5 administrative tasks you can automate today with AI in Exact Online

Many entrepreneurs recognise it: you log in, click through various menus, set filters, export reports to Excel and process the data again. For every administrative question you go through the same steps.

On their own these seem like small actions, but together they quickly cost hours each month.

In 2026 that changes fast. Thanks to new AI standards, AI assistants can communicate directly with software such as Exact Online. Instead of navigating through menus, you simply ask a question in plain English and get the answer or action you need right away.

In this article we show common administrative tasks that you can already automate today with an AI assistant connected to your accounting.

Not yet familiar with this development? First read our overview of AI in accounting for SMEs.

1. Requesting outstanding invoices

Many entrepreneurs regularly check which invoices are still outstanding.

Before:

• You log in to Exact Online
• Open the financial overview 
• Set filters 
• Export a report to Excel

With AI: you simply ask the question: "Which invoices have been outstanding for more than 30 days?"

Within seconds you get an overview with the customer name, invoice number, outstanding amount and the number of days the invoice has been outstanding, including the total amount. Without clicking or exporting reports.

Time saved:  About 5 minutes per time
Frequency: several times per week

2. Generating revenue overviews

Creating reports is often one of the most time-consuming tasks within administration and finance.

Before:

• Run a report in Exact
• Export to Excel
• Create a pivot table
• Format and analyse the data

With AI: for example, you ask the question: "What is the revenue per customer this month?" or: "What are the top 10 customers by revenue compared to last quarter?"

The AI analyses the data directly and presents an overview with trends, comparisons and totals, without any intermediate steps. Want to see how this compares to traditional reporting? Take a look at our comparison of manual vs. AI reporting.

Time saved:  ~ 15-30 minutes per report

3. Looking up and updating customer details

Even simple tasks such as looking up or changing customer details often take more time than needed.

Before: you open the CRM or the administration, look up the customer, adjust the details and save the change.

With AI: you ask, for example: "What is the phone number of Jansen Logistics?" Or for changes: "Update the email address of Bakker BV to info@bakker.nl".

The AI first shows an overview of the change. Only after you confirm is the adjustment actually carried out. That way you always stay in control.

Time saved:  About  2 minutes per lookup
Frequency: several times per week.

4. Preparing the VAT return

Preparing a VAT return often consists of several manual steps.

Before:

• Run a VAT report
• Check the amounts
• Transfer the data into the return

With AI: you ask, for example: "Prepare the VAT return for this quarter"

The AI generates an overview with VAT amounts per code and the totals needed for the return. Any deviations compared to previous periods are flagged automatically. That way you see straight away where you need to check further.

Time saved:  About 30-60 minutes per quarter

5. Creating invoices

Creating invoices can also be considerably faster.

Before:

• Open a new invoice screen
• Select the customer
• Add lines
• Check the amounts
• Post the invoice

With AI: you can say, for example: "Create a sales invoice for De Vries Trading: 10x Product A of €49.95"

The AI first shows a preview with all the details, such as the customer, amounts and VAT. Only after your confirmation is the invoice created. This way you keep control while the process runs faster.

Time saved:  About 5 minutes per invoice

What does it deliver?

When you add these tasks together, a clear picture emerges.

Tasks such as checking outstanding invoices, creating reports, looking up customer details and creating invoices together quickly cost several hours per month. With an AI assistant these actions are carried out almost instantly.

That means you win back more than half a working day per month. Time you can spend on your customers, the growth of your business and strategic decisions instead of routine administrative work.

Is AI safe for your administration?

A frequently asked question is whether it is safe to give AI access to your administration. With a well set up connector, security plays an important role. Many organisations therefore choose a solution that is ISO 27001 certified and independently tested for security.

A professional integration works according to three principles:

• Your data stays protected The AI model keeps no data between sessions. During advanced analyses your administration data is stored securely and encrypted. You can revoke the connection at any time.
• Secure connection with Exact Online All communication runs through the official and encrypted API of Exact Online.
• Full control over access You decide yourself which administrations are connected and can revoke access at any time.

What do you need?

To use this automation you only need three things:

1. An Exact Online administration
Exact Online supports secure API connectors with AI tools.

2. An AI assistant
The most used options at the moment are ChatGPT and Claude.

3. An AI connector with Exact Online
You set up this connection once. That usually takes less than 2 minutes.

Read here step by step how to set up the connector.

The sum total

That means you save more than half a working day every month. Time you would otherwise spend on recurring administrative work. You can then use that time for other things, such as your customers or further developing your business. If you want to know exactly where that time saving comes from, you can look at the calculation example for time saving.

With AI in Exact Online you can automate a number of routine tasks and gain faster insight into your figures, so you spend less time on administration each month.

Ready to get started? Start 30 days free →