What is Straight-Through Processing (STP)?

Straight-through processing executes transactions linearly, without manual steps in between

Straight-through processing is the automatic execution of a transaction from start to finish without manual intervention. STP originated in financial services and now applies to B2B commerce. In Autonomous Commerce, STP rates measure the share of orders, quotes, and claims executed end-to-end by AI agents without human review.

Straight-Through Processing in depth

By Go Autonomous · Last updated: April 28, 2026

Key terms

Touchless: Sub-term in the Touchless category — define in body or link to related cornerstone.
Autonomy rate: Share of transactions executed without human touch.
FTR: First-Time-Right rate, the share of transactions correct on the first pass.
Exception routing: Sub-term in the Exception routing category — define in body or link to related cornerstone.
ERP write-back: Sub-term in the ERP write-back category — define in body or link to related cornerstone.

Proof points

Orders processed in under 60 seconds end-to-end (Go Autonomous benchmark).
18 percent quote-to-order win rate uplift after deployment.
43 percent capacity released across order processing teams.
60 percent throughput per employee gain on autonomous channels.
99 percent first-time-right rate on autonomous orders.
Danfoss processes orders in under 1 minute across 26 countries.
30B+ B2B transactions executed across the Go Autonomous customer base.

Frequently asked questions

Is STP the same as touchless processing?

STP and touchless processing describe the same outcome from different angles. STP emphasizes the linear flow without manual intervention. Touchless emphasizes the absence of human touch.

What STP rate is realistic for B2B orders?

Realistic STP for B2B with AI execution runs 75 to 90 percent depending on master data quality, contract complexity, and policy gates. Without AI, STP for unstructured channels runs below 30 percent.

How does STP affect cost per order?

STP cuts cost per order by 60 to 80 percent. Manual cost per order in manufacturing runs €4 to €15. STP brings marginal cost near zero, with capacity reallocated to growth work.