SYNERGY HomeCare: Accounts Payable Ops That Support Compassionate Care

SYNERGY HomeCare provides compassionate, non-medical care to those in need of assistance – in the comfort of their homes. The company’s dependable, quality care relies on predictable, seamless operations, which include accurately paying franchisees and suppliers on time.

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For this case study we talked to Janice Helzer, Accountant at SYNERGY, to see how Centime’s accounts payable automation solution transformed SYNERGY’s invoice handling, ensuring predictable service delivery – and freeing up time to deliver the care that matters most.

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The Challenge

SYNERGY delivers care through a large network of franchises across 400 territories and 280 operating offices. Janice Helzer plays a pivotal role at SYNERGY’s corporate HQ, overseeing the entire accounts payable (AP) process.

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Before working with Centime, Helzer relied on an accounts payable process that was largely manual – using siloed tools like spreadsheets and email chains to log invoices, handle approvals, and manage payment confirmations.

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This manual, email-based invoice management meant that the handling, sorting, and processing of invoices were time-consuming and error-prone. The lack of an automated system also meant that obtaining invoice approvals was cumbersome. It often required multiple reminders and follow-ups to ensure that invoices were approved promptly.

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This manual approach to AP also introduced financial risk for SYNERGY, as there was no easy way to monitor which invoices had been paid, were pending, or overdue. Accounts payable processing simply wasn’t working efficiently given the sheer volume of invoices that SYNERGY had to process each month – easily over a hundred invoices, some at high dollar value.

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The Solution: Automated AP From Centime

With a growing care business, SYNERGY recognized the pressing need for improved AP processing. The company needed a robust, automated solution that could streamline the entire payment process and bring about visibility, operational efficiency and accuracy.

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“We were looking for a solution to help automate our invoice tracking. We needed more visibility to make sure that everybody knew what was hitting their budgets.”

-Janice Helzer, Accountant, SYNERGY HomeCare Franchising LLC

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As SYNERGY’s Accountant, Helzer understood the need for automation. After SYNERGY’s CFO learned how Centime's innovative solutions could revolutionize SYNERGY’s AP processes, he tasked Helzer with getting the solution up and running.

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She soon learned how Centime's Accounts Payable automation streamlines AP processes by integrating invoice processing, approval routing, and payments into a single platform. This automated processing eliminates paper checks, simplifies invoice approval and processing, and reduces fraud risk.

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It was the perfect antidote to a fragmented, manual accounts payable process. With Centime, the SYNERGY team could store all invoices in one platform and ensure that every invoice follows a consistent path for approval – all-in-all reducing the time for processing. 

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Benefits of Automated Processing

The transition from manual processes to Centime’s AP solution brought forth significant benefits, streamlining operations and enhancing overall efficiency. Centime has improved SYNERGY’s accounts payable process by providing:

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• Better visibility: SYNERGY now has visibility across every stage of their invoice and payment process. With real-time tracking, stakeholders can now monitor the status of invoices and payments at any given moment – and view invoices at the click of a button. This enhanced visibility not only improves the team’s financial controls but also improves their ability to accurately forecast and budget.
• More efficiency: Centime’s automation is particularly beneficial for handling transactions across dual companies. The system is capable of distinguishing and appropriately managing payments for different entities under the same umbrella, reducing complexity and confusion for the AP team.‍
• Easier approvals: Thanks to Centime’s AP solution, SYNERGY now has a more streamlined and efficient approval process. By removing the cumbersome need to obtain approvals via email it reduces delays in the approval process while also ensuring consistency and accuracy. Staff can now process invoices much faster, and with fewer risks of late payments due to approval bottlenecks.

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Time savings is one of the most striking benefits that SYNERGY has realized with Centime. Helzer shared that she is saving roughly 10 hours per week with the team’s new AP tool, a significant portion of the workweek that she can now allocate to more strategic financial management tasks.

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By automating its payment process, SYNERGY has also solidified its commercial relationships. The timely and consistent payments maintain trust and reliability with partners including franchisees and vendors. The smoother payment process also minimizes the potential for payment-related disputes, and vendors appreciate the predictability and transparency in their dealings with SYNERGY.

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Consistent Customer Support For a Smooth Switchover

The role of Centime’s customer support was pivotal in SYNERGY’s implementation. Helzer said that the effective and responsive customer support from Centime ensured a smooth transition to the automated AP solution. It also built confidence within the team at SYNERGY that any issues will be promptly and effectively handled. She mentioned that Centime’s Customer Success team’s oversight has helped catch any anomalies and ensure that the automation process functions accurately and efficiently.

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Overall, Helzer suggested that Centime demonstrated exceptional receptiveness to requests and feedback which not only helped in customizing the solution to better fit the company’s needs but also contributed to the overall improvement of SYNERGY’s accounts payable process.

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“Centime’s Customer Support is always super responsive. Anytime I send something, they’ll email me back within an hour.”

-Janice Helzer, Accountant, SYNERGY HomeCare Franchising LLC‍

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In summary, Centime's AP automation system provided a comprehensive solution that transformed SYNERGY HomeCare’s accounts payable process.

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By centralizing invoice management, streamlining approval workflows, increasing visibility and tracking, and improving efficiency in managing payments for dual companies, Centime addressed SYNERGY’s core AP challenges and paved the way for a more controlled, efficient, and transparent accounts payable operation. 

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