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Analyzing your request·
Building your personalized AI workflow
Pro tip
“The best workflows use 3-5 focused tools, not 10 mediocre ones.”
Best tools for this job
Curated for this specific workflow - not a generic list
Step-by-step workflow
Follow this order for best results
1
Set up your source of truth
Pick one accounting app (such as QuickBooks, Xero or Wave) and one place where billable work is logged, like a sheet or project tool. Example action: list your clients, rates and billing terms in a single sheet.
Why these tools
GPTExcel helps you build a tidy client and rates sheet that everything else reads from.
Expected output
One sheet listing clients, rates, billing terms and invoice status, linked to your chosen accounting app.
2
Automate invoice creation
In Make.com, build a scenario that triggers when work is complete or monthly, then creates the invoice in your accounting app and emails it to the client. Example prompt for the AI step: 'Write a short friendly invoice email for {client} for {project}, amount {total}, due in 14 days.'
Why these tools
Make.com handles the trigger and invoice creation while ChatGPT writes the friendly email text.
Expected output
A working scenario that creates and emails an invoice when a project is complete or monthly.
3
Capture bills and receipts automatically
Forward supplier bills and receipts to Nanonets so it extracts vendor, date, tax and total, then push the data to your accounting app through Make.com. Start with one or two vendors to test accuracy.
Why these tools
Nanonets reads the documents and Make.com passes the clean data into your accounting app.
Expected output
Bills and receipts from one or two vendors appearing as structured entries in your books.
4
Categorize and reconcile
Use ChatGPT or Vic.ai rules to assign categories to bank transactions, then check matches against invoices. Example prompt: 'Categorize these transactions using my category list and flag any you are unsure about.'
Why these tools
ChatGPT gives a cheap categorizer now, and Vic.ai is the upgrade path for fully autonomous coding.
Expected output
Categorized bank transactions with a short list of flagged items to review.
5
Chase late payments
Add a Make.com step that checks your unpaid invoice sheet weekly and sends a polite reminder drafted by AI for anything overdue. Escalate the tone automatically after 7 and 14 days.
Why these tools
Make.com runs the weekly check, GPTExcel flags overdue rows and ChatGPT writes the reminders.
Expected output
A weekly automated reminder flow with escalating tone at 7 and 14 days overdue.
6
Monthly review
Generate a summary of revenue, outstanding invoices and expenses and review it for 15 minutes before sending the books to your accountant. Fix any recurring errors in your automation rules.
Why these tools
GPTExcel builds the summary numbers and ChatGPT turns them into a readable review.
Expected output
A one-page monthly summary of revenue, outstanding invoices and expenses ready for your accountant.
Complete Guide
Intermediate4-6 hours for the first run, then about 30 minutes a week and 15 minutes for the monthly reviewBy the end you will have invoices created and sent automatically, bills and receipts flowing into your books, and overdue payments chased without you. You will also have a short monthly review that makes handing over to your accountant painless.
Before you start
- ✓An accounting app account such as QuickBooks, Xero or Wave
- ✓A sheet or project tool where billable work is logged
- ✓Free accounts for Make.com, Nanonets and ChatGPT
- ✓A list of clients, rates and payment terms
- ✓Access to your bank transactions export
1
Set up your source of truth
Choose one accounting app and one place where billable work is logged. Build a single sheet with client, rate, terms, invoice date, amount and status. Keep column names simple so automations can read them reliably.
Example prompt
“My sheet has columns Client, Project, Hourly Rate, Hours, Invoice Date, Amount, Status. Write a formula for Amount that multiplies rate by hours, and a formula that flags rows where Status is Unpaid and Invoice Date is more than 14 days ago.”
Pro tip
Use a dropdown for Status (Draft, Sent, Paid) so automations never meet typos.
Common mistake
Tracking work in several places. Pick one source of truth and migrate everything into it.
2
Automate invoice creation
In Make.com, create a scenario that triggers on a completed project or a new sheet row. Add a module that creates the invoice in your accounting app, then a ChatGPT module that writes the email, then an email send step. Test with a dummy client first.
Example prompt
“Write a short friendly invoice email for {client} for {project}, amount {total}, due in 14 days. Keep it under 80 words and include a thank you.”
Pro tip
Send the first few invoices to yourself as drafts before switching to live client emails.
Common mistake
Going live without testing. Run the scenario with a fake client and check amounts and tax.
3
Capture bills and receipts automatically
Create a Nanonets workflow for invoices and receipts and forward bills from one or two vendors to its inbox. Review the extracted fields and correct mistakes so the model learns. Then connect the output to Make.com by webhook to create bills in your accounting app.
Example prompt
“Action: In Nanonets, create an Invoices workflow, forward three bills from one vendor to the inbox address, correct any wrong fields, then add a webhook to your Make.com scenario.”
Pro tip
Add a Make.com filter that sends low-confidence extractions to a review sheet instead of your books.
Common mistake
Enabling every vendor at once. Start small and expand once accuracy is proven.
4
Categorize and reconcile
Export recent bank transactions, anonymize them, and have ChatGPT assign categories from your own list. Flag unsure items for manual review, then compare matches to your invoices. If volume grows, ask Vic.ai how it would code the same set.
Example prompt
“Categorize these transactions using my category list: Software, Contractors, Travel, Meals, Office, Marketing, Other. Return a table with the description, category and a confidence level, and flag any you are unsure about.”
Pro tip
Save the prompt with your category list as a reusable template so results stay consistent.
Common mistake
Pasting real account numbers or client names. Anonymize before sharing.
5
Chase late payments
Add a weekly scheduled Make.com scenario that reads unpaid invoices and finds those past due. Use ChatGPT to draft a polite reminder, with a firmer tone at 7 and 14 days overdue. Send them and log the date in the sheet.
Example prompt
“Write a polite payment reminder for {client}, invoice {number}, amount {total}, {days} days overdue. Use a friendly tone if under 7 days, firm but professional at 7 to 14 days, and final notice wording after 14 days.”
Pro tip
Log the date of each reminder so a client never gets two in the same week.
Common mistake
Sending reminders for invoices already paid. Update status first and filter on it.
6
Monthly review
Once a month, use GPTExcel formulas to total revenue, outstanding invoices and expenses by category. Ask ChatGPT to summarize anything unusual, spend 15 minutes reviewing, then send to your accountant. Fix any recurring errors in your automation rules.
Example prompt
“Here are my monthly totals: revenue, outstanding invoices and expenses by category. Summarize the key changes versus last month and list anything that looks unusual or needs checking before I send this to my accountant.”
Pro tip
Keep a running list of errors you fix and update the automation rule each time.
Common mistake
Skipping the review because it is automated. Always do the 15-minute check.
Pro tips from power users
- 01Add an error-handling route in Make.com that emails you when any module fails.
- 02Store invoice numbers in the sheet so reruns never create duplicates.
- 03Use separate Make.com scenarios for invoicing, bills and reminders so one issue does not stop everything.
- 04Ask your accountant which categories and tax codes they prefer and bake them into your prompts.
- 05Keep a human approval step for invoices above a set amount.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need to know how to code?
No. Make.com is a visual builder and Nanonets works through forwarded emails and simple settings. You may paste a webhook URL, but no programming is needed.
Is it safe to let AI handle financial data?
Use AI for drafting and categorizing, and anonymize data you paste into ChatGPT. Keep your accounting app as the official record and review outputs before filing.
Which accounting app should I use?
QuickBooks, Xero and Wave all connect to Make.com. Wave is the cheapest, while Xero and QuickBooks offer more features for growing agencies.
Do I need Vic.ai from the start?
Probably not. Nanonets plus ChatGPT categorizing covers most small agencies, and Vic.ai makes more sense when bill volume is high enough to justify it.
How much will this cost?
You can start on free plans for Make.com, Nanonets and ChatGPT. Expect to move to paid tiers as your operation counts and document volume grow, and Vic.ai is quote-based.
Next steps
How to move forward once your workflow is running
- →Track days sales outstanding and hours spent on admin each month to measure the time saved.
- →Add more vendors to Nanonets one at a time once accuracy looks good.
- →Automate a Slack or email alert for failed Make.com runs so nothing silently breaks.
- →Book a Vic.ai demo when you process more than a few hundred bills a month.
Alternative paths
Different approaches depending on your priority
Explore more workflows
What else do you want to build with AI?
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