SCM Real Estate Services provides private owners of office, retail and warehouse properties in Dallas/Fort Worth with property management services.
In the face of the COVID-19 pandemic, like the majority of businesses, SCM had to close down their corporate office; but, because the team automates their AP (accounts payable) processes through AvidXchange, they were able to establish a location-independent workflow quickly and easily, and continue business as usual.
“When we had to close our corporate office and work from home we were able to tell our vendors and renters that their payments wouldn’t be affected, with AvidXchange everything continues on with no interruption.”
– Marijke Van Stichel, Senior Accountant
Challenge: Manual Processes Requiring in Office Presence
Senior Accountant, Marijke Van Stichel, says that prior to working with AvidXchange, SCM relied on outdated processes and manual work.
“We had cabinets full of paper invoices that we would keep. Then, all that information would have to be manually keyed into our accounting system.” As part of the two-person AP team at SCM, Marijke says those manual processes would have required her to be in the office to keep things running.
Solution: Business Continuity Planning Made Easy with AvidXchange
When the global pandemic hit the United States Marijke and team immediately began creating a business continuity plan to prepare for how they would continue to process invoices and make payments when they could not be in the office.
“When everything began happening with Coronavirus the first thing we did was email all of our vendors and renters reminding them that we prefer to have everything processed through AvidXchange, as we did occasionally have one or two invoices still coming into the office,” said Marijke. “This was a real blessing in creating our business continuity plan because when we had to close our corporate office and work from home we were able to tell our vendors and renters that their payments wouldn’t be affected, with AvidXchange everything continues on with no interruption.”
Results: Business as Usual Amidst a Global Pandemic
Thanks to AP automation, Marijke can do her job from home until the office reopens. “I log in once a day, go through the invoices in my queue and, fifteen minutes later, everything is taken care of without any disruption of payments.”
“We were grateful for AvidXchange before we had to close our corporate office, but now even more so as it has been a true life-saver during these uncertain times.”
– Marijke Van Stichel, Senior Accountant
Marijke recommends an automation solution to keep companies prepared for emergencies that may require a remote work setting. “We were grateful for AvidXchange before we had to close our corporate office, but now even more so as it has been a true life-saver during these uncertain times.”
Unexpected emergencies can wreak havoc on the health of your business, employees, and finances. Most organizations acknowledge the severe risks of relying on manual processes, yet 60% of businesses still make payments with paper checks. Automating your AP and payments can ensure that you can manage your AP process from anywhere at any time and continue moving your business forward.