See how forward-thinking finance teams are future-proofing their organizations through AP automation.
Look before you leap has always been good advice. In this case study highlight, we’re letting you take a behind-the-scenes look at 10 successful implementations of the Tipalti AP automation solution.
Tipalti automation software has a customer retention rate of 99%, and its customer satisfaction rate is 98%. These metrics mean that many customers are happy with their decision to use Tipalti for payables automation and global partner payments. They’re receiving the benefits of accounts payable automation, automated invoice processing, and payments. Tipalti’s customer list includes several well-known customers, including GoDaddy, Roblox, Noom and Canva.
In this article, we cover 10 different case studies of Tipalti accounts payable automation software customers in various industries and stages of global growth. Read these case studies before selecting the time-tested Tipalti solution for your company’s AP automation needs.
10 Accounts Payable Automation Case Studies
The first AP automation case study focuses on Stack Overflow. Nine other case studies follow. Each accounts payable automation case study describes the customer, their industry, their Main AP Problem, and their successful solution to problems in the AP process and results from using Tipalti automation software. For more details, click the link at the end of each company’s section to read Tipalti’s full case study.
Scale and optimize payables with automation
Achieve the same efficiencies and functionality described in each accounts payable automation case study.
1. Stack Overflow Scales Globally for its Next Stage of Growth
Stack Overflow, a Tipalti customer since 2019 using Intacct ERP, achieved significant time reduction and cost savings with Tipalti AP automation software. As documented in its accounts payable automation case study, Stack Overflow gained productivity as it scaled global growth, eliminating the need to hire two additional members of the finance staff and speeded up their accounting close by five days.
Company Intro
Stack Overflow is a popular SaaS company letting software developers that are employees or gig workers collaborate and share knowledge on a private web-based platform called Stack Overflow for Teams, access an extensive public community-based platform for coding questions and answers, and find work. Stack Overflow operates in the online marketplace and software industries.
Main AP Problem
Before using Tipalti for AP automation, Stack Overflow’s UK operations manually processed supplier invoices using data entry. Stack Overflow needed to gain efficiency and have the right multi-entity systems and controls for its plan to go public in the future.
Solution & Results
With Tipalti AP automation, Stack Overflow:
- Eliminated 90% of manual processes in the UK, saving significant time and money
- Expanded Tipalti accounts payable automation implementation to the entire global company
- Provided multicurrency, multi-entity solutions
- Provided visibility to the entire team
- Produced more accurate financial statement data
Everything was being done manually, and there were limitations to our previous system. We needed a solution that we could use for the entire organization—a multicurrency, multi-entity technology that we could roll out for our international operations.
Bradley Clifford | Stack Overflow, UK
2. Lucidworks Increases Financial Controls with Automation
Lucidworks, a Tipalti customer since 2020 using NetSuite ERP, is a fast-growing, global AP automation customer in the software industry. It’s gained substantial benefits from using Tipalti payables automation and global payments software. These AP automation benefits include increased efficiency and spend control, shaving 50% off the financial close time, improving financial controls, and global regulatory compliance, and gaining access to better global payment methods.
Company Intro
Lucidworks is a SaaS software insight engine that helps searchers improve relevancy to meet their online search goals. It serves many industries, including online retail, to help customers find products and information.
Main AP Problem
LucidWorks was keying payables invoices manually into its ERP system, chasing down W-8 and W-9 forms from suppliers for tax compliance, making 40 to 50 costly international wire transfers for a bill run and spending unnecessary time on foreign exchange conversion. It had limited system ability to manage spending and forecast its costs to proactively control its burn rate.
Solution & Results
By adding Tipalti’s proven AP automation and global payments software with NetSuite ERP integration, LucidWorks:
- Gained better control over spending and applied more financial controls
- Accessed better and less expensive global payment methods and easy FX conversion to local currencies
- Reaped efficiencies and cost savings
- Achieved easier tax compliance and better global regulatory compliance for cross-border payments
- Improved its spend management and cost forecasting for the year
As part of its functionality, Tipalti software provides digital automatic invoice matching with purchase order (PO) and receiving document matching. This is called three-way matching in accounting.
PO matching allows us to initiate financial strategies and control spending. I don’t think about FX or currencies anymore—we pay bills out of Tipalti and exchange them into any currency. That’s essential for a growing, international business. PO matching with Tipalti allows us to be more strategic with how we handle cash burn.
Andrew Jenks, LucidWorks
3. PubMatic Scales Global Operations & Improves Publisher Satisfaction
PubMatic, a Tipalti payables automation and mass payments customer since 2018 in the digital advertising industry, must be efficient and accurate in making payments to its publishers in several different countries and currencies. It uses NetSuite as its ERP system in combination with Tipalti’s award-winning accounts payable automation software.
Company Intro
PubMatic is a growing company providing a global sell-side platform for digital advertisers, publishers, and independent app and online content developers.
Main AP Problem
PubMatic was inefficient in processing payments to international publishers in many countries with different banks. Its supplier onboarding was manual, performed by the accounts payable staff. Global business processes needed streamlining to gain efficiency. Financial controls could be strengthened to reduce the risks of making manual payments.
Solution & Results
By implementing and using Tipalti automation software, PubMatic:
- Substantially streamlined its AP process
- Improved cross-border payments efficiency and payment methods
- Saved time with self-service supplier onboarding and communications
- Enhanced financial controls
- Scaled the growth of its global operations
We’re saving massive amounts of time and have increased financial controls. With the Tipalti and NetSuite integration, we’ve streamlined as much as possible.
Jason Wechsler, PubMatic
4. Sezzle’s Financial Operations Sizzle with Tipalti
Sezzle, a buy now pay later (BNPL) financial services company for eCommerce merchants, has used Tipalti AP automation software since 2020. Its ERP system, with which Tipalti integrates, is Intacct. Sezzle credits Tipalti with reducing their need to hire more financial team members, automating vendor onboarding, speeding up invoice approvals, and automatically reconciling payments.
Company Intro
Sezzle is a multinational financial services company enabling eCommerce buyers to split their purchases into four interest-free payments to enhance affordability and increase merchants’ sales. Sezzle has experienced rapid growth. Sezzle’s fourth quarter 2021 earnings report indicated a 76% annual increase in the number of merchants served to 47,000. For the year, Sezzle active consumers grew 51.5% to 3.4 million.
Main AP Problem
Before Tipalti, Sezzle was using many inefficient manual processes. It needed a unified system for supplier onboarding to achieve tax compliance and track payments. Sezzle was overpaying by paying duplicate invoices from vendors. Invoice approval had bogged down. The payments process needed more financial controls and efficiency. Accounts reconciliation took eight days. With its fast growth, Sezzle needed automation software that scales and handles the growing complexity of its business, including international operations.
Solution & Results
With Tipalti accounts payable automation and global payments software, Sezzle:
- Eliminated manual AP and payments processes with invoice automation and automated payments account reconciliation
- Automated the invoice approval process and added self-service supplier onboarding
- Stopped double paying invoices, improving financial controls and cash flow
- Scaled up system management of its growing multinational business
- Reduced additional hires
I like scheduling payments through Tipalti. I pay the bills and fund the account. There are no manual modifications at the end of the month with our seamless ERP integration, and payments flow automatically.
Sean Doheny, Sezzle
5. Therabody Eliminates 60 Hours Per Month of AP Work
Therabody, a Tipalti payables automation customer since 2018, uses Tipalti integrated with NetSuite ERP. Therabody was looking for an accounts payable automation system that would maintain a low headcount for accounts payable, increase visibility, and automate payments, tax compliance, and approval workflows. It found that best fit in Tipalti.
Company Intro
Therabody is a health, wellness, and fitness industry company with hand-held percussive therapy devices for muscle treatment.
Main AP Problem
Therabody was handling the present well. But it wanted to be proactive in managing accounts payable with an increasing number of global vendors and international payments expected from growth. Other goals were to become more strategic and hire fewer payables staff.
Solution & Results
With Tipalti AP automation and global payments software, Therabody:
- Scaled for global efficiency and continued control over cash management
- Automated almost all finance functions
- Reduced financial new hires needs
- Added a strategic focus to improve business results with analysis and decision-support
- Increased financial visibility
Now, we have time to find ways to reduce costs and enhance revenues. We’re focused on strategy, not just making sure that people are getting paid on time. I can’t imagine what our AP process would look like without Tipalti.
Kevin Crowley, Therabody
6. Younique Eliminates Manual Invoice Processing with Automation
Younique, a multi-level-marketing (MLM) retailer of beauty products, has been a Tipalti payables automation software customer since 2019, integrating it with their NetSuite ERP system. Younique needed the digital transformation benefits of moving from a manual accounts payable system and increased visibility for a scaling business.
Company Intro
Younique is a direct-to-consumer beauty company, selling cosmetics products through an independent sales network. It performs in-house R&D and testing of its products. Younique needed to advance from manual invoice processing, reduce the number of supplier invoices, increase visibility to cut costs, and continue a lean focus as it scales growth.
Main AP Problem
Younique’s Main AP Problem was the inefficiency of its manual invoice processing in the accounts payable function, including 3-way purchase order matching.
Solution & Results
After implementing Tipalti AP automation, Younique:
- Initiated self-service supplier onboarding and vendor management
- Automated invoice processing, 3-way PO matching, and approvals
- Saved 2,080 hours in accounts payable
- Eliminated the need for more headcount
- Gained the ability to scale global growth
We wanted to utilize our knowledge of the numbers to drive down costs. To run as lean as possible, we knew we needed to explore automation. Our goal is to stay lean, save costs, and provide top-notch customer service—we want to support future products and future international expansion.
Chris Hurst, Younique
7. TuneIn Turns Up Scalability of Financial Operations
TuneIn, a company in the video and digital media industry, has been a Tipalti customer since 2019, integrating Tipalti AP automation and global payments software with its NetSuite ERP system. TuneIn was looking for global payments efficiency and effective solutions for compliance.
Company Intro
TuneIn is an audio streaming platform combining sports, news, curated music, 100,000 radio stations, and 5,700,000 podcasts in its free TuneIn Radio app, ad-reduced TuneInRadio Pro subscription, and TuneIn Premium subscription that adds live sports games and over 30 curated music stations and reduces advertising on its apps.
Main AP Problem
TuneIn’s Main AP Problem was using separate platforms for domestic and international payments, instead of a single platform.
Solution & Results
TuneIn gained the benefits it was seeking from Tipalti software:
- Consolidated domestic and international payments in a single platform
- Increased accounts payable workflow and approvals efficiency
- Started self-service supplier onboarding for efficiency and vendor legitimacy validation
- Automated real-time reporting, saving three days
- Gained financial transparency and greater visibility
We wanted to implement a solution that brought all of our payments under one umbrella, and we wanted technology that would improve compliance. At the end of the month, I feel confident in our cash control, treasury, and accrual processes. Plus, we’ve greatly reduced the time spent collecting tax forms for our accounting analysts.
Julia Farquharson, TuneIn
8. Skillshare Saves Time & Scales Financial Operations with Tipalti
Skillshare, a Tipalti customer since 2018, is in the online services and education industry. Tipalti integrates with its accounting software, QuickBooks Online. Skillshare needed to take its accounts payable and payments to the next level and scale for fast global growth by switching to Tipalti.
Company Intro
Skillshare is a company offering thousands of online education courses on creative topics, including graphic design, drawing, photography, and animation, for a paid membership fee. One of its methods for attracting Skillshare course participants is using influencers.
Main AP Problem
Skillshare needed to streamline payments efficiency, improve payments timeliness, and gain scalability for higher invoice volume from global growth and added complexity.
Solution & Results
With Tipalti payables automation and global payments software, Skillshare:
- Gained invoice processing efficiency
- AP team reduced payments time from three hours per week to just minutes
- Achieved its goal of timely influencer payments
- Scaled and gained AP and payments capabilities for international growth
- Added trust and financial controls
We used to spend three hours a week making payments. Now, it’s down to minutes. If you’re not paying people on time, you’re not professional. Having a best in class payments platform is a big benefit for our influencers.
Leslie Pesante | Head of Finance, Skillshare
9. Vivino Centralizes Multi-Subsidiary AP Operations and Gains Financial Visibility
Vivino, a Tipalti customer since 2020, is an online wine marketplace. Tipalti integrates seamlessly with their NetSuite ERP. Vivino likes Tipalti’s AP centralization, self-service vendor, contractor, and wine partner onboarding, automated invoice processing, approvals routing, and fast global payments processing. Most importantly, Vivino finds Tipalti’s unified platform with localized languages and visibility for cash flow planning essential.
Company Intro
Vivino is the world’s largest online wine marketplace. It is known for its comprehensive user ratings by winery, wine type, and vintage. Wine drinkers using Vivino’s mobile app or website use these ratings and reviews to select the best wine to purchase.
Main AP Problem
Vivino needed to switch from an inefficient manual accounts payable and payments system and increase the visibility of accounts payable cash requirements as it operates globally in many countries.
Solution & Results
By using Tipalti AP automation and global payments software, Vivino:
- Gained self-service supplier (and partner) onboarding, validation, and payee tax compliance
- Shifted from manual invoice processing to OCR and efficient automated invoice processing and approvals
- Reduced payment processing from hours to minutes
- Gained visibility of global invoices due and remitted payments
- Achieved scalability for global growth
Our payment process has gone from hours down to just 10 minutes. I really want my team to be able to focus on using their brains for the fun and exciting accounting items, not necessarily the [manual] more monotonous, process-oriented ones. Having a platform that had localized languages was a must have for us. That’s kind of how we came to use Tipalti. It really was a no brainer.
Becca Simmons, Vivino, Head of Finance, EMEA
10. Aceable Implements Automation as a Single Source of Truth for its `Financial Operations
Aceable, a Tipalti customer since 2020, offers online drivers education and other courses. The Tipalti AP automation software integrates with its NetSuite ERP. Aceable needed to digitize and automate an error-prone manual accounts payable process for multi-entities that would scale with growth.
Company Intro
Aceable is a growing education company with over 1,000 hours of course content in state-relevant driver education and career training, using multiple entities.
Main AP Problem
Aceable had an inefficient manual payables system, difficult systems integration with an acquired multi-entity company, errors to correct, and needed to enter multiple vendors for every entity when an integration tool didn’t help.
Solution & Results
By integrating Tipalti accounts payable automation software with NetSuite, Aceable was able to:
- Reduce manual data-entry and workflows for substantial processing time efficiency
- Improve 1099 supplier tax compliance
- Set up new entities and scale growth without additional finance headcount
- Generate accurate financial data
- Shift to important, higher-level work
By reducing manual processes with Tipalti, Aceable used OCR (optical character recognition) scanning to digitize paper invoices, achieved invoice processing and approvals workflow routing efficiency, reduced human errors, and automated the consolidated payment reconciliation process. Aceable significantly cut its processing costs.
We can easily add in new legal entities. We scale with the process. The company has access to complete, accurate, and transparent financial data that is dependable, timely, and a source of truth for our financial operations.
Nancy Spencer, Aceable
Many of the use cases described in this article mention ERP integrations with Intacct and NetSuite, which are Tipalti partners. Tipalti integrates with most ERP systems and accounting software like QuickBooks and Xero.
Conclusion
Tipalti customers are loyal because Tipalti has saved them time and money by streamlining processes and reducing the end-to-end payables workflow by 80%. Your business will have time to take supplier early payment discounts, saving substantial costs on purchases. You should be able to reduce AP department hiring with less human intervention needed.
Tipalti AP automation and global payments software includes:
- Self-service supplier onboarding and validation with supplier payments tax compliance tracking
- OCR data capture scanning to convert paper-based invoices to digital invoices
- Artificial intelligence / Machine learning (AI / ML) and robotic process automation (RPA)
- Supplier validation, discrepancy alerts, and financial controls to reduce errors and fraud risks
- Automated global regulatory compliance
- Automatic real-time payments reconciliation
Tipalti payables automation and global payments software solves customers’ accounts payable problems, speeds up their accounting close, and provides greater real-time visibility, freeing time to improve business results using strategic finance. To reap the full benefits of advanced AP automation, book a demo with one of our experts today.
