Clifford Supplies Ltd is a Cheshire-based wholesale distributor with a finance team that relies on efficient, accurate accounts payable processes to manage supplier invoices at scale. Like many UK businesses in the distribution sector, approving invoices quickly, converting purchase invoices into sales invoices accurately, and maintaining a clean audit trail are not optional extras — they are central to how the business operates day to day.
For a number of years, Clifford Supplies ran their invoice approval workflows and automated invoice processing through PaperLess, integrated natively with Sage 200. The results were clear enough that when the business made the decision to move to Forterro Orderwise, giving up PaperLess was not something they were willing to accept.
The Challenge: Keeping PaperLess When Moving to Orderwise
Switching ERP systems is a significant undertaking for any finance team. For Clifford Supplies, the additional challenge was that a native PaperLess Orderwise integration did not yet exist. Most businesses in this position would reluctantly accept the loss of their AP automation tool and start again. Clifford Supplies took a different approach.
They approached both PaperLess and Orderwise directly, making the case for a native integration that would allow them to continue using PaperLess AP automation within their new Orderwise environment. The result was a live, direct integration between the two platforms — one that has since become available to all Orderwise users seeking to automate their accounts payable processes.
For any Orderwise user currently managing invoice approval or purchase invoice processing manually, the Clifford Supplies story is directly relevant. The integration they helped bring into existence is now accessible to every business running Orderwise.
How Clifford Supplies Use PaperLess with Orderwise
The Clifford Supplies accounts team uses PaperLess primarily for invoice approval, but the platform does considerably more than route documents for sign-off within their Orderwise environment.
Another significant capability for their business is the automatic conversion of purchase invoices into sales invoices. Invoices read into PaperLess are used to generate customer sales invoices directly within Orderwise — without any manual data entry. For a wholesale distributor where this conversion happens regularly and at volume, the time saved and the elimination of keying errors represent a meaningful operational advantage.
The team also uses PaperLess to manage supplier queries directly from within the platform. The full accounting archive gives the team instant access to every invoice at any time, with a complete audit trail that requires no manual filing or document management.
The Results
Since implementing PaperLess with Orderwise, Clifford Supplies have seen a clear impact across their accounts payable operation.
Invoice approval is faster and fully flexible. Users can complete approvals from anywhere, removing the dependency on office-based sign-off. The accounts team no longer needs to be physically present to act on an invoice, and there are no bottlenecks due to approvers not in the office.
Purchase-to-sales invoice conversion is now automatic. What was previously a manual process — taking a supplier invoice and recreating it as a customer sales invoice — now happens automatically within PaperLess and Orderwise. The risk of data entry errors has been eliminated, and the time previously spent on this task has been reclaimed for higher-value work.
The accounting archive delivers instant visibility and audit readiness. Every invoice is stored, searchable and retrievable at any time. There is no manual filing requirement, no uncertainty about approval status, and no time spent reconstructing audit trails when they are needed.
In Their Own Words
“The ability to convert purchase invoices to sales invoices is a major part of the business and to have a system that automatically does this for us has had a major impact on the time spent on data input without the risk of errors.”
“PaperLess is now an important part of our accounts team. The technical support from PaperLess is without exception the best I have had from any other software company — timeliness, expertise and explained in a fashion that can be easily understood.”
Pauline Elsley, Clifford Supplies Ltd
Why This Matters for Other Orderwise Users
Clifford Supplies are not just a success story — they represent a situation that many Orderwise users will recognise. Businesses that have moved to Orderwise, or that are considering doing so, often assume they will have to leave their AP automation tools behind in the process.
The PaperLess Orderwise integration that Clifford Supplies helped create demonstrates that this is not the case. PaperLess integrates natively with Orderwise, reading live from the system and posting directly back into it — the same approach it takes with Sage 50, Sage 200, Sage Intacct, Xero and SAP Business One. There are no export files, no manual reconciliation steps and no disconnect between the two systems.
For Orderwise users managing high volumes of purchase invoices, the purchase-to-sales invoice conversion capability alone represents a significant operational advantage. For those dealing with multi-level approval processes, remote approvers or high invoice volumes, the configurable invoice approval workflows deliver immediate time savings from day one.
PaperLess is listed on the Sage UK Marketplace as a Sage Certified Partner — the highest level of Sage validation — reflecting the depth of integration and the level of technical support that Clifford Supplies’ own accounts team describes as the best they have experienced from any software company.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does PaperLess integrate with Orderwise?
Yes. PaperLess integrates natively with Orderwise, reading live from the system and posting directly back into it. The integration covers invoice capture, invoice approval workflows, PO matching and accounting archive. Clifford Supplies were instrumental in driving the development of this integration when they moved from Sage 200 to Orderwise.
Is PaperLess suitable for wholesale distributors using Orderwise?
Yes. The combination of automated invoice capture, flexible approval workflows and a full accounting archive makes PaperLess particularly well suited to wholesale distribution businesses running Orderwise.
How long does it take to implement PaperLess with Orderwise?
Most PaperLess implementations complete within two hours. Teams are processing invoices automatically on the day of installation, with no IT project and no extended transition period.
Book a free PaperLess demo — see how PaperLess works with Orderwise in a personalised 30-minute session tailored to your business.
Learn more about PaperLess AP Automation — explore the full range of features available for Orderwise, Sage, Xero and SAP Business One.
Read more customer case studies — see how finance teams across the UK are using PaperLess to transform their accounts payable operations.
View PaperLess on the Sage UK Marketplace — rated by finance teams across the UK, listed as a Sage Certified Partner.
