A high-touch, paper-intensive process every month
Every month the client billing cycle consumed an entire ream of paper before a single invoice reached a client. Worksheets traveled desk to desk, came back covered in handwritten notes, and set off a chain of manual work that ended — eventually — with envelopes stuffed, stamped, and mailed. Along the way, invoices were created one by one, printed, routed for a final review, and sometimes returned with more revisions before they were cleared to go out. Hundreds of pieces of paper produced, handled, filed, and eventually shredded. The process had never been questioned. It had just always been done this way.
The capability existed. It just needed to be unlocked.
For years, the assumption was that email billing wasn’t possible — it had been tried before and it hadn’t worked. A deeper audit into their operations software identified the root cause and the fix was implemented. Once email delivery was enabled, what started as an internal process simplification became an improvement clients could feel. Billing worksheets were redesigned for on-screen review, and a phased client rollout introduced electronic invoicing and payment options that reduced paper on both ends.
Faster. More Accessible. Better Audit Trail.
Billing review moved from stacks of paper to a digital workflow accessible from anywhere. Electronic invoicing became the foundation for a broader shift to paperless billing — modernizing the client experience, improving accessibility, and ensuring a reliable audit trail for every invoice. Electronic payment options were introduced alongside, reducing the lag between invoice and payment. By the time the engagement closed, more than 60% of clients were set up to receive invoices electronically and nearly 25% were fully paperless.
karinne@gocrowconsulting.com
CROW CONSULTING