A hospital typically has more than 1000 active suppliers, accounting for several hundred million euros in purchase invoices per year. For the suppliers accounting department, this means a constant flow of invoices, payment reminders, and regular solicitations from suppliers seeking information about the processing of their invoices, posing a real time-consuming challenge for management teams.
Ruth Pfouchi, accountant in charge of the suppliers at CHR Haute Senne for 7 years, shared her experience in an interview with Digit89.
She explains how Digit89 has impacted her daily work.
Can you tell us more about your role?
As payables accountant, my role is to ensure the complete management of the financial process, from the initial receipt of invoices to their final payment.
Every day, my task is to receive invoices from suppliers, enter them into our system, and make the required payments.
This responsibility not only involves efficient accounting but also managing daily solicitations from suppliers by email or phone. They often contact us to clarify information about an invoice, respond to payment reminder requests, or provide details about approval status.
Why do suppliers contact you?
Suppliers mainly contact us to verify the proper receipt of their invoices. This preventive measure aims to avoid any potential payment delays. Unfortunately, sometimes invoices get lost, hence the importance of this proactive verification to maintain the fluidity of financial transactions.
Another common reason for solicitations is for suppliers to ensure that their invoices have been approved, thus guaranteeing payment on the scheduled due date.
Finally, some suppliers also contact us for payment requests or reminders.
How was the implementation of Digit89?
The implementation of Digit89 was very smooth and did not impact our internal processes; we continue to handle the receipt, encoding, and approval of invoices in our system.
Every night, our accounting system automatically communicates our suppliers’ outstanding invoices to the Digit89 platform. This allows our suppliers to access real-time information about the status of their invoices.
What are the advantages of Digit89 for you?
Firstly, Digit89 offers our suppliers increased visibility of their transactions, allowing them to access a wide range of information directly on the platform, including the details of invoices issued to the hospital. This functionality is important because it allows suppliers to quickly and easily check if their invoices have been correctly entered and validated in our system.
How does this impact your work?
The implementation of Digit89 has had a significant and positive impact on our work in accounting by simplifying our interaction with suppliers. It has considerably reduced email and phone solicitations, allowing us to focus our efforts on efficiently processing incoming invoices and optimizing our daily workflow.
Did you know that a supplier spends an average of 10 hours per week, or 74 days per year, soliciting their clients (hospitals) for information about the status of their invoices?
The experience of Ruth Pfouchi, head of supplier accounting at CHR Haute Senne, sheds light on the challenges these teams face daily.
The implementation of Digit89 has not only simplified the process for Ruth and her team but also offered significant benefits to suppliers. By enabling more effective cash flow management, the platform has transformed how suppliers interact with CHR Haute Senne.
Book your demonstration with Digit89 now to explore how our solution can revolutionize your supplier management.