NOTE: This mini-case study is based on a real client engagement, but the client’s identity has been kept anonymous. The details reflect genuine outcomes and processes, while the company name has been withheld for confidentiality. However, our client is happy to be used as a reference. Contact us to find out more.
When leadership teams begin exploring a system change, it is usually because operational inefficiencies have become too costly to ignore.
This was the case for a global technology company within the SaaS Industry, with nearly 23,000 customers in 155 countries and over 1,000 employees worldwide.
The company’s procurement and finance operations were struggling with:
- Supplier records that were inconsistent and difficult to manage across multiple business units.
- Purchase orders created through untracked emails and spreadsheets, leading to thousands of requests each month with little visibility.
- Manual invoice processing of hundreds of invoices weekly, resulting in delays, errors, and strained supplier relationships.
- No integrated framework linking procurement and finance, creating silos and duplicated effort.
They sought a solution that would not only eliminate inefficiencies but also scale with the business and deliver results quickly.
The company knew that they were looking for a technology partner who would not only fix inefficiencies but also create a scalable framework for long-term operational improvement; Finansys proved to be the right provider with its unique combination of deep NetSuite expertise and the UniFi automation platform.
FinanSys delivered the results, providing a faster, more controlled, and cost-efficient way of working that continues to support their growth.
The Foundation: NetSuite and UniFi Working Seamlessly
Working in collaboration with FinanSys, they implemented Oracle NetSuite alongside UniFi to create a single, automated procure-to-pay framework.
They needed a native ERP with proven scalability (NetSuite) and an automation layer purpose-built for finance (UniFi).
These were their core areas of focus:
Vendor Onboarding
Standardising vendor onboarding through UniFi, the company gained confidence that every supplier record entered into NetSuite was accurate, compliant, and consistent. This removed the cost of cleaning up duplicate or incomplete data, providing the finance team with a reliable foundation for all downstream procurement activities.
Purchase Orders
Replacing email-based approvals with UniFi’s structured process gave the business greater control over commitments before spend occurred. Budget checks and automated routing reduced delays and ensured approvals happened quickly, while finance leaders gained real-time visibility of purchasing activity across the organisation.
Purchase Invoices
With UniFi Autonomous Processes handling data capture and validation, invoice processing time dropped significantly. Finance teams no longer spent hours rekeying information or chasing mismatched entries. Exceptions were surfaced immediately, allowing quicker resolution and stronger supplier relationships.
The Overall Impact
Together, these changes created a procurement process that was faster, more accurate, and more transparent.
With additional benefits experienced that include accelerated cycle times, lower processing costs, and cleaner data feeding directly into leadership decisions, transforming procurement from a bottleneck into a strategic enabler.
Operational costs decreased by 33% per month, invoice processing time was reduced by approximately 89%, and error rates were lowered by up to 99%. Supplier queries also dropped sharply as data quality improved.
The leadership team could rely on clean data to make better financial decisions, with reports now produced in hours rather than days.
“With UniFi and NetSuite, we have taken weeks out of our processes and given our finance team the tools and data they need to work with confidence,” said the company’s CFO.
The 6-Step Process They Took – And How You Can Too
The transformation this company achieved was not limited to procurement. The same principles can be applied to any operational area where inefficiency and poor visibility are holding your organisation back.
Here is the approach they used, adapted so you can apply it in your own organisation:
Step 1 – Identify the Cost of Inefficiency
They began by quantifying the cost of inefficiency to the business. For example, they calculated that manual invoice handling alone consumed more than 250 staff hours each month.
By quantifying wasted time and effort, they built a strong business case for change.
Outcome: A data-backed justification that secured leadership buy-in quickly.
Step 2 – Map the Current Process End-to-End
They documented every stage of their procurement and finance workflows. This exercise uncovered 14 duplicate data entry points and several approval loops that added no value but delayed processing.
Outcome: Full visibility of bottlenecks and waste across the organisation.
Step 3 – Target the High-Impact Areas First
Rather than attempting a wholesale change, they focused on vendor onboarding, purchase orders, and invoice processing. These were the stages generating the highest cost and error rates.
Outcome: Quick wins that delivered measurable savings within the first quarter.
Step 4 – Integrate, Do Not Bolt On
Working with FinanSys, they integrated Oracle NetSuite with UniFi, avoiding the complexity of adding another P2P application. All procurement activities flowed through a single system with live Oracle NetSuite ERP data.
Outcome: A simpler, lower-cost framework with no duplicate data or additional software to manage.
Step 5 – Automate the Repetitive Work
They used UniFi’s Autonomous Processes to handle data extraction, validation, and matching. This freed their team to focus on reviewing exceptions and analysing spend patterns.
This cut invoice processing time by 60% and reduced error rates by nearly 80%.
Outcome: Teams could shift focus from manual entry to managing exceptions and analysing spend.
Step 6 – Measure, Optimise, Expand
They tracked results through cycle-time reports and monthly cost savings. Once the impact was clear, they expanded automation to customer onboarding and other workflows.
Outcome: A repeatable model for scaling automation across the organisation.
Where to go from here?
By following these steps, the company went from a fragmented, manual operation to a streamlined, data-driven process that scales with the business.
If you are a CFO, Finance Director, COO, Financial Controller, or a decision-maker in any major business function planning a systems change, using this model can help you focus your efforts, reduce risk, and deliver measurable results without replacing everything at once in your organisation.
Get a free process audit to uncover where automation could save you the most.
