When you send an invoice for clarification, the invoice moves out of the Inbox into the Clarification tab. As soon as the assigned person responds to the clarification, the invoice returns to the Inbox with the status Clarified and is ready for processing.
Requirements
You need at least the Basic package to send invoices for clarification.
Only Administrators, Accountants, and Requesters can send invoices for clarification.
You can send any invoice in the Inbox for clarification, regardless of whether it has the status New, Rejected, or Clarified.
Not all mandatory fields need to be filled in for clarification. Candis validates an invoice less strictly when you send it for clarification than for approval. This means you can also send an incomplete or incorrect invoice for clarification – that's exactly what the feature is for.
Basic checks remain in place: e.g. the gross amount must be present and valid, and the line items of a split must still add up to the gross amount.
As long as the duplicate check for an invoice is not complete, you cannot send that invoice for clarification.
Send an invoice for clarification
1. Start the clarification
Open the invoice in the Inbox and select Request clarification from the invoice's More menu right above the Request approval button. Candis opens a clarification form at the bottom. Once the form is open, the fields in the processing form can no longer be edited. Your changes are not lost.
2. Assign a person or team
Choose who should respond to the clarification. You can select a single person, several people, or a team.
If an invoice recipient is available, Candis suggests this person automatically. You can change the suggestion.
If you assign the clarification to several people, each of them can respond. Whoever responds first closes the clarification.
The people you assign the clarification to receive read access to the invoice and keep it even after the clarification.
You can also assign the clarification to yourself.
Note: If a substitute is set up for an assigned person, the substitute also receives the clarification. If you set or clear a person's absence while the clarification is already open, Candis adds or removes the substitute automatically.
3. Choose a clarification reason
Choose a clarification reason. The reason determines which fields the assigned person fills in when responding. The following clarification reasons are available in Candis:
Invoice coding: cost center, cost object, general ledger account – for missing or unclear coding. You use a multi-select to choose which details you need.
Incorrect invoice – when something on the invoice needs to be checked or corrected, you're unsure whether it's correct, or mandatory details are missing, for example under §14.
Other reason – for all cases that don't match a predefined reason. You describe in the comment what needs to be clarified.
4. Add a comment
Add a comment.
5. Send for clarification
Click Send for clarification. Candis moves the invoice out of the Inbox into the Clarification tab and takes you to the next invoice in the Inbox.
Tip: Any changes you made in the processing form before sending are preserved.
Notifications
If you assign the clarification to another person or a team, Candis notifies that person by email and in the desktop app. This notification will be available in the mobile app soon.
If you assign the clarification to yourself, Candis does not send an email notification.
As soon as the assigned person responds to the clarification and the invoice returns to your Inbox, Candis notifies you in the app. Candis does not send an email for this.
External clarification: Contact supplier
When you have a question for a supplier – for example, in the case of an incorrect invoice – you can contact the supplier via the Email link next to the contact field. Candis opens an email dialog with a prepared template.
The email dialog includes the option Send invoice for clarification, which is selected by default.
If the option is enabled, Candis sends the email and creates a clarification with the reason Incorrect invoice. Candis assigns this clarification to you automatically.
If the option is disabled, Candis only sends the email. The invoice stays in the Inbox. Candis still records the contact in the invoice's history.
Note: Unlike sending directly via Send for clarification, using Contact supplier does not save any changes you made to the invoice in the processing form.
Forward or cancel a clarification
As long as an invoice is clarifying, you can manage the clarification in the Clarification tab via the More menu. In addition to the assigned person, Administrators, Accountants, and Requesters can also forward or cancel a clarification.
Forward: You assign the clarification to another person. The clarification reason stays unchanged.
Cancel: You can cancel a clarification without the assigned person having responded to it. The person who cancels the clarification does not have to be the assigned person. A reason is mandatory. The invoice returns to its previous status.
Examples
Missing coding: An invoice is in the Inbox, but the cost center is missing. You send the invoice for clarification with the reason Invoice coding and assign it to the team lead, who knows the cost center. As soon as the team lead enters the cost center and marks the clarification as done, the invoice returns to the Inbox as clarified.
Incorrect invoice from the supplier: An invoice contains a wrong amount. You select Contact supplier, leave the Send invoice for clarification option enabled, and send the query to the supplier. The invoice waits in the Clarification tab in the meantime.
Park an invoice: You want to temporarily take an invoice out of the Inbox to deal with it later. You send the invoice for clarification and assign it to yourself.