"E-invoicing will be the new reality in about five years"
Business software developer Exact has been working with e-invoicing specialist 4CEE for years to make e-invoicing available to its small and medium-sized business (SMB) customers through its accounting software. 4CEE handles the integration with Peppol, the international standard for sending, receiving, and processing electronic invoices. Kuno Klumpers, Remko Weijers, and Koen Baron—all three of whom work in Exact’s product organization—discuss their experiences with e-invoicing via Peppol, their relationship with 4CEE, and look ahead to the future of e-invoicing.
Everyone knows Exact, but what exactly do you do?
Klumpers: “Focused on our accounting program Exact Online, we offer SMBs an integrated online software package featuringstate-of-the-art accounting software and CRM, supplemented by specific industry-focused solutions. In addition, Exact also offers various solutions for our mid-market clients, such as Exact Globe & Globe+ and Exact for Financials. In addition to SMB entrepreneurs—from small to large—our primary target audience consists of administrative and accounting firms. "We have been the market leader in accounting and industry-specific solutions for SMBs for many years."
How are SMEs faring right now?
Klumpers: “SMEs aren’t having an easy time of it everywhere, though there is a difference between the accounting market and the rest of the SME sector. Some SMEs are facing significant challenges regarding the repayment of COVID-19 relief funds. This is particularly true for sectors that have not emerged easily from the pandemic, such as retail. The lockdowns have changed the in-store experience, and consumers have become accustomed to ordering online. Across the entire market, based on data from our “SME Barometer”—which draws on processed data from 340,000 accounting records—we also see that since the pandemic, the average payment term for invoices has increased, cash flow positions have declined, and revenue growth has lagged somewhat in some sectors.”
Is there still a noticeable difference in the average payment term between SMEs that use Peppol for e-invoicing and those that invoice via PDF or on paper?
Weijers: “That difference has always existed, ever since Peppol was introduced in 2011. Invoices sent via Peppol are generally paid sooner than invoices that reach the customer via email or mail. This is simply because the administrative processes for both the sender and the recipient of a Peppol invoice are much faster. Just think about it: with Peppol, this happens with the push of a button. In the best-case scenario, if the sender uses a PDF invoice via email, they email the invoice to the recipient, who then processes it in their accounting software. All of those steps are unnecessary with Peppol. So, late payment by the recipient isn’t always due to unwillingness; it’s also a result of the overall administrative process involved in handling the invoice."
What are other benefits of sending e-invoices via Peppol?
Baron: “In addition to shortening the payment term and reducing the administrative burden, you’ll see that the increased level of digitization means fewer manual steps are required. This reduces the number of errors and improves data quality. Naturally, this leads to time savings, cost reductions, and better management information. Furthermore, you no longer lose data, you have better insight into the status of invoices, and as a business owner, you contribute to the impact of corporate social responsibility (CSR). After all, the more digitization, the lower the CO2 emissions, and the fewer trees that need to be cut down. Finally, it prevents fraud and minimizes the receipt of fraudulent invoices, because both the sender and the recipient of the e-invoice go through a verification process. However, both parties must be connected to the Peppol network.”
Peppol is the international standard for sending, receiving, and processing electronic invoices and orders. With Peppol, governments, businesses, and other organizations can exchange electronic messages easily, quickly, and securely. The Dutch Peppol Authority (NPa) is the regulatory body overseeing the Peppol framework in the Netherlands.
How many Exact Online customers are currently using e-invoicing via Peppol?
Klumpers: “At the moment, it’s mainly companies that invoice the government, since e-invoicing is mandatory in those cases. However, we are seeing that more and more small and medium-sized businesses are recognizing the benefits of e-invoicing via Peppol. But there’s still a lot of ground to cover.”
Why haven’t smaller SMEs made the switch yet?
Weijers: “Unfamiliarity breeds distrust. In other words, many SMEs have set up their invoicing process in a way they’re familiar with and are, understandably, used to it. They don’t yet see the benefits clearly enough. On the other hand, business owners who have tried e-invoicing often say, ‘If only we’d started this sooner.’”
What are the costs for your customers to use e-invoicing via Peppol?
Weijers: “Sending e-invoices is free. It’s included as standard in our accounting software, Exact Online, and can be done with the click of a button. For receiving e-invoices, we charge a small fee per invoice, and then everything is processed automatically, without the business owner having to change their current administrative process. Ultimately, this costs the customer much less than entering an invoice manually. Incoming e-invoices are automatically imported into the business owner’s accounting system.”
Why did you choose 4CEE for the implementation of Peppol within Exact Online, rather than doing it yourselves, for example?
Klumpers: “The technical requirements of the Peppol network call for dedicated specialists. We found that specialist in 4CEE, so we can be sure the process is in good hands. We believe that’s what matters most to our customers. At the time, we chose 4CEE for the implementation because of the excellent service they provide, and of course, price was also a factor—as it always is in tenders.”
What defines good service for you?
Klumpers: “We have monthly meetings with 4CEE, because over the years there are always new developments from Peppol. These include, for example, new technical developments, functional enhancements, or simply updates that allow our clients to benefit fully. 4CEE ensures that everything works perfectly in line with those latest developments without our customers having to do anything. Take the connection to the Peppol network, for example; it’s set up with just a few steps in the Exact software. That’s why 4CEE is a very reliable partner and consultant for us, ensuring that we stay at the forefront of the market. As the market leader, that’s obviously very important to us.”
In your opinion, what is an essential feature that has been added to Peppol in recent years?
Baron: “I think it’s great that, as the recipient, you share the invoice status with the sender during posting and, if necessary, also during the approval of purchase invoices. This means the sender automatically sees the same invoice status as the recipient in the invoice history. As a result, both parties can accurately track the invoice status."
Finally, how do you see the future of e-invoicing via Peppol?
Baron: “A proposal for an EU directive is currently in the works that aims to make e-invoicing mandatory for all business-to-business invoices between EU countries starting in 2028 or 2029. Some countries, such as Italy and Spain, have already mandated that every invoice must be sent via a central system. Belgium has also now established that e-invoicing will be mandatory as of January 1, 2026. E-invoicing is clearly the future, so we ask: why wait any longer when it’s coming anyway, and you, as a business owner, can already benefit from its many advantages? By reducing administrative burdens, you can also spend much more time on the things you truly enjoy. And as a rule, that’s not doing paperwork—it’s running your business."