Professional IT support
We've solved the same IT headaches you're dealing with now, for hundreds of other Wiltshire businesses. Whether it's helpdesk support, network management, cloud solutions, cybersecurity or strategic IT consulting, get in touch and let's fix it.
Learn more ->IT Support
Outsourced IT Support Packages & Pricing Remote IT Support Proactive IT Support Switching Providers Pricing Estimator
Fully managed IT services
The technology behind your business should be invisible - until you need it. We manage it so it stays that way.
Learn more ->
Cyber Security services
Cybersecurity isn't a luxury item - it's the intelligent way to protect your business, your data, and your future.
Learn more ->Featured Posts
A safer alternative to passwords
Read more ->
4 Proven Ways to Mitigate the Costs of a Data Breach
Read more ->Frequently Asked Questions
The questions we get asked the most, answered straight in plain English.
Learn more ->Featured Posts
Navigating the AI Landscape
Read more ->
Governing Generative AI
Read more ->Our Vision
Our vision is to make the organisations we partner with the very best they can be.
Learn more ->Featured Posts
What is included in a Managed Service Plan?
Read more ->
Why our prices increase each year
Read more ->Request free IT audit
Automating Invoice Approvals with Power Automate
Client: Sound Networks
Before this automation, invoice approval at Sound Networks was a manual, email driven process. Invoices arrived as email attachments and had to be located, downloaded, and manually forwarded to the right approver. There was no consistent way to track whether an invoice was awaiting approval, who was responsible for actioning it, or how long it had been sitting untouched.
This created a familiar bottleneck: approvals stalled in inboxes, invoices were easy to lose track of or misfile, and the accounts team had no reliable visibility into where any given invoice stood in the process. Chasing approvers manually added further delay and took time away from higher-value finance work.
The Solution
We built an end-to-end automated invoice approval workflow using Microsoft Power Automate, integrated with SharePoint, Microsoft Teams, and email.
The workflow operates through the following steps:
Detection
The flow monitors incoming email and automatically identifies messages containing invoice attachments.
Filing
Detected invoices are automatically saved to a structured SharePoint document library, removing the need for anyone to manually download or file them.
Approval request
The flow generates an approval request, sent simultaneously via Microsoft Teams and email, so the approver can respond through whichever channel they check first.
Wait and respond
The flow waits for a decision:
- If approved, the accountant is automatically notified that the invoice is ready to be processed.
- If no response is received, the flow continues waiting rather than timing out silently, ensuring the invoice isn't dropped or forgotten.
- If rejected, the flow terminates the waiting process, closing out the request rather than leaving it open indefinitely.
The result is a self-contained pipeline: from the moment an invoice lands in an inbox to the moment it's approved and handed to the accounts team, no manual intervention is required unless a decision is needed from an approver.
The Impact of our automation solution
Since implementing the workflow, [Client Name] has seen a meaningful shift in how invoices move through the business:
- Faster approvals - invoices no longer sit unnoticed in an inbox; approvers are prompted directly and can respond from Teams or email with minimal friction.
- Reduced manual admin - no one on the finance team needs to manually locate, file, or forward invoices anymore.
- Better visibility and consistency - every invoice follows the same structured path, filed in the same place, with a clear approve/reject outcome rather than an ambiguous email thread.
- Fewer lost or misfiled invoices - automatic filing to SharePoint removes the risk of an invoice being buried or forgotten in someone's inbox.
- Freed-up time for the accounts team - with the process running automatically in the background, the team can focus on processing approved invoices rather than chasing approvals.
Why this matters
This workflow shows how a relatively targeted automation — built around a single, well-scoped business process — can remove a recurring bottleneck without requiring a full platform migration or complex system integration. By meeting approvers where they already work (Teams and email) rather than forcing a new tool into their routine, adoption required no extra training or behaviour change on the approver's side.
It's also a good example of automation done thoughtfully rather than naively: the flow doesn't just fire a request and stop — it accounts for the reality of approvers being slow to respond, and gives a clean way to close out a request if it's rejected, rather than leaving it in limbo.
Contact us if you want a workflow like this built for your business?
Tell us what's slowing your team down - we'll show you how to fix it
Our mission is to provide technology guidance, expertise and support to enable our customers to grow their business.
Start Here
One email a month. Real IT tips, not filler, unsubscribe any time.
By Subscribing you are agreeing to receive our IT updates newsletter released each Month. You will not receive anything else.
