Mansermar
"As we continue to gain efficiencies and learn to better leverage our AvidXchange for ResMan solution, we’ll save even more time, allowing us to reach our goal of growth without added headcount."
Mansermar
Founded in 1982, Georgia-based Mansermar, Inc. is a full-service property management firm specializing in multifamily, low and moderate-income housing for the elderly and mobility impaired.
The company handles day-to-day operation services for Mansermar property owners, the majority of whom are non-profit firms, providing cash management and expense control, contract and vendor negotiation and property accounting and reporting services. They service 64 communities in 14 states across the United States.
• Industry: Real Estate
• Accounting System: ResMan
• Customer Since: 2020
Tammy Busbin joined Mansermar in 2014 and served as its Property Accounting Supervisor for four years. She returned to the company in 2020 to take on the role of Accounting Manager, overseeing a five-person staff.
Since her return, Mansermar automated their AP with AvidInvoice and AvidPay for ResMan. Busbin serves as the administrator for the solution responsible for setting up new users and providing ongoing training and support to more than 140 Mansermar employees—including property managers, assistants and asset managers—who work within the AvidXchange solution to service their clients.
The Error-Prone Paperchase of Manual AP Processing
Before Mansermar automated their AP processes, many of their invoices were sent to their individual properties and they had to be rerouted to headquarters for processing. Mansermar’s accountants wrangled and manually processed each one, often circling back to property teams in numerous states to collect the information they needed to understand and validate an invoice before they could approve it for payment.
“It was a massive manual process and a constant battle to get our invoices and all the backup documentation on them in a timely manner,” said Busbin. “We were always reaching out for invoices and info and waiting for it to be sent before we could process a payment.”
Once invoices were approved, Busbin’s team would manually send batches to their accounting system for payment. Working within disparate systems, even the tiniest detail, such as an apostrophe in the description line of the distribution tab, could throw a wrench in the process, causing an entire batch of invoices to error out and delay payments.
“If there was any little thing that could go wrong in the payments process, it would,” said Busbin.
Errors happened frequently and Busbin estimates that it took an accountant 30 minutes to an hour to figure out what went wrong, fix the problem and resend an entire batch, eating precious time that could be spent on getting their vendors promptly paid.
AvidXchange’s API Integration with ResMan Streamlines Invoice Approvals and Speeds Up Payments to Real Estate Vendors
Fed up with antiquated, manual processes and systems that didn’t work well together, Mansermar upgraded its property management accounting software to ResMan and began searching for an automated AP solution that could integrate and create a more efficient, streamlined AP process.
The company chose AvidXchange’s AvidInvoice and AvidPay, a complete Purchase-to-Pay solution that seamlessly integrates with ResMan. An API integration allows Busbin’s team to electronically collect and process invoices, match them against purchase orders and get vendors paid quickly and securely within one centralized platform.
Mansermar’s vendors now send their invoices directly to the AvidXchange solution so Busbin’s team no longer has to wait for property management teams to collect and mail them or follow up with additional information. Once approved, the invoices go directly into ResMan for payment. The API allows the systems to communicate so details like special characters no longer cause errors or delays.
“The ResMan integration helps substantially by eliminating problems and delays and streamlining the process,” said Busbin. “It’s so much better than our old, manual way of handling payments.”
Mansermar Cuts Invoice and Payment Processing Time by 25%, Tees Up Growth Without Added Headcount
Automating with AvidInvoice and AvidPay for ResMan saves paper and mailing expenses for Mansermar, and Busbin estimates that the integrated solution has already saved her team about 25 percent of their AP processing time.
Two accountants on her team now have extra time on their hands. They are learning new processes, finding efficiencies and focusing on analytics. Their expanded roles ease Busbin’s workload and empower her to take time off without worry.
Her advice to other property management firms that are managing the complexities of handling invoices and payments for scattered properties is simple, “If you shift your processes from manual to an automated, integrated solution, it will save you time and hassle and cut down on errors.”