Paddle Australia boosts efficiency thanks to automated delegation of authority

Home Customer stories Paddle Australia boosts efficiency thanks to automated delegation of authority

Case study

Paddle Australia is a multi-entity not-for-profit organisation. Learn how ApprovalMax helped it scale and grow efficiently.

Paddle Australia, the governing body for paddle sports in Australia, is a multi-entity not-for-profit organisation. It supports the growth of the sport at all levels, from grassroots participation to elite competition, and is responsible for selecting and managing national teams for international events, including the Olympics.

50+

Employees

Xero

Accounting Platform

Sports and Recreation

Industry

Australia

Location

ApprovalMax helped our client improve and reduce the need for manual coding and review. The reassigning feature in ApprovalMax also gave ownership to different people in the approval process. We run over 80 P&Ls for Paddle Australia every month, and the improved operations have led to significant time and administrative savings.

Alicia MacLeod

Finance Manager at Navigate VCFO

As business operations grew and demand for financial information increased, the Paddle Australia team found themselves struggling with manual approval processes and limited financial data visibility. This made it difficult for them to scale and grow efficiently.

At this point, Navigate VCFO stepped in to transform Paddle Australia’s financial operations by implementing cloud-based accounting software, Xero, and ApprovalMax’s approval automation software, reducing errors by 80% for Paddle Australia’s finance team and saving them two hours per week in the process. With this shift, the finance team was able to direct their efforts towards more strategic initiatives, driving the organisation’s growth forward.

In this case study, we explore how automated workflows and a streamlined delegated financial authority matrix helped Paddle Australia take a big load off its accounts payable processes.

Streamlining manual financial processes that no longer worked

Paddle Australia had outgrown its financial approval process as the business started growing. With paper invoices piling up and multiple levels of approvals, getting the green light for payments was a slow and gruelling process. This was frustrating for the finance team and hindered their ability to make quick and informed financial decisions.

Navigate VCFO stepped in and helped the team streamline operations by implementing Xero, EzzyBills for invoice scanning, and ApprovalMax for automated approval workflows. This improved controls and financial data visibility, leading to significant time and administrative savings. Alicia MacLeod, the Finance Manager at Navigate VCFO, shared:

“We determined Xero was the best system for the team at Paddle Australia, along with apps like EzzyBills, and ApprovalMax to save time and streamline their approvals. These cloud-based solutions have delivered significant time and administrative savings.”

Automating the delegation of authority process using ApprovalMax

ApprovalMax helped to align Paddle Australia’s delegation of authority policy with custom approval workflows. Xero tracking codes were used to identify the responsible person for each program and approvals were based on set limit thresholds. The result was a fully automated process with the relevant person signing off on the right documents, providing peace of mind for the board and auditors, given all the funding that comes from the state and federal government.

Streamlined financial operations

Automating the financial approval process streamlined operations and reduced manual errors.

Increased efficiency

The finance team saved an average of two hours per week per team member and around 28 hours per month total, freeing up time for more strategic initiatives.

Improved visibility

ApprovalMax’s integration with Xero provided greater visibility into financial data and Paddle Australia’s approval process, enabling informed financial decisions.

Reduced manual errors

Automating the approval process reduced manual errors by 80%. Enhanced coding accuracy also allowed approvers to check the coding before it entered the profit and loss statement.

No more chasing documents

The operations and finance teams can spend more time on strategic initiatives with less time emailing decision makers asking for their approval. Financial processes were smoother as pending approvals and late approvers were visible in the system, reducing the risk of missing invoices.

Clear evidence of compliance

ApprovalMax made audits easier by providing clear approval evidence of compliance through detailed audit reports stored in Xero. Plus, executives can approve invoices on the go with the ApprovalMax mobile app, even when they’re out of the office.

A win-win situation: successful implementation of ApprovalMax for Paddle Australia, thanks to Navigate VCFO

The partnership between Paddle Australia, Navigate VCFO, and ApprovalMax has proven to be a huge success, delivering real benefits for Paddle Australia’s finance team and the business. ApprovalMax’s automated workflows have improved Paddle Australia’s efficiency, reduced costs, and streamlined financial operations. By using ApprovalMax’s automated workflows, the team was able to overcome financial challenges and drive the business forward. The success of this partnership is a testament to the power of innovative financial management solutions and the positive impact they can have on businesses like Paddle Australia.