If you want your accounts payable organization to stand out from the pack and deliver a strategic advantage to your business, try playing by the numbers. Experience shows that's what the major players do. They develop a vision of where they want to be, establish key performance metrics for getting there and focus on the kinds of continuous improvements they need to make in order to become best-in-class.

Since a well-run logistics and supply chain operation is critical to business profitability, there are continual pressures to drive down costs and find ways to operate more efficiently and effectively.

One "best practice" many well-run companies use in response to this pressure is to audit freight bills to make certain they are being charged the appropriate rate. But if you think a freight bill audit is all you need to eliminate shipping-related errors that can impact your bottom line, think again.

What if your suppliers had online access to invoice and payment status, including the ability to view supporting documents and images online?

What if you could reduce incoming customer service calls by 75-80%?

And what if, you were able to reallocate those call center resources to revenue generating activities?