A routine review of the client’s invoice processing workflow uncovered recurring duplicate entries and potential overpayments, prompting Befree to build a proactive verification process that caught issues before they reached the approval stage.
Client Snapshot
Industry: Hospitality/Property Management/Holiday Homes
Geography: New South Wales, Australia
Operational Context: Multi-property portfolio with invoice processing previously managed offshore via Homhero
Engagement Focus: Bookkeeping oversight, invoice verification, internal controls
Background
When Befree’s bookkeeping team onboarded the client, there was initial hesitation, particularly from the Finance Manager. She was cautious about expanding Befree’s responsibilities until she had full confidence in the team’s processes and accuracy. An offshore team had previously handled the client’s invoice processing via the Homhero system, which raised concerns around data accuracy and internal controls.
Challenges Identified
A review of the client’s existing invoice management system revealed multiple instances of duplicate invoice entries, with some invoices recorded two to three times. This created a risk of overpayments due to limitations in the existing system.
The client’s internal control mechanism for catching duplicates relied solely on Homhero’s notification system, which only flagged duplicates at the approval stage. By that point, processing errors may have already occurred.
Befree’s Approach
To address these issues and demonstrate our reliability, we implemented a rigorous internal verification process before recording any invoice:
Invoice Lookup
Before entering a new invoice, our team searched under the supplier’s contact in the system to determine whether the invoice had already been recorded.
Invoice Date Check
Our team monitored invoice dates closely. Since the client processes payments twice weekly, any invoice older than 10 days was treated as a red flag, indicating that it may have already been processed or paid.
Communication
Once duplications were identified, our team raised the issue with the client’s finance team, providing clear examples and highlighting the flaws in the existing workflow.
The Results
- The client’s finance team was surprised and impressed by our early detection of duplications, having not expected issues to be caught before the approval stage.
- Befree’s proactive and methodical approach instilled confidence in the team’s accuracy and diligence, helping overcome the initial reservation the client had.
- The client promptly increased the scope of our responsibilities, entrusting us with a larger volume of bookkeeping tasks.
The Befree Impact
With Befree’s precision and oversight, the client was able to achieve:
- Reduced risk of overpayments
- Improved internal controls in invoice processing
- Strengthened client trust and relationship
This engagement demonstrates how a structured, proactive verification process can catch errors that automated system notifications miss, and how early wins in accuracy can build the trust needed to expand a bookkeeping engagement.
