Channel Partner Invoice Automation
PROJECT BRIEF
Initially, Piramal Finance handled their partner payout invoices manually through emails, which made it challenging for the FBSS team to manage over 50,000 partners across all loan products. This resulted in more than ₹50 Cr in delayed payments and eroded partner trust. The invoice automation project was introduced to streamline the process and enhance transparency with partners.
MY ROLE
User Research
UX Design
Visual Design
TEAM
Akash-Product Manager
Developers
Myself as Designer
TIMELINE
6 Months
GOAL
Design an intuitive, scalable invoice management system that automates workflows to reduce Finance team effort, ensuring faster error-free payouts and eliminating payment backlogs. Platform should provide transparency and real time tracking to channel partners.
IMPACT
We rolled out a new Invoice Module that lets partners either accept invoices digitally or upload them for finance‑team review. This change drove a dramatic shift toward digital submissions across all our products and slashed our end‑to‑end processing time—speeding up cash flow for partners and cutting down manual effort for our finance team.
75%
Adopted digital invoice in Unsecured Loan Products
40%
Adopted digital invoice in Secured Loan Products
60%
Reduced Payment time from 10+ days to 4 days
Instant Approval
For Digital Invoices
Raise Dispute
without blocking the
full payment
Track Status
At every step of the process
Get Notified
For every invoices
Quickly Verify Invoices
Easy Recovery
For overpaid invoices
A 'VAGUE' PROBLEM STATEMENT
The current email‑based invoice process leaves partners in the dark about payment progress, often causing stuck payments and lost revenue. We need to add an invoice‑tracking module in Mitra to improve transparency and reduce inquiries on the iHelp portal.
DISCOVERY-BREAKDOWN OF THE PROBLEM
The email-based invoice process worked initially but broke down as partner count and volumes grew. With thousands of emails, incorrect data, and no visibility for partners, delays became common. Over time, this led to process and UX debt, making the experience frustrating for both partners and the Finance team. Payments were often stuck for long periods, highlighting the urgent need for a structured and scalable solution.
01
STAKEHOLDER
INTERVIEW
02
USER
RESEARCH
03
COMPETITIVE
ANALYSIS
04
SYNTHESIZE
FINDINGS
05
REDEFINE
THE PROBLEM
06
MAP USER JOURNEY
07
Validate with users
Re-iterate
USER PAIN-POINTS
By synthesizing user feedback, we gained valuable insights into the challenges encountered during invoice processing.The following outlines the prominent pain points experienced by the three primary personas involved in this process:
Finance Team
Manual Invoice Verification
Discrepancies in invoice data
Discrepancies in Partner Database
Dependency on data accuracy
Maintaining record properly for compliance
Channel Partner
Discrepancies in the commission report
Lack of transparency in the invoice status
Payment Delays
Unclear Guidelines for raising the invoice
Sales Planning
Manual Data Handling
Time Consuming report generation and communication bottle neck
Frequent dispute over lack of data transparency
REDEFINED PROBLEM STATEMENT
How might we enable partners to submit and track invoices easily in Mitra while automating verification for a faster, error‑free finance process?
JOURNEY MAP
Monthly invoice is generated
Details
are
correct
Invoice submitted to FBSS
Invoice submitted to FBSS
Review Invoice
OTP Verification
Invoice Accepted for Payout
Raise a Query
Send back to partner
Reject Invoice
Sales Planning to review dispute
Send new invoice to partner
Send back to partner
Accept Partially
Raise a Dispute
Payment is blocked
Sales Planning to review dispute
Wait for Dispute Resolution
Accept Invoice
Accept
Digitally
Upload
Invoice
Details
are
correct
Details
are
incorrect
Takes Decision
Takes Decision
Invoice details are incorrect
SOLUTION OUTLINE
1.
Lightning‑Fast Invoice Approval
with a quick OTP confirmation, partners can digitally accept the invoice. Invoice are auto approved for payout, No more waiting on the finance team to verify and approve!
2.
Raise dispute without blocking payment
Spotted an issue in the invoice? Raise it! Now you’ll still get paid instantly for the undisputed LANs — no more waiting for everything to be resolved.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
This project was packed with intense problem-solving, back-and-forths, and deep dives with multiple teams. It’s hard to wrap it all up neatly, but here are a couple of big lessons I’m walking away with:
Embracing Change with Ease
This project made me rethink my approach multiple times. Feedback from Stakeholders, Users, Legal team, Product manager and developers helped me explore alternate solutions and improve without getting stuck on my first idea.
Designing Within Legal Boundaries
Working with strict government guidelines around invoicing came with its fair share of challenges. Balancing usability while staying compliant made me think more critically and creatively, ensuring every flow was not only user-friendly but also legally sound.
