- Automated invoice processing for Sage 200
- Faster and easier retrieval of documents
- Increased control over company-wide spending
Customer Profile
- Turf supplier for a variety of clients.
- Three farms across the North East: York, Pocklington and Grantham.
- Customers include golf courses, schools, and even Ascot racecourse.
About Inturf
Founded in 1985 and based in Yorkshire, Inturf are a top-of-the-range turf supplier, providing products to a range of clients including landscapers, community spaces, sports fields, and schools. They have three turf farms in York, Pocklington and Grantham, and have supplied turf for many exciting projects, including the turfing of London’s sailing park for the Olympics, Lord’s and Edgbaston’s cricket grounds, Carnoustie golf course and Ascot Racecourse.
The Challenge
Inturf previously processed all invoices manually, which was quite a challenge and very time-consuming considering they processed 200 invoices per month. Sharon Hampton, Inturf’s Accounts Assistant, would print out all invoices she received, and manually type them onto their Sage
200 finance system, with coding added to the entry. This already took up a lot of her time each day and was quite tedious.
Once on Sage 200, she would store a paper copy away in a drawer until she had the time to batch scan them into a storage system and then dispose of them – “A waste of paper, really,” said Sharon. This was not an effective way of storing the documents as the storage system did not have OCR capabilities, and therefore the invoices were saved under the date they were scanned into the system, not the date they were received. This made retrieving documents in the future more complex. Sharon explained, “It was quite hard work finding a specific invoice long-term, it was quite tedious.” As colleagues also didn’t have visibility of the invoices, they would have to go to her to ask for past copies, taking a significant amount of time.
”We’ve got a lot of confidence with Agilico and nothing seems too much trouble. We are happy to recommend Agilico to others whenever and wherever possible.
Alex EdwardsJoint Managing Director, Inturf
The Solution
When first approached by Agilico about automating their accounts payable process using Agilico Verify, Sharon was initially sceptical: “I was apprehensive at first with Verify. I thought I wouldn’t get on with this, but now, I couldn’t be without it.”
However, Inturf had already purchased a few products from Agilico, including managed print and a document and data workflow solution. They were happy with the service we had already provided to them so it made sense for them to trust us with their invoice processing after discovering how it had helped others and therefore decided that Verify was the solution for them.
Implementation
Inturf signed up to Verify just as the latest version was released, which provides businesses with even more controls over invoice routing and approval. They decided to wait a couple of weeks for that to be released before they were set up on the system as it suited their needs a lot better. As Sharon explains, “The new version of Verify does everything we need and more. I was told it would evolve as we evolve, which it has done.”
The implementation and setup process was quick and painless, and any little teething problems they had were fixed immediately by the Agilico Support Team. The system has worked exactly as they needed it to since.
”I was apprehensive at first with Verify. I thought I wouldn’t get on with this, but now, I couldn’t be without it!
Sharon HamptonAccounts Assistant, Inturf
An Automated Invoice Processing Solution
Now Inturf are saving a significant amount of time when it comes to invoice processing. All received supplier invoices are forwarded to Verify where the data is intelligently captured. Sharon then goes onto the system and triages and codes the invoices. Verify then automatically sends the invoices to the correct employees for approval based on the coding selected. Once approved, the data is posted to Sage 200. All invoices are stored within Verify for quick and easy retrieval. “It’s a lot quicker and a lot more useful for me personally,” says Sharon.
As the rest of the business also has access to the system, they can easily access a copy of an invoice if needed, saving Sharon the time trying to find copies for them in their previous storage system. Sharon said “The rest of the team can go and view an invoice at any point. Before they would have
to ask me for a copy, which I would have to print out, but now they can check the system themselves, saving both of us time.” Plus, if an invoice is yet to be approved, she can easily see whom it is sat with and chase them to complete their actions on it.
One surprising change is that Verify has helped the business become more cost-effective as a whole. Managers can now see exactly what impact a purchase will have on their budgets, and because of this are only purchasing goods or services exactly when they need them, rather than purchasing items in advance just in case. Sharon explains, “It’s cost-effective for us in that way, for people to know exactly what they’re spending, how much they’re spending and how much the things they’re buying cost, it has made the business more cost-effective.” Alex Edwards, Joint Managing Director at Inturf, adds, “They’ve got more ownership and they’re a bit more accountable now.”
”I like seeing that other people in the company are also seeing what budgets they have available for their area a little bit more.
Sharon HamptonAccounts Assistant, Inturf
Unexpected Benefits
As invoice processing is now a task for the whole company, not just for Sharon, it has taken a lot of stress off of her. The whole company now works together to ensure invoices are being processed correctly. For example, if Sharon has accidentally coded an invoice to the wrong area, the approver can spot this and easily send it back to her to resolve. This ensures budgets are not overspent and all invoices are processed correctly before being posted onto Sage 200.
Verify has also helped Sharon identify suppliers who have changed names without informing them. She told us about one situation where an invoice had come in from a business she hadn’t heard of, but when Verify captured the data off the invoice and matched the VAT number with existing supplier records on Sage 200, it discovered who the supplier actually was. This saved Sharon the task of researching who the company was, and after updating the supplier name in Sage 200, this change appeared instantly in Verify.
Sharon regularly uses Verify’s customisable reporting tool to cross-check how much has been spent on certain codes, if invoices have been fully processed, and spend against certain suppliers. It has helped both Sharon and the rest of the business become more accountable for their finances and have a better understanding of the impact certain purchases have. Inturf have also given access to Verify to their accountant, who can log in and view documents as needed. This comes in handy as any problems can be resolved quickly, while the accountant can access the financial information they need to give Inturf better financial insights.
Inturf only have positive things to say about Agilico, and Alex happily recommends Agilico and our products to their customers and suppliers. In fact, they have been known to show Verify to visitors to their office! Alex concludes, “Agilico have been a pleasure to deal with and nothing seems too much trouble. We’ve got a lot of confidence with Agilico and we are happy to recommend Agilico to others whenever and wherever possible.”
”The rest of the team can go and view an invoice at any point. Before they would have to ask me for a copy, which I would have to print out, but now they can check the system themselves, saving both of us time.
Sharon HamptonAccounts Assistant, Inturf