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Prepopulate and Preallocate Invoices via Templates

Chrome River's invoice templates allow users to prepopulate and preallocate invoices for use across the organization. Invoice templates are particularly useful for shared expenses that are allocated among multiple departments rather than a single user. Customers who use Chrome River CAPTURE or OCR VISION may use Default Templates to have line items created automatically.

Create an Invoice Template

1. Follow the steps in Create an Invoice to make the invoice that you would like to save as a template. All fields are optional, including Vendor.

2. You must add line items and fully allocate the draft invoice in order to save it as a template, meaning that the invoice amount must equal the sum of the line-item amounts. Follow the steps listed under Allocate Amounts. The proportions allocated to the expense types on the template will be automatically applied to any invoice created with that template.

  • For example, if your template has an amount of $100, with $50 allocated to one cost code and $50 allocated to another, any invoice created with the template will evenly split the invoice amount between those two allocations.

3. As with any invoice, you may add notes or upload images to the template.

4. In the upper right corner, click the three dots icon to select CONVERT TO TEMPLATE or CONVERT TO TEMPLATE (DEFAULT).

  • Convert to Template: If the invoice is fully allocated, it may be saved as a template and used to create similar invoices.
  • Convert to Template (Default): If the invoice is fully allocated and there are no templates that have the same combination of Vendor, Vendor Address, Requester (if applicable) and Customer Address (if applicable), it may be saved as a Default Template and used to create line items on invoices generated via Chrome River CAPTURE or OCR VISION. See Using Default Templates, below.

5. The system will check to make sure the template is fully allocated before it is accepted, then the template will be saved.

Edit or Delete an Invoice Template

Once saved, a template may only be edited or deleted by an administrator, via the Invoice Management Dashboard screen. Templates will not be visible on the Invoice Dashboard or in the Inquiry Dashboard.

1. On the Invoice Management screen, click ADVANCED SEARCH.

2. Click STATUS in the left nav bar, then check Template and, if desired, Template (Default).

    • To save this search for easier access to templates in the future, click SAVE before you search.
    • Give the search a name and click SAVE.
    • Next time, just click SAVED SEARCHES on the Invoice Management screen and select your saved template search.

Click SEARCH.

3. Check the desired template in the list and click EDIT or DELETE. You may also double-click the template in the list to open it, then click EDIT or DELETE.

Use an Invoice Template to Create an Invoice

1. On the Invoice entry screen, click the three-dots icon, then PRIOR INVOICES.

2. Use the Type drop-down menu to filter on templates by type, enter any other search criteria, and click SEARCH.

3. Select the desired template and click COPY.

4. Enter the desired date and amount for the invoice you are creating from the template and click COPY.

5. The Invoice entry screen will populate and allocate according to the values from the template. The invoice may now be saved or submitted.

Using Default Templates

Chrome River offers customers the ability to create Default Templates for use with Chrome River CAPTURE or OCR VISION. When invoices are imported into Chrome River via either of these methods, the system will match them with the appropriate Default Templates in order to automatically create line items on those invoices.

To create a Default Template, follow the steps above, under Create an Invoice Template, and select save CONVERT TO TEMPLATE (DEFAULT). Two conditions must be met in order to save an invoice as a Default Template:

  1. The invoice must be fully allocated. The invoice amount must equal the sum of the line item amounts.
  2. There may be no other template that has the same combination of Vendor, Vendor Address, Requester (if applicable) and Customer Address (if applicable). A field that is left blank counts as a value that may not be duplicated by another Default Template.

Once you have created a Default Template, CAPTURE or OCR VISION will access it to automatically add line items to the appropriate invoices created in Chrome River.

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