For service firms, complexity is in allocation, not goods. Recurring SaaS subscriptions, freelance invoices, billable costs passed through to clients, project coding down to the hour. Glimps makes that allocation mostly automatic.
Not scanning the invoice — determining which project, client, and cost category.
Wrong coding here costs margin directly — passed through or absorbed.
Project managers see real cost immediately — not at month-end close.
Benchmark: Ardent Partners (2024) reported $9.40 average cost per invoice, 9.15 days processing time, 32.6% straight-through processing. Source
Context
For service firms, invoice processing is about allocation, not volume. An average SMB consultancy or law firm processes 80–250 supplier invoices per month — modest in volume, but each with a more complex coding decision than a goods invoice in trade or production. Which project? Which client? Billable or internal? Which cost category matches time tracking? Scanning is trivial; allocation is the work.
Half to three-quarters of supplier invoices are recurring software subscriptions. Slack, Zoom, Notion, GitHub, Adobe, Microsoft 365, Salesforce, accounting tools, project tools, AI credits — an average 50-person service firm has 60–150 active subscriptions spread across teams. Duplicate licenses, unused subscriptions, and margin erosion from over-rapid growth are standard problems. Glimps detects recurring patterns, flags duplicates, and provides an active view of software spend per category.
The other half often consists of freelance invoices, passthrough costs, and project-related expenses. A lawyer driving on assignment, a consultant commissioning a report from a freelance designer, an accountant buying a software license for a specific client — all these costs must link to project and client, and the billable/non-billable status determines whether they recoup in the client invoice or get absorbed in overhead. A missed billable directly costs margin.
Glimps does this allocation automatically using supplier rules, project context, email routing, and historical bookings. Recurring software is recognized, billable status is proposed, and the project owner approves in a mobile flow. Result: real-time project costs and margin instead of waiting until month-end close.
Does this match your situation?
Process design
Glimps handles the routine so finance can focus on the exceptions — not the data entry.
SaaS subscriptions, freelance invoices, and subcontractor costs are received centrally.
Glimps identifies project and client codes from references, email routing, and historical bookings.
Billable or internal is determined from supplier rules, contract type, and project settings.
Posted in Exact Online with project, client, and billable status. Ready for client invoicing.
Where things get stuck
High-volume AP automation only pays off when it is clear what can flow through safely — and what must be reviewed by a human.
Dozens of subscriptions scattered across teams and projects. Duplicate licenses, unused subscriptions, and 5–15% annual price creep without negotiation. A structured purchasing administration helps keep this visible and manageable.
Varying formats, different VAT regimes (regular, small-business scheme, exemption), and project references that sometimes go missing. Glimps uses semantic AI extraction without templates — works immediately on any format.
A software license may be for the whole firm, one team, or one specific client. Coding determines whether it lands on overhead, project, or client — a decision that varies per supplier and cost category and benefits from structured supplier rules in Exact Online.
Software subscriptions often from US, IE, or GB with EU reverse-charge VAT. Some suppliers bill in USD, others GBP. Wrong VAT coding leads to immediate tax adjustments. Glimps detects these regimes automatically.
Concrete exceptions
Invoice without project code from a supplier that normally bills against projects
Supplier, prior bookings, email route, project references in invoice text.
Propose project or route to contract owner for assignment.
International invoice without reverse-charge VAT
Supplier location, EU/non-EU VAT number, invoice text, product category.
Apply reverse-charge VAT code or route to finance on uncertainty.
External-expert invoice > €10,000 without partner approval
Approval matrix per project, partner authority, prior approvals.
Block and route to two partners for joint approval.
Software ecosystem
Glimps works natively with Exact Online, including the Project, Client, and Time-tracking modules. For service firms running hours and projects in Exact Online this is the natural integration without duplicate administration — purchase invoices land directly on the right project and client.
For service firms using specialized practice-management, accounting, or consultancy software alongside Exact Online: as long as project and client data lives in Exact Online (directly or via a separate connector), Glimps can match against it. For your specific combination we are happy to advise — contact us.
Business case
Consultancy / law firm with 50 employees, ~200 invoices/month, 4 partners and 1 controller.
Payback typically within 1 month. For service firms, billable recovery is typically the biggest win — that "we should have passed those costs through" feeling disappears structurally. The SaaS overview adds a lasting brake on cost creep.
The prerequisites to get this solution into production.
The concrete parts of the process Glimps takes off your hands.
FAQ
Specific questions about this solution for professional services.
Yes, especially for firms running their own administration and clients on Exact Online. For multi-administration, see our multi-entity solution.
Freelance invoices vary enormously in format — some bill via Excel, others via Moneybird or Wefact. Glimps uses semantic extraction without templates, so any format works immediately. VAT regime (regular 21% or small-business exemption) is automatically detected.
Glimps works natively with Exact Online, including its Project and Time-tracking modules. For specific time-tracking software on top of Exact Online: as long as project and client data lives in Exact Online (directly or via a connected tool), Glimps can match against it.
Technical Exact Online integration takes minutes. Configuring project/client coding, supplier rules, and approval matrix typically takes 1–2 hours. An SMB consultancy or accounting firm runs in production within half a day.
For most SMB service firms (50–500 invoices/month) Glimps Professional at €149/mo suffices — including workflows, project/client coding, billable status detection, and multi-entity support where needed. Accounting firms with client administrations on Exact Online combine this with our multi-entity solution.
Glossary
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Open the demo to see Glimps in action, or check what a Professional plan looks like for your volume.