Are your employees spending too much time with manual accounts payable processes when they could be focusing on high-value, strategic projects? Read how First Business Bank's Integrated Payables solution helped a client streamline operations, cut costs, and facilitate a fully remote AP process. This case study demonstrates the power of AP automation to create efficiency within your company. 

The Challenge: Drowning in Manual Accounts Payable 

A professional services firm faced significant challenges with their manual accounts payable process that took a lot of time and created workflow inefficiencies. Their finance team, led by one employee, managed all AP payment processing from a physical office location, creating bottlenecks and limiting operational flexibility. 

Key challenges of manual AP processing included: 

  • Time-intensive manual check processing - Payment processing took five to six hours per week, often extending past business hours and requiring overtime compensation 
  • Complex physical handling requirements - AP processes forced staff to print invoice pages, prepare check remittance advice, fold checks, stuff envelopes, and coordinate postage for hundreds of B2B vendor payments 
  • Geographic constraints limiting remote work - The accounts payable process required employees to be in the office, preventing them from working fully remotely even during changing business conditions 
  • Multiple cost centers - B2B check expenses, envelope costs, and postage created additional AP overhead beyond labor costs 

First Business Bank Delivers Customized Integrated Payables Solution 

First Business Bank's Treasury Management team implemented a custom, comprehensive Integrated Payables solution that consolidated multiple payment methods into a streamlined, digital-first approach. The solution addressed the client's operational pain points while enabling remote work capabilities. 

Implementation delivered: 

  • Dramatic time reduction - Weekly processing time decreased from five to six hours to just two hours total, representing a 75% efficiency improvement 
  • Simplified daily operations - The Integrated Payables component now requires only 30 minutes maximum per processing day, often completed in 15 minutes 
  • Enhanced operational flexibility - Payment processing can now be completed entirely remotely, supporting the company's transition to 100% remote operations 
  • Streamlined vendor communication - First Business Bank's supplier enablement team proactively works with vendors to convert from check payments to ACH, reducing manual intervention 
  • Improved payment timing - Payments are processed and delivered the next business day, providing better cash flow predictability compared to previous mail-dependent timing 

When implemented, Integrated Payables creates a comprehensive, end-to-end accounts payable automation platform that reduces manual work and fraud risk.