The Technology Behind AI-Driven Expense Management

Here’s how the system works under the hood — in plain English.

Azure Document Intelligence’s Prebuilt Receipt Model

This Microsoft tool can read receipts the same way humans do.

It extracts:

• Numbers
  
• Text
  
• Totals
  
• Item names
  

OCR extraction for merchant, date, tax, totals, and line items

OCR = Optical Character Recognition
This is how the AI “reads” the receipt image.

How GPT categorizes expenses (e.g., “noodles” → “Meals”)

The AI understands meaning.

If a receipt has:

• Coffee
  
• Sandwich
  
• Noodles
  

It knows to categorize it under Meals & Entertainment.

Autonomous agent workflow powered by Copilot

The chatbot behaves like an assistant that can:

• Make decisions
  
• Handle errors
  
• Follow rules
  

Power Automate triggers → Azure Function → Data Intelligence API

The automation chain looks like this:

• Chat triggers workflow
  
• Azure processes receipt
  
• GPT enriches data
  
• Power Automate posts to ERP
  

All invisible to the user.

Seamless Integration With Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central

This is where Omni Logic Solutions delivers its deepest expertise.

Automated posting of expense entries

No more manual entry.
No more copying from spreadsheets.

Direct mapping to GL accounts and dimensions

Receipts automatically map to:

• Chart of accounts

   

• Cost centres

   

• Projects

   

• Jobs

   

• Departments

   

Syncing categories, cost centres, and project codes

AI uses the same structures already inside your ERP.

Eliminating duplicate entry and manual reconciliation

Because everything is automated, data stays clean.

Maintaining clean, audit-ready financials

Every receipt is captured.
Every approval is logged.
Audits become painless.

Real-World Use Cases for SMBs Across BC & North America

Reimbursement processes for field teams or sales staff

Field technicians, drivers, and sales reps often work away from the office — making timely expense submission difficult. With a chat-based, agentic AI expense workflow, receipts can be captured the moment a purchase is made. Employees simply snap a photo on the road, and the AI agent automatically extracts data, categorizes the expense, and sends it into Business Central’s approval chain. This eliminates end-of-week paperwork and dramatically speeds up reimbursements for frontline teams.

Automated expense processing for nonprofits

Nonprofits often rely on staff and volunteers with varying levels of technical comfort. An AI expense agent removes that complexity entirely. Users submit receipts through familiar apps like WhatsApp or Teams, and the intelligent agent performs all extraction and categorization automatically. This ensures accurate grant reporting, stronger audit trails, and far less administrative overhead — critical for mission-focused organizations working with tight budgets.

Professional services firms tracking billable and project-based expenses

Consultants, engineers, designers, and auditors frequently incur project-specific expenses during client visits. An agentic AI workflow lets them capture receipts instantly and tag them to the correct job, project code, or client billable category. The AI then syncs everything to Business Central, ensuring accurate invoicing, fewer missed billables, and cleaner job costing without relying on manual entry.

Retail or hospitality teams capturing daily operational expenses

Store managers, restaurant supervisors, and shift leads often handle daily purchases like supplies, small repairs, or vendor transactions. Instead of saving slips in drawers, an AI expense agent allows immediate submission. The system extracts totals, identifies tax, applies retail or hospitality-specific categories, and pushes it into Business Central for manager approval. This reduces shrinkage, eliminates missing receipts, and provides real-time visibility into store-level spending.

Trades and construction teams submitting receipts on the go

Construction crews and trades professionals often lose receipts because they’re working in fast-paced, on-site environments. With an agentic AI expense workflow, receipts are captured instantly, categorized automatically, and mapped to the correct project or job number in Business Central. No more end-of-month scrambling or manual reconciliation. This keeps project budgets accurate, audit trails complete, and financial teams focused on analysis instead of chasing paperwork.

Business Impact: KPIs Improved by AI Expense Automation

These results are based on real SMB outcomes.

• Up to 90% reduction in manual entry
• 3× faster reimbursements
• 99% fewer lost receipts
• Better audit trails & compliance
• Improved month-end reporting speeds

Omni Logic Solutions helps SMBs achieve these improvements through automation-first ERP workflows.

Security, Governance & Data Protection

Azure enterprise-grade security

All data stays inside Microsoft’s secure cloud.

Role-based access & audit logs

Only approved people can see expense data.

Data handling standards for financial documents

Receipts and reports follow strict compliance rules.

Compliance for Canadian and North American SMBs

Supports:

• Canadian privacy standards

   

• SOC

   

• GDPR

   

• Enterprise controls

   

How AI Chatbots Reduce ERP Implementation Complexity

No need for expensive custom plugins

Traditional expense automation often requires third-party add-ons, custom coding, or specialized integrations. With an agentic AI chatbot, all the intelligence happens in the workflow itself — using Azure, GPT, and native Business Central connectivity. This eliminates the need for costly plugins or heavy customization projects, reducing implementation time and long-term maintenance costs.

Works with your existing approval and financial workflows

The solution is designed to complement the workflows you already use in Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central. Expenses follow the same approval hierarchies, posting rules, and financial controls you’ve configured in your ERP. Instead of rebuilding processes from scratch, the AI agent simply enhances what’s already there — adding automation, accuracy, and speed without disrupting your operations.

Scales with your business automatically

Whether you have 5 employees or 500, the AI chatbot scales seamlessly. Because it’s powered by Microsoft Azure services and event-driven agentic automation, there’s no need for new modules, extra infrastructure, or additional apps as your team grows. More submissions, more receipts, more approvals — the workflow flexes with your business volume.

Minimal training required for end-users

The AI agent removes complexity for end users. Employees don’t need to log into portals, learn new systems, or manage forms — they simply capture a receipt and submit it. The agentic workflow handles everything else automatically, making adoption extremely fast across field teams, retail staff, office workers, and volunteers. If someone can take a photo, they can submit an expense.

Comparing AI Chat-Based Expense Management vs. Traditional Tools

Chatbot vs. manual Excel tracking

Chatbot vs. standalone expense tools like Expensify

Chatbot vs. standard OCR-only apps

OCR apps read text — but don’t automate workflows.

AI chatbots automate:

• Extraction

   

• Categorization

   

• Approvals

   

• ERP posting