Accounting & Document Routing: Non-Profit Organization Streamlines Invoice Review
The Client
A nonprofit organization based in Seattle, Washington that provides low income families with affordable places to live. The organization has been responsible for the development of over 3,000 living units in Washington and currently owns or manages 48 properties in and around Seattle.
The Client's Need
The organization's process for paying utility bills for each of their properties was not working. Bills would be sent from the utility company to each individual property. A staff member at the property would code the invoice for bookkeeping purposes, sign their approval and pass it on to their supervisor. The supervisor would do the same and then send it to the main office for payment. The problem was the process often took too long, and the bill would be late by the time the finance department in the head office received it.
As a nonprofit organization, the client could not afford to be past due on any bills. Each late payment was subject to a fee, driving up the cost of utilities for no reason. They needed a more efficient way to receive the necessary approvals and get the bills paid on time.
How HighOrbit Helped
HighOrbit used HighOrbit Workflow to streamline the client's invoice handling process. The first step was to change the starting place for the process. Now, all bills are sent directly to the main office. There, someone in the finance department electronically scans each bill, attaches it to a new process in HighOrbit Workflow and uses the system to direct it to the 1st point of contact at the property. That person has the ability to approve and code the invoice within HighOrbit Workflow. As soon as they submit their approval, the bill is passed on to their supervisor. When the supervisor reviews the coding and submits approval, the main office receives an email to let them know it is ok to pay the bill.
To avoid a situation where notifications are forgotten or ignored along the way, a due date is assigned to each step of the process. If the responsible party hasn't completed their task within two days, they receive daily reminder emails until they finish their task. With the new system, the finance department is now able to monitor each invoice and ensure that it is handled within the necessary time required by its deadline.
The Results
The client benefited from the implementation of HighOrbit Workflow in 3 critical ways:
- Time Savings: The bill payment process now operates on a tighter schedule because everyone is aware of each invoice and its status in the process.
- Cost Savings: HighOrbit Workflow was an efficient solution to ensure that financial resources were not squandered on time spent tracking down bills and costs associated with late payment.
- Accountability: Now, if an invoice hits a roadblock, the finance department is able to identify where it is being held up and address the issue. Those responsible for particular tasks are reminded automatically that their task needs to be completed for the project to move forward.
|