Mears Group increases AP efficiency by 500% with Proactis

Challenge 

Mears Group is one of the UK's leading providers of housing maintenance, repair, and improvement services, working in partnership with social housing clients to maintain the homes of hundreds of thousands of people across the country. 

The Group's rapid growth - both organically and through acquisition - meant it quickly outgrew its existing accounts payable processes. With a manual, paper-based approach to invoice handling, a team of eight was processing 20,000 invoices per month. At that rate of growth, continuing without change would have required a significant increase in AP headcount to keep pace with rising volumes. 

Mears required a solution that could automate and scale its invoice processing, integrate seamlessly with its SunSystems finance platform, and support the Group's ambitious growth strategy without adding proportional resource costs. 

Solution 

Following an in-depth evaluation of the Group's requirements, Proactis implemented an invoice automation solution in two phases using PRINCE2 project management methodology. The approach introduced best-practice techniques to ensure complete automation of the invoice processing cycle. 

The solution - a scanning and intelligent data capture system - enables all incoming purchase invoices to be scanned instantly, with key information automatically extracted and validated with minimal manual keying required. The platform also supports electronic invoices in both XML and PDF format, integrating seamlessly with the Group's in-house procurement system and SunSystems finance solution. 

Proactis also advised on best-practice controls throughout the implementation, improving cost controls, spend visibility, and compliance across the organisation - building a scalable platform to support Mears' continued growth.