Datanovel know-how
Make VAT verification part of the workflow
Reduce repeated lookup, evidence capture and handling around a common supplier-data check.
The work around a VAT check often extends beyond entering a number. Someone identifies the supplier, opens the source, interprets the response, saves evidence and decides what to do next. Improving the whole sequence can matter more than speeding up the lookup alone.
Start with the business triggers
Onboarding, periodic supplier review, data cleansing and migration can all create a need to verify recorded information. Invoice matching and other operational processes may use the same identifiers.
Map where the check already occurs and whether different teams repeat it independently. Agree when existing evidence is sufficient and when a fresh check is needed for the intended use.
Keep the request and the evidence connected
A workflow can accept a single case or an approved batch, validate inputs, request verification and return a structured result to the originating record. Your existing case-management, data or communication platform can provide the working surface.
Retain the input, source response, check time and any reference number provided. Make invalid formats and uncompleted checks visible, rather than returning only the successful results.
Route useful exceptions
Send a relevant summary to the responsible team through an approved channel, such as an existing task queue or email. Include the discrepancy and the point to verify. A manager should not need to reconstruct the context from an isolated status code.
Review unexpected responses before changing supplier data. HMRC documents service issues that can affect genuine registrations, and VIES responses may be delayed or unavailable. A shared VAT number also does not necessarily identify one legal entity.
Measure the handling effort
Use the client's actual check volumes and observed task times to estimate the opportunity. Include manual exceptions, supplier follow-up and review effort when comparing the proposed workflow with current practice.
Illustrative workload: 5,000 suppliers checked twice a year, plus 100 new suppliers each month, produce 11,200 checks. At an assumed two minutes of manual handling each, that is about 373 hours, or 50 working days at 7.5 hours per day. These are hypothetical inputs, not measured savings. Any business case must deduct the handling and exceptions that remain in the proposed workflow.
Datanovel implements the agreed capability within the client's systems, with the team involved in testing, operation and handover. The scope covers integration and ongoing responsibilities as well as the verification step.
Official sources for the checks described