Results With TimberScan & AvidPay:

Company Overview: Sorrells & Co., a design + build construction company in Waco, Texas, is a family business started in 1998. The company created Waco’s first master planned community on the 120-acre Sorrells family farm and has since developed multiple residential and commercial neighborhoods. Its work includes renovating a historic building in Waco’s downtown to create a coworking community space.

Becky Sorrells, a certified public accountant, has been an important component of the family business since its inception. Her role has evolved from handling Sorrells & Co.’s bookkeeping from home while she cared for her then small children to serving as Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer of a burgeoning residential and commercial design + build construction company.

The challenges: Missing invoices, daunting approval cycles and Friday pay days

Reliant on scores of contractors, subcontractors, and suppliers, Sorrells & Co. was drowning in invoices.

“We had files and files of invoices, each job assigned a separate folder for its invoices and POs,” said Sorrells. “Invoices would come in and get passed around the office for approvals — often requiring two people for each approval — and they’d often get lost along the way, maybe stuck sitting on someone’s desk awaiting clarification. We dealt with frequent searches and endless frustration, and we really needed to put an end to the hassle.”

Sorrells was also frustrated with being stuck in the office to distribute paychecks every other Friday, the customary pay day for construction trades. Following the pandemic, a pressing labor shortage made hiring an AP professional to help with this process difficult.

“I used to hire interns, but now there are too many flexible job options available and it’s nearly impossible to get anyone to come in on Friday afternoons,” said Sorrells. “When I do find someone, turnover is high, so I waste endless time training people to do the job only to lose them and have to turn my attention to finding replacements.”

Intrigued with the idea of a paperless office, Sorrells began researching automated accounts payable (AP) solutions.  She needed a solution seamlessly integrated with Sage 100 Contractor, a construction management and accounting software she relies on and especially appreciates for its ability to handle job costing, a critical aspect of the construction industry.  

The solution: End-to-end automation eliminates the paper chase

In 2019, Sorrells implemented TimberScan, an AvidXchange invoice automation solution specifically designed for the construction industry. It eliminates data entry and approval hassles and enables Sorrells to view invoices and documents and to cut checks in Sage 100 Contractor.

“Timberscan is a good fit for being able to have everything attached to invoices for automated approval processes,” said Sorrells. “It worked so well that I started to think about how I could also automate the payments side of our business.”

In 2021, Sorrells implemented AvidPay, AvidXchange’s full-service payment automation solution that offers electronic payments. Integrated with Timberscan on one platform, the AvidXchange construction suite offers a fully automated purchase-to-pay solution, accessible from one location.

“It didn’t take long until AvidPay became second nature to the way we work. When I need to know how to do something new or something I haven’t done in a while, I rely on my AvidXchange team and their online training for quick refreshers.”

The company is in the process of helping its contractors move to electronic payments through AvidPay for faster payment and reduced ACH costs. AvidXchange helped Sorrells & Co. transition change-resistant contractors to a modernized, faster approach by offering a customized solution — assisted ACH payments. The process allows Sorrells to cover the cost of ACH for select suppliers.

“It used to be that we had to take pay checks directly to job sites as an incentive to get contractors to commit to work,” said Sorrells. “Now we can make their lives even easier — and jobs more enticing — by offering them direct payments.”

The results: Freedom from paper

Sorrells estimates that she used to spend two weeks per month solely processing invoices and paying bills. She now no longer has to do that.

“We can now keep track of invoices and move them through much quicker, even leaving town and handling approvals from our laptops. No matter where I am, I have access to our data and can easily look to see what we’ve paid, when and why.”

Cloud-based automation and electronic payments also save Sorrells & Co. significant costs, including paper and mailing expenses. It also saves the company the cost (and aggravation) of hiring someone to tend to the office and hand out checks on Friday afternoons. Sorrells handed over AP duties to an employee from Dallas who remotely manages invoice processing for an hour or so per day, and the company continues to transition contractors over to electronic payments, eliminating the hassle of paper checks.

“Automation has made life easier for everyone,” said Sorrells. “Contractors love having money just appear in their bank account and they can easily pay their people as easily as we can pay ours.”