Streamlining Utility Accounts

by: Jacqui Shemilt, 04 November 2025

Our client’s Accounts Payable team was drowning in utility bills.

Every month, dozens of accounts arrived by email and post, each needing:

📥 Manual entry

📤 Email approval

📑 Filing for audit

The Before:

• Invoices stuck in inboxes

• Approvals delayed

• Duplicate payments slipping through

• Unclear rules on what could be processed vs what needed approval

• No clear metrics for approval, leading to confusion and inconsistency
  

The After: We set up a clear approval flow: ✅

 All utility accounts entered into one central system ✅ Automated prompts sent to the right approver ✅ Approval metrics built in - bills were automatically approved or flagged for review based on set thresholds ✅ Real-time visibility on status and spend

The result? ⚡ Streamlined approval process ⚡ Fewer errors ⚡ More confidence in cash flow

Sometimes the biggest wins come from fixing the everyday processes we all live with.

What’s one process in your business you’d love to simplify?