Mattressman is the UK’s largest online mattress specialist, selling hundreds of mattress models and bedroom furniture from top manufacturers. Since 2004, the retailers have grown from one mattress shop in Norfolk to managing 10 stores nationwide.
Towards the end of 2019, Stratas implemented an invoice processing automation solution for the retailers. This saved the company a huge amount of time within accounts payable.
We recently spoke with the team at Mattressman about the solution. John Kirkum, Finance Director, Gillian Roffey, from Purchase Ledger, and Eric Hoffbauer, from IT, joined us to provide their perspectives from different areas of the business.
Why did Mattressman decide to automate accounts payable?
Prior to implementation, the team were spending hours scanning supplier invoices and inputting the data into their Sage accounting system. Suppliers were sending huge volumes of paper invoices, many of which just had just one item per page. It was difficult to keep on top of, and that was pre-Covid.
Implementation of Accounts Payable Automation
The implementation of the accounts payable automation solution was very straightforward. In particular, the team at Mattressman were impressed with the familiar interface. This made using it alongside their Sage accounting system even easier. Not to mention, the solution is Sage Certified, so it is the preferred choice for Sage users to automate invoice processing.
The team found the training courses thorough and helpful and appreciated the refresher courses that Stratas offered every few months after implementation.
“The training courses we received were excellent and we were even provided with some refresher courses every few months after implementation.”
Eric Hoffbauer, IT
The Main Benefits of Invoice Processing Automation
For Mattressman, the main benefit of the solution was the amount of time it saved within Accounts Payable.
Another benefit is that invoices are now digitised and kept in one place. Previously, the team had to enter invoice data manually and scan the paper invoice into Sage to keep an electric copy of the invoice. They no longer have to do this as the system automatically archives all invoices, which are now received via email.
Previously, Gillian filled up a paper storage box a month with invoices and delivery notes. Now, she may only fill this up in a year.
“I don’t know how we would have coped working from home due to Covid if we hadn’t implemented this solution beforehand. There is no way we would have kept up with the invoices.”
Gillian Roffey, Purchase Ledger
Have the benefits translated into effective savings?
In the last 12 months, the level of invoices had increased significantly for Mattressman. If they had not implemented the solution when they did, they would have likely had to employ another member of staff to keep up with the workload of processing invoices.
Just a few years ago, 2.5 people were solely responsible for processing invoices. Now, Gillian only needs to commit half a day to invoice processing. This has enabled her to regain valuable time to focus on other financial processes.
“The solution has saved us the cost of paper, ink, and storage space and we haven’t had to take on any new staff to help with the workload.”
John Kirkum, Finance Director
Stratas Support
Mattressman were very complimentary of the support they received from both Stratas and PaperLess. Anything they have raised has been addressed so that they are able to continue using the platform efficiently.
Additionally, they were impressed that Stratas were able to provide a solution that aligned with their business needs when the core purchase to pay automation product exceeded their requirements.
“We were shown all of the sophisticated solutions that Stratas offer; however, they matched the solution perfectly with our needs without trying to push a solution with technology that exceeded our requirements.”
John Kirkum, Finance Director
Invoice Processing Automation during COVID-19
Mattressman now processes and manages supplier invoices digitally. As a result, the team have been able to continue working without disruption throughout the pandemic. Everyone has visibility of the invoices, which has prevented them from going back and forth to the office.
Without the solution, Gillian would have constantly been going into the office to collect paper invoices and move them between the team. Not only would this have been inefficient, but it could also have been a serious health risk. Now, Gillian visits the office once every two weeks for no more than 30 minutes to attend to unrelated paperwork.
By implementing invoice processing automation early, the finance team were well-equipped for any disruption.
“We all have access to the invoices while working remotely. This has made the entire process easier and more efficient as we have visibility of the same thing.”
John Kirkum, Finance Director
The Solution: Data Forge Invoice Processing Automation
Data Forge Invoice Processing, powered by PaperLess, is the cost-effective choice for Sage users who have a goal to automate invoice processing. It brings together automatic invoice recognition, automatic matching and closing of purchase orders, online invoice approval and full automation of emailed invoices.
Documents remain secure within the organisation, invoices requiring approval are distributed in a process that is set by you, and document lookups can be done straight from Sage. This allows team members to quickly find exactly what information they are looking for.
“It has certainly made a real impact and the time it has saved us has been significant.”
John Kirkum, Finance Director
Start saving time and money by reducing the manual entry of accounting data, in just one day.