Logistics companyDHLis rolling out e-invoicing across
Europe, and expects to save millions of pounds by reducing billing
costs by at least 15% across the region.
E-invocing will enable DHL to eliminate the paper, printing and
postage costs associated with traditional billing.
"Savings of 15% is a conservative estimate based on cutting
direct costs and switching 30% of customers to e-invoicing, said
Brian Thumwood, e-billing programme manager at DHL.
"Additional benefits, such as faster payment and a reduction in
the number of copies of documents, will further contribute to
savings."
DHL has implemented the Accountis electronic invoicing and
payment system in the UK, Belgium and Switzerland. DHL said it
chose Accountis because of the supplier's experience in working
across multiple countries.
DHL plans to roll out the system to 22 other European countries
in the next two years, which will enable about six million paper
invoices a year to be eliminated.
The company expects to cut out up to 336,000 paper invoices a
year in the UK alone, where it plans to migrate 40% of customers to
the system by the end of 2008.
DHL's implementation of e-billing has been boosted by the
2004 EU
Electronic Invoicing Directive, which means customers can no
longer use the completion of tax returns as an argument for needing
paper invoices. However, Thumwood said there was still some
resistance to e-invoicing.
In most countries, 30% of customers are expected to switch to
e-billing in the first year, but DHL aims to increase this number
by demonstrating the greater speed, efficiency and information
offered by the system.