I manage an Accounts Payable team, and one thing is very clear to me: a new person's first weeks in the team shape the quality of their work for months to come – and often for years.
In my previous article I wrote about what I look for when recruiting for an AP team. Hiring the right person is only half of the job. This article is about the other half: the mistakes I see most often in AP onboarding, and what works for us instead.
Mistake 1: Onboarding that focuses only on tools
The new person gets system access, an email account, maybe a short ERP training – and that's it. The problem is that AP is not just "keying in invoices". It means understanding how documents flow through the whole organisation: who approves what, why a particular supplier has different payment terms, and how the dispute process works.
What works for us
We combine technical training with business context: short meetings with procurement, controlling and key internal partners, so the new person understands why the process looks the way it does.
Mistake 2: No clearly assigned buddy or mentor
Throwing a new person in at the deep end without a designated point of contact frustrates both sides. As a leader, I get flooded with small questions, and the new person feels lost.
What works for us
We assign an experienced team member as a mentor for the first 4–6 weeks. This noticeably shortens the time it takes to work independently and takes purely operational questions off my plate. It's also worth naming contact points for individual departments or countries – together with their back-ups.
Mistake 3: Empty hours with nothing to do
This happens more often than you might think. The new person finishes system training earlier than planned, the mentor is busy, and there is nothing else in the calendar – so you get a few hours of vacuum. The effect is the opposite of what you want: instead of feeling that the onboarding is well planned, the new person feels chaos and that they have been left alone.
What works for us
I have a plan for the first two weeks written down day by day, not just topic by topic. Every day has a specific block of tasks. I also keep a list of "buffer tasks" – short, meaningful activities, such as reviewing the knowledge base (process instructions, training recordings), that can fill the gap when the plan shifts. Empty slots in an onboarding calendar are a signal that the plan needs fixing, not something that will sort itself out.
Mistake 4: Handing over full responsibility too soon
A common mistake is assuming that once someone has completed system training, they are ready to handle a full supplier portfolio on their own. The result: posting errors, missed payment deadlines and incorrectly assigned cost centres.
What works for us
We expand the scope of responsibility gradually – simple, repetitive cases first, then more complex ones, such as multi-currency invoices, supplier disputes and corrections.
Mistake 5: No clear list of system access
A new AP specialist uses several different portals every day, yet rarely does anyone explain upfront what each of them is for. As a result, they lose time guessing or ask about things that could be described in one place.
What works for us
A short access checklist handed over on day one has become our standard. For example:
- Ticketing system – for reporting technical issues, sending questions to other departments (e.g. IT, procurement) and tracking cases that can't be solved on the spot.
- Online banking portal – for viewing and executing payments, checking the status of transfers and verifying company account balances.
- Supplier data verification tool – for checking bank account numbers, VAT status and other registration details of a supplier before a payment is approved.
- ERP / accounting system – the main tool for registering and posting invoices, entering purchase orders and running the approval workflow.
This way the new person knows from day one where to find what, instead of learning it by trial and error.
Mistake 6: No introduction to the team's working rhythm
Daily invoice processing is one thing, but AP also has its own rhythm: month-end close, year-end close, peak periods (such as quarter-end) and days when priorities suddenly change. If a new person doesn't know this rhythm, they can easily spend the middle of month-end close on tasks that could wait – and miss something that is critical at exactly that moment.
What works for us
In the first weeks, I show the new person the team calendar for the coming months: when month-end close falls, what year-end close looks like, which tasks take priority then and which can be postponed. They learn not only what to do, but also when it matters – and that translates into real efficiency from the very first weeks.
Mistake 7: Feedback that comes too late
If a new person's mistakes are only corrected during month-end close, the feedback comes too late to change anything – and the same error may already have been repeated a dozen times.
What works for us
Short, regular check-ins – weekly during the first month – let us catch issues as they happen and build the habit of asking questions before a mistake becomes routine. It's also the moment to ask directly how the new person is doing and whether they have everything they need. Looking after someone new is not only about passing on knowledge – it's also a regular "how's it going?".
AP onboarding checklist: key takeaways
- Combine ERP training with business context – meetings with procurement, controlling and key internal partners.
- Assign a mentor for the first 4–6 weeks and name contact points (with back-ups) for departments or countries.
- Plan the first two weeks day by day and keep a list of buffer tasks.
- Increase responsibility step by step – from repetitive invoices to multi-currency cases, disputes and corrections.
- Hand over an access checklist on day one: ticketing system, online banking, supplier verification tool, ERP.
- Walk the new person through the team calendar: month-end, year-end and peak periods.
- Hold weekly check-ins during the first month.
Summary
Good Accounts Payable onboarding is not a one-off system training. It is a carefully planned process – with a clear schedule, a mentor, a concrete access list and room for ongoing feedback. The investment in those first weeks pays back many times over: fewer errors, faster independence and lower turnover in the team.
