Revenue leakage
Find revenue leakage before the invoice goes out.
Revenue leaks in small ways: an escalation nobody applied, a discount that should have ended, usage that was never billed, a rebate paid twice. Apex checks every draft invoice against what was agreed before it posts to your ERP, explains each difference, and holds the ones a person should see.
- Contract price3 of 3 lines match C-0412 after the Jan 1 escalationPass
- Price listSoutheast distributors, ZIP 33027 appliedPass
- Discount end dateLaunch discount ended Dec 31, still on line 2Hold
- Usage1,840 of 1,840 rated units billedPass
- Customer PO 4500-8812Number and lines match; $1,240 over what remainsHold
- Rebate applied onceTaken at settlement, not on the pricePass
- Special handlingLiftgate on the order, billed on line 4Pass
Where revenue leaks
Six ways money goes missing between the deal and the invoice.
Missed escalations
A price escalation clause came due, and the invoice still carries last year's price.
Expired discounts
A launch discount ran past its end date because nothing told billing it was over.
Unbilled usage
Usage was delivered and metered, but never reached an invoice line.
Rebates paid twice
A rebate taken off the price and credited again at period end.
Special handling not billed
An approved special handling line on the quote, missing from the invoice.
PO mismatches
An invoice the customer's PO will not cover: wrong number, extra lines, or more than the PO has left.
On every draft invoice
Check, explain, hold, release.
- 01
Check
Each draft invoice is compared with its contract, the customer's price list, its usage and the customer's PO.
- 02
Explain
Each difference is stated in plain words, with both figures: what was agreed and what the draft says.
- 03
Hold
An invoice with a difference waits for a person. An invoice with none goes on to post.
- 04
Release
A person corrects it or accepts it with a reason, and the invoice posts to the ERP, read back to confirm.
When it is found
An audit after close, or a check before post.
| Audit after close | Check before post | |
|---|---|---|
| When | Weeks later, on a sample | On every draft invoice, before it posts |
| What it costs | A credit note, a rebill and a call | A correction nobody outside sees |
| Customer | Finds it first, and disputes it | Receives the right invoice |
| Record | A spreadsheet of findings | Each hold, its check and how it was resolved |
What each check compares
Each check names both sides of the comparison.
- Contract price
- Each line's price against the contract line it bills, after escalations.
- Price list
- Each line against the customer's assigned list, ZIP price and stacking rule.
- Discounts
- Each discount against its end date and the terms that granted it.
- Usage
- Billed quantities against rated usage for the period, and unusual usage against the meter's history.
- Customer PO
- The PO number, its lines and its remaining balance against the invoice.
- Rebates
- Each rebate applied once: on the price, or settled at period end, never both.
- Special handling
- Every approved special handling line on the order carried to the invoice.
FAQ
Revenue leakage, run end to end.
Which checks run on each invoice?
Each draft invoice is checked against its contract price after escalations, the customer's assigned price list and ZIP price, discount end dates, rated usage for the period, the customer's PO number, lines and remaining balance, rebates applied once, and approved special handling lines carried from the order.
What happens when a check finds a difference?
The invoice is held before it posts, with the difference stated in plain words and both figures shown. A person corrects the invoice or accepts it with a reason. Only then does it post to the ERP, which is read back to confirm.
How is unbilled usage found?
Billed quantities are compared with rated usage for the period. Usage that was metered but is missing from the invoice, or usage far from the meter's own history, holds the invoice for a person.
How do we see leakage over time?
Each hold is recorded with its check, its customer, its amount and how it was resolved, in an append-only record. That record shows which checks catch the most, and for which customers, across periods.
Does this replace our audit?
No. The checks catch differences before an invoice posts, which means fewer corrections for an audit to find. Your audit still tests controls and samples transactions as it does today, and the record of each hold and release is there for it to read.
Related in Apex
- InvoicingCalculated in Apex, checked against the PO, posted to the ERP first.View
- Usage-based billingBill what was used, at the price signed.View
- Price listsOne default list, customer lists, and ZIP prices only where needed.View
- RebatesRebates by company, store, region or family, accrued as you invoice.View
- Apex agentsSix agents that read contracts, draft quotes and renewals, review invoices and prepare the close. A person approves every proposal.View
See the leakage checks work on your own billing.
Thirty minutes on one workflow, with your own quotes, orders or invoices. You leave with a view of where Apex fits, and an honest answer if the sequencing is wrong and you should fix something else first.
Your pricing, approval and billing rules are your advantage, and they stay yours. Apex is configured to the way you sell, make and bill. You are not handing over a playbook or fitting into a template.