Manage Accounts Payable From Mobile Without Losing Payment Controls

Disclosure: This article was published as part of a paid partnership with Zil Money. The author is an independent contributor.

Businesses that want to manage accounts payable from mobile are usually trying to solve a practical problem: a bill needs attention, but the owner, controller, or approver is not sitting at the office computer.

Mobile AP can help with that problem when the app provides more than a basic “send money” button.

A useful mobile accounts payable workflow should let authorized users review bills, understand who is being paid, choose or confirm the payment method, approve transactions, and check payment status.

Zil Money’s current Mobile Payments page says its app allows businesses to review and release vendor payments, approve bills, manage payroll-related actions, and view transactions from supported iOS and Android devices.

Mobile AP Starts With Visibility

Before approving a bill, the user should be able to understand what is being paid.

That means the payment record should clearly identify the vendor, amount, funding source, payment method, and related business purpose.

Mobile access becomes less useful if the approver still needs to call the office to find the invoice or confirm what the transaction is for.

The objective is not simply to move money from a phone.

It is to give the right person enough information to make an informed payment decision.

Approval Should Remain Separate From Convenience

A mobile device can make approvals easier, but it should not weaken the company’s internal process.

For example, a business may require one employee to prepare a vendor payment and a manager to review it before release.

That process should remain in place whether the manager is approving from a laptop or a phone.

Mobile AP is most useful when it extends the existing workflow instead of creating a shortcut around it.

Payment Method Still Matters

Accounts payable is not one payment rail.

One supplier may accept ACH. Another may require a check. Certain payments may use a wire, while an eligible transaction may use a business credit card as the funding source.

Zil Money’s current mobile product documentation describes ACH, wire transfers, printed checks, eChecks, and other supported payment options from its mobile environment.

Nacha also notes that a financial services provider may offer business ACH payment capabilities through a mobile app, online platform, or accounting software, depending on the provider’s policies and qualifications.

The mobile device changes where the payment is managed. It does not change the underlying rules of the payment rail.

Accounting Connections Matter

A vendor payment should not become disconnected from the accounting record simply because it was approved on a phone.

Zil Money’s current mobile page says payments made through the app can use the same supported accounting integrations associated with the web account, including current references to QuickBooks, Xero, and Gusto.

Businesses should verify the exact integration and synchronization behavior they need.

An “integration” can mean different things depending on what data moves between systems.

Payment Status Helps With Follow-Up

After a transaction is released, staff may need to know whether it is submitted, being processed, or completed according to the available platform status.

Zil Money says users can access searchable transaction history and payment status from the mobile app.

That information can reduce the need to wait until someone returns to a desktop to answer a vendor question.

However, status visibility should not be turned into a claim that every payment is delivered “in real time.” ACH, wires, checks, and other methods have different processing conditions.

Mobile AP Should Solve a Real Work Problem

The strongest reason to manage accounts payable from mobile is not novelty.

It is continuity.

A business owner can review a vendor bill while traveling. A manager can approve a scheduled payment before a due date. A finance employee can check the status of a transaction without reopening the entire workflow on a desktop.

Zil Money’s mobile payment app can be evaluated for those tasks because it connects mobile access with several business-payment methods and existing account information.

The goal should remain controlled accounts payable, with mobile access making the process more accessible without removing the checks that protect the business.

Zil Money, is a financial technology company, not a bank. Banking and money movement services are provided through partner financial institutions and licensed service providers. FDIC insurance coverage applies only to eligible deposit products and accounts, and is subject to applicable terms, conditions, limitations, and requirements. Additional information regarding partner institutions, products, and services is available in the applicable terms and agreements.