Challenge

Smyths Toys had experienced a significant period of growth, both organically and through major acquisitions across Europe. As a result, their supplier base had grown considerably, and they faced challenges in processing invoices across multiple locations. Their manual invoice processes involved a number of different touchpoints, with AP staff needing to manually route invoices to the appropriate business user for approval. This process would sometimes take several days, particularly if an invoice needed to be queried. The process had become all the more difficult with the switch to remote working. Smyths Toys required an automated solution in order to remove the inefficiencies and high costs within their AP process.

Solution

Smyths Toys chose SoftCo ExpressAP to replace their manual AP processes and handle their growing number of invoices to speed up approval times and payments to vendors. Implementation of ExpressAP was rapid and the efficient onboarding and training coupled with the user experience of the solution ensured the benefits of the system could be experienced immediately. Smyths Toys staff can now log onto the centralized AWS hosted cloud-based solution from their remote locations with unique login details and specific permissions, in order to carry out their duties. The solution captures all vendor invoices, replacing manual data entry allowing the AP team to code the correct GL and cost center and instantly send for approval.

Results

SoftCo ExpressAP has enabled Smyth’s Toys to gain complete visibility and control over their accounts payable process and has removed the manual processing of their growing number of invoices. As a result, invoice processing costs have been significantly reduced. Invoice approval times have decreased by almost 30% in only the first 3 months of using the system, resulting in more on-time payments, enhanced supplier relations and fewer queries.