Naviant Acquires User Friendly Consulting, a Michigan-Based Business Process Automation Provider | Learn More →
For more than 40 years, Hartung Brothers, Inc. has devoted itself to providing superior service as an agribusiness, producing and shipping a wide range of vegetables and seed corn for farmers and processors.
However, as the company grew, so did the amount of paper invoices it had to manage.
“Things didn’t get approved until after payments were made and that’s backward,” said Dan Layton, CFO at Hartung Brothers. “Paper invoices were accumulating on top of desks and once they were filed, if they weren’t in alphabetical order, it was tough finding them. That was our biggest challenge.”
Everything changed with OnBase by Hyland.
Working with Naviant, an authorized OnBase solution provider, Hartung Brothers implemented OnBase AP automation in 2013 to improve invoice processing for about 30,000 invoices annually.
Streamlines invoice approvals, keeping processes moving forward
Once invoices arrive at Hartung Brothers – via email or mail – they’re scanned into OnBase, indexed and matched with the purchase order and packing slip.
Hartung then approves each invoice based on dollar thresholds. When an invoice arrives, OnBase looks at the dollar amount and determines who the appropriate person is to approve it, ranging from 30 managers to the Controller and CFO.
If an invoice sits in a reviewer’s queue for more than five business days, OnBase automatically sends it on to the next-level manager for approval, ensuring the company doesn’t miss key payments.
Mobile access allows staff to approve invoices from the field
As an agribusiness, most of the Hartung Brothers staff spends their time working in the field. To eliminate process bottlenecks, the company implemented OnBase for the iPhone and iPad as well as the Outlook Integration.
“Our guys are out in the field – they could be out in a corn field, on a tractor or on the road driving somewhere,” said Sharon Hollfelder, accounts payable manager. “They’re not at a desk, but they can get that email – they get their phone or iPad out and they see the invoice, review it and approve it right there, wherever they are.”
Integration with Microsoft Dynamics GP speeds processing times
Integrating OnBase with Microsoft Dynamics GP eliminates manual tasks for staff such as duplicate data entry.
“The integration between OnBase and Microsoft Dynamics GP is very beneficial,” Hollfelder said. “When I index an invoice in OnBase, I actually key all of the information into the GP system, double-click and it indexes the invoice for me in OnBase. That way, I’m not keying the information into two different locations.”
The integration also eliminates the need to go searching for paper invoices.
“Anyone who reviews financial information, they just bring up that account – they no longer have to get up and run to the filing cabinet to pull up the invoice,” Layton said. “You hit a button and it’s right there. And, it’s not only the invoice, but the packing slip, your PO – everything. Looking up a document used to take about 10 minutes. Now, it takes about 30 seconds.”
“When I index an invoice in OnBase, I actually key all of the information into the Dynamics GP system, double-click and it indexes the invoice for me in OnBase. That way, I’m not keying the information into two different locations.”
– Sharon Hollfelder, AP manager, Hartung Brothers, Inc.
Saves time and money: Without OnBase, Hartung Brothers would need to add another full-time employee to its AP department. Now, Hollfelder does the job on her own with the help of a part-time employee, if necessary.
Provides auditors with self-service access: “We give auditors viewing access,” Hollfelder said. “They can go in, view anything they want to and search for what they want based on dollar amount. We don’t have to go to the filing cabinets and pull all of the paperwork. It’s right there for them. It’s cut down on their auditing time.”
Increases user acceptance: “After an invoice is paid, employees like that they can go in and see the details,” Layton said. “They don’t have to call AP and ask to pull the invoice and send out copies. They love the access and historical view.”
