Introduction

The Vendor Relationship Management (VRM) platform is your centralized hub for managing all payout recipients—whether they are publishers, influencers, freelancers, or any other type of vendor. It enables you to easily organize and oversee every recipient you pay through Payouts.com.

The VRM includes the following tabs on our dashboard:

Connectors (Pending Invoices, Vendor Management, Connector Settings)
Smart Payouts (Pending Payouts, Approved Payouts)

Key Benefits:

Store and manage vendor information through self-onboarding or data migration.
Integrate seamlessly with your existing tracking system for full data synchronization.
Access a clear, comprehensive view of pending invoices, pending payouts, and approved payouts.
Automate payout workflows by defining specific roles and permissions for team members, ensuring stronger internal control.

1. How the VRM Works

Data Collection

Payouts.com integrates with your tracking system, ERP, or accounting software to gather real-time vendor activity data. Alternatively, data can be uploaded manually via CSV file.

Once the data is collected:

Our system calculates how much is owed to each vendor.
A self-generated invoice is created with a unique invoice ID.
The invoice is displayed in the Pending Invoices dashboard.
After approval, the invoice moves to the Smart Payouts dashboard, where the payment is executed.

Invoice Collection

In most cases, vendor invoices are sent to a designated email address, but they can also be uploaded manually or synced via integration. When received:

The invoice is parsed and the data is extracted.
A new invoice with a unique ID is generated and matched to an existing vendor.
If the vendor cannot be matched, the system will suggest possible vendors or prompt you to create a new vendor profile.
Once matched, the invoice is visible in the Pending Invoices dashboard, pending approval.

Payout Execution

Payout data can be collected from various sources—typically CSV files, ERPs, or tracking systems. An optional approval flow can be configured. Once approved:

Payments are automatically processed without any further action required from the invoice owner or finance team. This is enabled through the connected system, where we update the relevant records and trigger an event to execute the payment immediately.

2. Dashboard Overviews

Vendor Management Dashboard

The Vendor Management Dashboard provides an organized view of your vendor database. You can access details such as:

Vendor name, ID, payment method, and payment source.
Vendor activity status.
Total invoices and payment amounts by payment method.
Upcoming payouts due.

This dashboard also allows you to manually add new vendors and view each vendor's detailed information via the vendor card.

3. Pending Invoices Dashboard

The Pending Invoices Dashboard allows you to review, edit, reject, or approve vendor invoices. Key features include:

Viewing total invoices and total amounts.
Accessing detailed invoice information, including original and self-generated versions.
Editing or deleting invoices.
Viewing invoice statuses:
- Draft
- Draft Valid
- Pending
- Rejected
- Approved
- Archived
- Processing
- Failed
- Paid
Approving invoices individually or in bulk.
Once approved, invoices are moved to the Pending Payouts – Smart Payouts dashboard.

4. Pending Payouts Dashboard

The Pending Payouts Dashboard allows you to review invoices that have been approved and are ready for payment. In this dashboard, you can:

View invoice number, vendor ID, payment method, due date, amount, and approver.
Check the payout status (Payout Approval or Awaiting Payout).
Approve payments in bulk or individually.
View and download payment confirmation for successfully paid transactions.

5. Invoice & Payment Reconciliation

Invoice Reconciliation

Payouts.com’s reconciliation process ensures that invoices align with your contracts, purchase orders, or tracking system data. Our platform syncs with your ERP or tracking system, allowing you to cross-verify invoice data and approve payments confidently before funds are disbursed.

Key Benefits:

Syncs seamlessly with your ERP or tracking system.
Helps identify errors, duplicates, or discrepancies in invoices.
Maintains data integrity across systems.

Payment Reconciliation

Our payment reconciliation process ensures that all transactions processed through Payouts.com—including payouts, pay-ins, and currency conversions—are properly matched to your financial records. This includes:

Confirming that each payment was successfully processed and recorded.
Matching payments to their corresponding invoices or vendor transactions.
Identifying any errors, duplicates, or failed transfers in real time.

Transaction Statuses include:

New
Processing
Paid
Failed

6. Invoice Management Workflow

Payouts.com provides two types of invoices:

Self-Generated Invoices

These invoices are automatically generated by Payouts.com based on data from integrated tracking systems, ERPs, or APIs. This method is used when your internal systems do not generate invoices, and Payouts.com calculates vendor earnings based on performance data.

Parsed Invoices

These invoices are created outside of Payouts.com and imported into the platform via email, file upload, API, or system integration. Our system parses the data and generates a new invoice with the ability to edit, which is matched to an existing vendor profile.

Final Thoughts

The Vendor Relationship Manager (VRM) provides an intuitive and compliant solution for managing vendor payments at scale. Whether businesses require advanced invoice workflows or a simple payout process, VRM ensures flexibility, transparency, and efficiency.

Organizations can choose between API integrations, a self-service platform, or embeddable widgets to streamline their vendor payout operations.