--- title: How AP automation helps midsize businesses url: https://www.medius.com/blog/how-ap-automation-helps-midsize-businesses/ updated: 2026-02-27T21:48:29Z --- [Back to Blog](https://www.medius.com/blog/) Accounts Payable 10.21.2024 # How AP automation helps midsize businesses Table of Contents 1. Reduce paper and manual labor 2. Scale as you grow 3. Minimize risk and protect against fraud 4. Save invoice processing time and increase cash flow 5. See how Medius is helping midsize businesses like yours Accounts payable automation is no longer a luxury limited to large corporations. It's not just a great asset for your [midsize business](https://www.medius.com/solutions/company-size/midsize/ "Midsize") (typically around $50M - $1B annual revenue); it's a tool that benefits both you and your customers you can't overlook. Yet, only 5% of mid-sized companies have completely automated accounts payable and receivable. *Source:* [*PYMTS.com*](https://www.pymnts.com/news/b2b-payments/2024/5percent-mid-sized-firms-have-fully-automated-accounts-payable-receivable/) The numbers are shifting, and more midsize businesses are tapping into the power and [ROI of AP automation](https://www.medius.com/savings-calculator/ "Savings Calculator"). Awareness of the value of AP automation solutions is growing, AI-driven solutions are more powerful, and customers expect your business to have the tools needed for efficient payment processing. Let’s take a look at some of the ways AP automation can help you and your team. ## Reduce paper and manual labor. Handling paper receipts, invoices, and manual labor are age-old headaches for midsize businesses, but they are still a persistent challenge. Traditional AP processes are very paper-heavy and take a lot of time with printing, scanning, and manual data entry. Not only is this inefficient for your team, but it also leads to human errors, delays, and added costs. By switching to AP automation, you can drastically reduce paper and manual labor. Going digital with e-invoicing not only makes things smoother but also lets your team focus on bigger, more important things. [Today’s AP solutions leverage artificial intelligence](https://www.medius.com/blog/how-ai-is-strengthening-aps-most-important-functions/ "How AI is strengthening AP’s most important functions") to do the heavy lifting, like scanning receipts, matching invoices, routing approvals, reducing duplicates, eliminating common human errors, and more. Instead of being stuck processing invoices for hours, you can direct your efforts towards activities that drive your business growth. **With AP automation, you can achieve these KPIs:** ### Best in Class Key Metrics using Medius PO Invoices 99.7% Touchless Capture Rate 94.9% Touchless Processing Rate 1 Day Total Processing Time *Source:* [*AP Benchmark Report | Medius*](https://www.medius.com/customers/ap-benchmark-report/ "AP Benchmark Report") * * * ## Scale as you grow. As a midsize business, you likely find yourself in a unique position where growth presents both opportunities and challenges. As your company grows, so do the number of invoices, payments, and supplier connections. Manual AP efforts become hard to keep up with, staff gets burnt out, and suppliers get frustrated with [late payments](https://www.medius.com/blog/ap-automations-impact-on-reducing-late-payment-penalties/ "AP automation's impact on reducing late payment penalties"), all of which can really hinder growth. The right AP automation solution [grows with your business](https://www.medius.com/blog/how-ap-automation-helps-organizations-scale-for-growth/ "How AP automation helps organizations scale for growth"). By automating accounts payable, you can handle more transactions without needing extra staff or resources. This scalability is crucial and game-changing, helping you respond quickly to market demands. You don’t have to stress about handling increased demand because automated workflows, approvals, and payments make it easy to adjust to changing business needs. [Read how AP Automation helps organizations scale for growth.](https://www.medius.com/blog/how-ap-automation-helps-organizations-scale-for-growth/ "How AP automation helps organizations scale for growth") * * * ## Minimize risk and protect against fraud. Fraud is a big worry for any business, but midsize companies are at extra risk because they have fewer resources for spotting and stopping it. Handling invoices and payments increases the chance of fraud attacks, which can lead to serious financial trouble. Fraud attacks in finance - The 2024 survey reveals that nearly half (44%) of businesses have been targeted by invoice fraud. On average, financial professionals saw 13 cases of attempted invoice fraud in the past 12 months. Additionally, financial professionals have witnessed 9 cases of successful invoice fraud in the past 12 months. However, invoice fraud isn’t the only threat. - Business Email Compromise (BEC) scams hit 43% of businesses surveyed. Between October 2013 and December 2022, the FBI received reports of 277,918 domestic and international incidents of BEC, leading to an aggregate loss of nearly $51 billion. Additionally, a third (34%) of businesses have been targeted by identity theft. *Source:* [*Medius Financial Census Report*](https://www.medius.com/resources/guides-reports/financial-professional-census-report-2024/ "Financial Professional Census Report 2024") With AP automation, you can significantly boost your fraud prevention efforts. Automated systems have security features that catch suspicious anomalies, such as duplicate invoices, supplier mismatches, and more. Over 1 in 5 [mid-sized firms](https://www.pymnts.com/news/b2b-payments/2024/5percent-mid-sized-firms-have-fully-automated-accounts-payable-receivable/) expect better fraud prevention by automating AP or AR processes in the next three years. As fraud grows and new fraud schemes arise, like deepfake scams, it’s critical for you to keep your financial information and processes protected with secure solutions. * * * ## Save invoice processing time and increase cash flow. Time is money, especially in accounts payable. The longer it takes to process invoices, the longer it takes to pay and manage cash flow effectively. Late payments can strain supplier relationships and cause you to miss out on early payment discounts. Do you know that industry [benchmarks](https://www.medius.com/customers/ap-benchmark-report/ "AP Benchmark Report") show $2.81 as the perfect cost per invoice for a seamless, highly automated AP process? Yet, many organizations have an average of $9.87 per invoice. That’s a lot of room for improvement. With AP automation, you can significantly reduce invoice processing time. Invoices are automatically captured, matched, and [sent for approval,](https://www.medius.com/blog/how-to-clear-invoice-approval-backlogs-with-automation/ "How to clear invoice approval backlogs with automation") often within seconds. This not only speeds up payments but also enhances cash flow management. By taking advantage of early payment discounts and avoiding late fees, you can boost cash flow and reinvest in your business. * * * ## Want to learn more? See how Medius is helping midsize businesses like yours. [Explore Medius for midsize businesses](https://www.medius.com/solutions/company-size/midsize/ "Midsize") * * * “The hours spent on manual work has reduced dramatically. We managed to integrate three business units and haven't required an extra team resource. This has given us the opportunity for growth.” **Rebecca Moxley** Group Financial Controller, LifeHealthcare [Read Case Study](https://www.medius.com/resources/case-studies/lifehealthcare/ "LifeHealthcare") [![LifeHealthcare logo](https://www.medius.com/media/4n5j0v41/lifehealthcare.webp?rmode=max&width=237&height=61)](https://www.medius.com/resources/case-studies/lifehealthcare/ "LifeHealthcare") Learn how to automate AP. [Read blog](https://www.medius.com/blog/how-to-automate-accounts-payable/) Explore AP benchmarks and see how you stack up. [See benchmarks and KPIs](https://www.medius.com/resources/guides-reports/ap-benchmark-report/) Discover the top 15 benefits of accounts payable automation. [Get them now](https://www.medius.com/blog/ap-automation-benefits/) #### The Financial Professional Census Explore hurdles facing finance professionals today and learn how to overcome them in our research-backed Financial Professional Census report. [Get the report](https://www.medius.com/resources/guides-reports/financial-professional-census-report-2024/ "Financial Professional Census Report 2024") #### Ardent Partners' State of AP in 2026 AI is changing what AP teams can do, and fast. Get leading analysts at Ardent Partners' take on where the industry is headed. [Get the report](https://www.medius.com/resources/guides-reports/ardent-partners-state-of-ap/ "Ardent Partners State of AP") #### Webinar: Preparing for agentic AI in AP In this webinar with SSON, see how leading finance teams are moving from automation to autonomous AP, with real governance built in. [Watch the webinar](https://www.medius.com/resources/events-and-webinars/through-trust-and-governance-sson/ "Through trust and governance SSON") #### Discover accounts payable benchmarks Learn the efficiency metrics that matter for AP teams and the benchmarks derived from thousands of Medius customers around the globe. [Get the report](https://www.medius.com/resources/guides-reports/ap-benchmark-report/ "AP Benchmark Report") #### Watch a demo Get a first-hand look at Medius AP Automation, Analytics, and Pay with our 13-minute product demo. [Watch now](https://www.medius.com/watch-a-demo/#recorded "Watch a demo") ## Related Posts [8.11.2026 Fraud & Risk The best AP automation platforms for strengthening payment controls](https://www.medius.com/blog/the-best-ap-automation-platforms-for-strengthening-payment-controls/) [8.10.2026 Accounts Payable Top finance and accounting conferences and events in 2026](https://www.medius.com/blog/top-finance-and-accounting-conferences-events/) [8.10.2026 AP Automation Best AP automation software for e-invoicing compliance](https://www.medius.com/blog/best-ap-automation-software-for-e-invoicing-compliance/) [8.7.2026 AP Automation Why manufacturing invoice matching creates so many exceptions](https://www.medius.com/blog/why-manufacturing-invoice-matching-creates-so-many-exceptions/) [8.6.2026 AP Automation Why global expansion creates AP complexity faster than expected](https://www.medius.com/blog/why-global-expansion-creates-ap-complexity-faster-than-expected/) [8.6.2026 AP Automation How can manufacturers improve invoice matching and PO matching?](https://www.medius.com/blog/how-can-manufacturers-improve-invoice-matching-and-po-matching/) Previous Next [View All Posts](https://www.medius.com/blog/) ## Ready to transform your AP? 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