • Choose which document types to send (e.g., only invoices >$500 go to ERP)
  • Kynthar POSTs JSON data to your endpoint with HMAC signature for security
  • Idempotent delivery = no duplicate charges even on retry
Why this matters High-value documents flow to your ERP automatically. Low-value documents stay searchable without cluttering your accounting system.
4 Test the Chat Interface 2 minutes

Goal: Verify you can find documents in natural language (not just exact keyword matching).

How it works:

  • Ask: "Show me all Acme Corp documents"
  • Ask: "What's arriving next week?" (searches PO acks for delivery dates)
  • Ask: "Find quotes expiring in 30 days"
  • Ask: "Show invoices over $10K from last quarter"
Why this matters Semantic search means non-technical users can find documents without knowing SQL or exact field names. CFO can self-serve instead of emailing AP team.
5 Notify Vendors & Internal Teams 3 minutes

Goal: Get everyone sending documents to the new email address.

How it works:

  • Email vendors: "Please send all invoices/POs to vendors@inbox.yourcompany.kynthar.com"
  • Update email signature with new address
  • Notify procurement, facilities, contracts teams of their dedicated inboxes
  • Set up email forwarding rule from old AP email to new inbox (catches stragglers)
Why this matters Gradual rollout. Old email still works (forwarding rule), but new address gets processed instantly.

What Happens Next (Autopilot Mode)

Once setup is complete, here's the daily workflow—for your team and the system:

For Your AP Team:

  1. Morning: Check dashboard for exceptions (math discrepancies >1%, low-confidence extractions)
  2. Throughout day: Documents process automatically in background
  3. Ad-hoc: Use chat to answer executive questions ("show all Vendor X documents")
  4. Month-end: Export all extractions as CSV for reconciliation

For the System:

  1. Email arrives → Attachment extracted from email
  2. Classification → AI identifies invoice vs PO vs quote vs contract (~5 seconds)
  3. Extraction → All fields + line items extracted, math validated (~15 seconds)
  4. Indexing → Document embedded for semantic search (~5 seconds)
  5. Webhook → If high-value invoice, POST to your ERP (~5 seconds)
  6. Searchable → Available in chat interface immediately

Before & After: What Changes

Manual Process (Before)

  • 12 minutes per invoice (data entry + validation)
  • Only process high-value items (>$500)
  • PO acks, quotes, contracts ignored (no time)
  • Documents trapped in email (unsearchable)
  • Finding a document = 15-30 min of email digging
  • Executive asks "what's arriving next week?" = no answer
  • 200 hours/month on manual processing

Automated Process (After)

  • 30 seconds per document (fully automated)
  • Process 100% of documents (all values, all types)
  • PO acks, quotes, contracts tracked automatically
  • Everything searchable in natural language
  • Finding a document = 3-second chat query
  • Executive asks "what's arriving next week?" = instant answer
  • 5 hours/month reviewing exceptions

Time savings: 195 hours/month (200 hours manual → 5 hours reviewing exceptions). At $30/hour fully-loaded AP cost, that's $5,850/month in labor savings—far exceeding the cost of automation. Industry data shows automation can cut labor costs by up to 75% [4].

Real-World Results

Company: 300-employee professional services firm

Volume: 800 invoices + 2,500 other documents (POs, quotes, contracts) per month

Before automation:

After automation (Kynthar):

ROI breakdown:

Common Questions

What if extraction accuracy isn't perfect?

Kynthar flags low-confidence extractions for review (typically <5% of documents). You can correct them in-app, and the system learns from your corrections through active learning. Typical accuracy: 95%+ out of the box, improving to 98%+ after 100 documents [2]. Modern automation systems can achieve up to 99.5% accuracy through AI-driven validation [3]. Once processed, documents become searchable via natural language AI chat.

What about scanned documents or phone photos?

OCR + LLM pipeline handles scans, faxes, phone photos, and any PDF. The system doesn't care if it's digital-native or scanned—it reads both the same way.

Do I need to create templates for each vendor?

No. The system reads layout and semantics directly (template-free). Works on invoices, POs, quotes, contracts from any vendor without configuration.

What if a vendor format is totally unique?

The general-purpose extraction handles 95% of formats automatically. For the 5% edge cases, email support@kynthar.com with a sample—we'll tune the models for your specific formats (typically 24-48 hour turnaround).

How do I handle multi-page documents with line items across pages?

The system automatically detects line item tables across pages. It stitches them together and extracts all rows—even if a table spans 10 pages.

Can I export all data if I want to cancel?

Yes. Export all documents + extractions as CSV/JSON/PDF anytime. No lock-in. Your data stays yours.

Next Steps

Ready to go from 12 minutes per document to 30 seconds?

  1. Sign up for free trial: 25 pages to test on your real documents (14 days)
  2. Upload 5-10 samples: Verify extraction accuracy meets your standards
  3. Forward your AP email: Start processing automatically
  4. Configure webhook (optional): Push high-value items to your ERP
  5. Go live: Process 100% of documents automatically

Total setup time: 15 minutes. No IT resources required. Cancel anytime.

Process Your First 25 Pages Free

Upload real documents, test extraction accuracy, try the chat interface. No credit card required.

Start Free Trial

Questions? Email support@kynthar.com or check our FAQ.

Sources & References

  1. Multiple Industry Sources. (2024). Manual invoice processing costs $15-$17 per invoice with processing times of 10-15 minutes. Sources: Medius, SoftCo AP Automation ROI 2025
  2. Internal Kynthar Data. (2024). Extraction accuracy benchmarks measured across 50,000+ documents from customers processing 500-10,000 pages/month. Typical out-of-box accuracy: 95-97%, improving to 98-99.5% after 100 corrections through active learning.
  3. NetSuite. (2024). "AP Automation ROI: Benefits & How to Calculate" - Modern automation achieves up to 99.5% accuracy through AI-driven validation, reducing payment delays and duplicate transactions.
  4. Medius. (2024). "How to Measure AP Automation ROI" - Automation slashes invoice processing time, cutting labor costs by up to 75%.
  5. APQC. (2025). "Accounts Payable Key Benchmarks" - Top-performing AP teams complete payments in 2.8 days or less vs. week+ for bottom performers.
  6. SoftCo. (2025). "AP Automation ROI: Building a Winning Business Case in 2025" - Modern solutions achieve ROI in 6-12 months with implementation in 12-16 weeks.

About this guide: Processing times are based on real customer data (average 28 seconds per document). Labor cost savings assume $30/hour fully-loaded AP team cost. Cost estimates cross-referenced with APQC benchmarks and multiple AP automation vendor data. Your results may vary based on document complexity and volume.