Many companies say: “We’re already fully digital.” What they often mean, though, is simply this: invoices arrive by email as a PDF instead of by post. This podcast episode makes it clear: “digital” isn’t always the same as digital — and when it comes to invoice formats, there are major differences.

In the second podcast episode, hosts Célia and Florian Beckmann dive deeper into the world of digital invoices. The episode explains the fundamentals of electronic invoice formats, how they differ, and the importance of structured data for businesses.

One key focus is on the various types of invoices: from classic paper documents to scanned PDFs and all the way to fully digital, structured data sets. Florian Beckmann explains how these formats have evolved over recent decades — from early industrial standards like EDI (Electronic Data Interchange), through XML formats, to industry-specific standards such as ZUGFeRD and bbXML, which billbox supports.

The more structured an invoice is when it arrives, the fewer steps are needed to turn it into usable accounting data. This saves time and money and reduces errors. On top of that, companies often need the same invoice data in multiple systems (ERP, CRM, banking, etc.) — and in the right structure for each one.

The episode illustrates why structured data is essential for accounting and financial processes: every line item on an invoice has to be interpreted correctly and assigned to the right systems. Whether ERP, CRM, or banking systems — the data has to be compatible, tax-compliant, and easy to process.

It also explains how the handling of invoices has changed in recent years: paper-based processes are increasingly being replaced by digital formats, which significantly reduces transport, processing effort, and sources of error. With these digital formats, companies can save time and make their processes more efficient.

“Structured” means that information is unambiguously assigned in a machine-readable way — for example, invoice number, date, line items, tax rates, and article numbers. A system then doesn’t have to guess whether “21%” refers to VAT or a discount, or where a new line item begins.

For many companies, XML formats are a good middle ground: highly digital and structured, yet often less “heavyweight” than classic EDI setups. The key point remains: only once data is truly structured does invoice processing become genuinely efficient.