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State Government education provider

AP Automation for Higher Education

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Transforming supplier invoice and payments with SpendConsole and SAP Business Network for TAFE New South Wales

Implementing SpendConsole led to a 35% reduction in manual invoice handling and the seamless transition of 100% of email invoices.This allowed us to decommission legacy systems like Kofax and Process Director. The integration with SAP Business Network proved effective, ensuring a smooth experience for suppliers and modernizing our financial operations.

35%
Reduction in manual effort
100%
Email invoices transitioned
16
Weeks to Value
User feedback
Client profile

Our customer is the largest training and vocational education provider in Australia, with an extensive network of over 110 colleges operating state-wide.

They offer a diverse range of courses to nearly half a million students annually, spanning from hairdressing to welding, graphic design, business management, and even commercial aviation. To support its extensive course offerings, the customer maintains relationships with 4,000 active suppliers and spends over $400 million annually on goods and services.

Business challenges


To manage their vast supplier base and sustain their course offerings, our customers implemented the SAP Business Network and Ariba solutions for their Source to Pay processes.

While the implementation was largely successful, nearly 45% of invoice volumes continued to be sent via email, posing challenges in invoice and payment processing. The reliance on manual handling and OCR scanning for invoice data entry led to inefficiencies, poor user experience, and significant supplier queries. The organization faced difficulties in ensuring compliance controls were met and achieving visibility on payments.

Approach

After an extensive market evaluation, the customer chose SpendConsole for its cutting-edge AI capabilities and seamless integration with SAP Business Network and Ariba solutions.

A collaborative effort involving a small team of procurement, finance, and ICT resources worked with the SpendConsole team to implement the solution successfully in just over 12 weeks, replacing the legacy OCR solution.

Solution

SpendConsole’s AI-driven platform was implemented to tackle the inefficiencies of managing diverse invoice formats and submission channels, leading to a more efficient and automated invoice processing system.

  • Versatile invoice management
    Handles various formats (PDF, JPEG, Excel, CSV) and supports multiple submission channels (eInvoices, SAP Business Network, Email).
  • Automated validation
    Aligns invoices with purchase orders, rejecting or quarantining non-compliant entries.
  • Seamless SAP integration
    Integrates with SAP Business Network and Ariba, enhancing workflow efficiency.
  • Rapid implementation
    Completed 100% migration of manual invoices in 16 weeks.
  • Operational Benefits
    Improved efficiency, compliance, and user experience.
  • Insightful Reporting
    New dashboards and reports provide valuable Accounts Payable insights.

Results

The successful implementation of SpendConsole brought about transformative results for our customers.

They experienced a 35% reduction in manual effort or time savings, thanks to the powerful AI capabilities of SpendConsole. Automation of invoice processing significantly reduced the need for manual data entry, leading to faster and more accurate payments. The precise and automated validation process ensured that invoices were processed accurately and efficiently, resulting in reduced query resolutions and a smoother supplier experience.
The introduction of SpendConsole’s AI-powered automation rules further streamlined the process by automatically handling exceptions and deviations from the standard invoice processing workflow. This resulted in reduced manual intervention, faster invoice resolution, and enhanced compliance controls. The seamless integration with SAP Business Network and Ariba empowered suppliers, AP teams, and business stakeholders to enjoy a highly intuitive user experience with the unified platform. The new dashboards and reports provided valuable insights into Accounts Payable performance and spend classification, facilitating data-driven decision-making for better financial management.

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What our client
say about us
“We’ve reduced a number of manual touchpoints with seamless integration with Ariba.”
Amina Bello
Director of Shared Services
Moving forward
The success of SpendConsole’s implementation has marked the beginning of a fruitful collaboration with our customers.
Numerous additional business requirements have been implemented, strengthening the partnership further. As the largest training and vocational education provider in Australia, our customer continues to empower its communities by providing high-quality education, now supported by an efficient and streamlined invoice processing system through SpendConsole.
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