EW Scripps
Bringing Outsourced AP Processes Back to the USA
A DataServ Client since 2018
Key Results:
- Transitioned all BPO from Offshore to Onshore
- Eliminated manual data validation
Key Stats:
- Invoice volume: 59,129 per year
- ERPs: Workday
- Team size: 100 – 500
- Industry: Media & Entertainment
Executive Summary
EW Scripps is one of the nation’s largest local TV broadcasters which shares daily news across a wide range of media platforms.
Today, EW Scripps processes over 59,000 annual invoices and over $1.3B in total cash volume. In 2018, the total number of annual invoices was primarily associated with only a few core vendors, plus hundreds of one-off vendors. All labor for creating POs and Optical Character Recognition (OCR) for all invoices was outsourced overseas.
Eager to bring the Accounts Payable back to the US and terminate the BPO (business process outsourcing) contract, EW Scripps needed a highly automated solution to ensure control of onshore labor costs. Another critical component to this change was the ability to migrate to a new ERP at the same time.
They were using PeopleSoft at that time and were desperate to get away from that platform. The third-party OCR tool was so unreliable that all invoices from ‘little guy’ vendors that didn’t include a PO number needed to be hand-keyed.
A planned conversion to Workday was already underway, and it was critical that whichever new AP automation solution was chosen during this system change would need to seamlessly integrate with Workday on a tight timeline so the transition would not be held up or slowed down.
Outcomes
EW Scripps’ shift to onshore processing with DataServ led to a transformative impact on their accounts payable operations. The integration with Workday was seamless, providing the quick data synchronization that was crucial during their conversion from PeopleSoft. DataServ’s Invoice Processing Machine efficiently captured invoice data, eliminating the need for manual entry and reducing errors significantly. The exception handling in DataServ was particularly beneficial for invoices from small, one-off vendors who often lacked proper PO numbers, while the automation of the larger invoices prevented any manual intervention.
The solution also streamlined the handling of non-invoice documents, ensuring they were promptly sent to the appropriate internal departments. With DataServ’s daily invoice file transfer to EW Scripps’ Workday ERP, the AP team had immediate access to all invoice data, facilitating better financial tracking and reporting. DataServ’s inherent line level capture gave EW Scripps the ability to match individual invoice lines to different account codes, adding another layer of accuracy and control, which was a crucial requirement.
The AP accrual report provided by DataServ along with analytics was a new capability which gave EW Scripps unprecedented visibility and contributed additional savings within their accrual process. DataServ delivered accelerated invoice access, which was instrumental for EW Scripps to work invoices at their own pace and have early visibility into their liabilities. Overall, the transition to DataServ’s solution marked a significant improvement in efficiency, accuracy, and control over the accounts payable process.
Business Impact
By bringing their accounts payable processes back onshore and integrating with Workday, EW Scripps not only reduced their reliance on offshore labor but also cut down on associated costs. The improved accuracy, efficiency, and visibility from the AI capture technology and seamless data integration allowed the AP team to handle a growing volume of invoices without the need for additional headcount.
The ability to process invoices without manual intervention also led to faster payment cycles, enhancing relationships with vendors. This efficiency was especially critical for managing invoices from the numerous smaller suppliers, which had previously been a significant pain point due to the unreliable OCR tool used before.
The shift also allowed EW Scripps to reallocate resources to more strategic tasks, rather than getting bogged down in the manual processing of invoices. The AP team now had the tools and insights needed to manage their workload more effectively, leading to better financial outcomes for the company. DataServ’s solution not only met EW Scripps’ initial requirements but exceeded their expectations, providing a scalable, reliable, and cost-effective solution that supported their long-term business goals.
EW Scripps has continued to make acquisitions, seamlessly adding them to the DataServ platform as their organization grows. This company and volume growth has not required additional headcount in the AP department, regardless of the constantly advancing scale and scope.
Thoughts from EW Scripps
“We are currently thrilled with everything DataServ! We love love love the new Save button in the document viewer. This was such an added efficiency that we can't thank you enough for adding this! Also, the real-time document import roll-out was very smooth and has had a very positive impact on our team with the quicker visibility. We really appreciate the last few release rollouts being so smooth with no impact on our processing. We are really in a good place now!”
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