The Challenge
While strong growth and expansion during the past few years has been very encouraging for the company, it has also brought with it some challenges. Systems and processes that had been supporting operations were struggling to keep up with demands.Pressure was particularly strong in Brennan IT’s finance department where staff were starting to become overwhelmed by the volume of accounts payable invoices needing to be processed and paid.
“We had become very reliant on internal email as a way of forwarding invoices to relevant managers for approval,” says Brennan IT Financial Systems Controller Carolyn Aberneathy. “This had worked when we were smaller, but as the company grew it became increasingly inefficient.”
Aberneathy says Brennan IT was keen to find a way to streamline the workflow processes associated with invoice processing, approvals and payments.
The Solution
In early 2017, a decision was made to find a replacement for the existing invoice processing system. A range of options were considered but none seemed to exactly match the company’s requirements. It was then that IT partner MicroChannel recommended Pacifictech AP Automation solution. “As we were already a user of Sage 300, we felt that augmenting this soft are with increased functionality seemed like the best way forward,” says Aberneathy.The Pacifictech AP Automation solution has components including PW-Web, Payables Workflow and Document Processing Service modules which essentially automates the entire AP invoice process. The data extraction component automatically places the invoices into a console for AP to review. After AP have reviewed and made any changes, they are then submitted into a pre-configured workflow engine. This then directs each invoice to the appropriate manager for their approval.
Managers receive an automated email containing a link that takes them to an approval screen where they can approve it on the spot. If they need more detail, they can open an electronic copy of the invoice and make comments or ask questions.
As soon as the approval has been given, the workflow engine then sends it to the next person in the approvals process chain. Once finally approved, it is returned to the finance team for processing and payment. After a series of demonstrations of the new software and close consultation with Pacifictech, Brennan IT opted to deploy the new solution. The roll-out was completed within 3 months.
The Benefits
With the new Pacifictech AP Automation solution implemented by MicroChannel, the finance department was quickly enjoying some significant benefits.Key benefits:
- Easy access to Invoice Images & Approval Data The ability to drill down from the general ledger to original supplier invoices – very useful during audits..
- Accelerates approval process enormouslyUnder the previous system, invoices could sit waiting for approval for weeks. Now, all managers approve their invoices within two days of being received.
- Time ManagementFrees up valuable time, giving the finance team the ability to focus on other responsibilities.
- Mobility The mobile users can share documents, collaborate and delegate. They can review, edit and approve on the move with easy access to information and source documents to complete approvals at any time, anywhere - without needing to go into the Sage 300 system.
The Conclusion
Aberneathy says, when the time comes to pay invoices, the finance team can readily see who the final approver of any invoice was. There is also no delay in organising payment as all invoices are approved in advance of being entered into the accounting system.The Brennan IT finance team staff has found the new Pacifictech solution straight forward to use and are enjoying its enhanced functionality. “We now have total visibility over who has approved their invoices at all times which is fantastic and something we simply couldn’t do before,” she says.
“We can generate reports that show all outstanding invoices and who has approved each one. It has significantly improved our level of visibility.” Aberneathy says that, thanks to Pacifictech and Sage 300, the finance team is now in a much better position to support the company’s ongoing growth.
From here Brennan IT is looking at adding the new exciting Pacifictech GO App which will allow their approvers and managers to have real-time updates with Sage 300 for processing of approvals, purchase requisitions and invoices from smartphones while they are on the go.