Back in 2019, Spreadex was drowning in paperwork. Their finance team had a problem you’ve probably experienced: invoice volumes climbing steadily, headcount staying exactly where it was and approval processes that dragged on for what felt like forever.
Five years on, they’re running their entire AP operation through PaperLess. Started with Sage 50, moved to Sage Intacct along the way, and PaperLess just came right along with them.
We spoke with Nick Brown, Financial Controller at Spreadex, about what changed and whether it was actually worth it.
What it looked like before
The old system? There wasn’t really a system. Invoices arrived, someone printed them out (or more likely saved PDFs to various folders), then spent ages typing everything into Sage. After that, it was the usual dance of emailing approvers and waiting. And waiting.
Nick Brown at Spreadex puts it bluntly:
“Hours and hours on data entry. All invoices had to be printed, stamped and then signed by the relevant departments, before scanning and saving on the server. The process was time consuming with numerous control gaps and as we grew, it became obvious this wasn’t sustainable.”
Why they picked PaperLess
Spreadex didn’t rush into this. They researched the market properly, looked at a bunch of different AP automation providers, sat through the demos. What made them choose PaperLess?
“Couple of things stood out,” Nick explains. “The document recognition was genuinely impressive—we threw some messy invoices at it during the trial and it handled them well. The approval workflows made sense rather than forcing us to change how we worked. But honestly? The Sage integration was the clincher. ”
Nick Brown, Spreadex
Three things swung it:
The OCR actually works
PaperLess reads invoices using AI. Pulls out supplier names, invoice numbers, dates—the lot. Five years in, it’s still performing. Not perfect, nothing is, but good enough that manual corrections are the exception rather than the rule.
Workflows you can actually configure
This mattered. Rather than forcing Spreadex into some rigid approval structure, PaperLess let them set up rules that matched how their business actually operated. Invoices over £X go to person Y, department Z needs these approvers, that sort of thing. Sounds basic but you’d be surprised how many systems can’t do it properly.
Sage integration that doesn’t fall over
This is where things got interesting. Spreadex implemented PaperLess with Sage 50 in 2019. Then a couple of years later they migrated to Sage Intacct. Normally that’d mean ripping everything out and starting fresh. Not this time—PaperLess just switched over. Same capture process, same approval rules, just posting into a different system. Saved them an enormous headache.
How it actually runs day-to-day
Walk through what happens now when an invoice shows up at Spreadex:
Invoice arrives (email, upload, whatever). PaperLess grabs it, OCR extracts all the data. System checks if there’s a matching purchase order. Based on Spreadex’s rules, routes to the right approver automatically. Approver gets pinged, reviews on their phone or laptop, approves it. Invoice posts into Sage Intacct. Done.
The whole thing that used to take days or weeks? Hours now. Sometimes minutes if it’s straightforward and the approver’s paying attention to their notifications.
The Sage 50 to Intacct migration (or: why integration matters)
When Spreadex decided to switch from Sage 50 to Sage Intacct, they were bracing for disruption. They’d built their entire invoice workflow around PaperLess and Sage 50. Surely moving ERPs meant starting over?
Nope.
“PaperLess just came with us,” Nick says. It all kept working. The only difference was invoices now posted into Intacct instead of Sage 50. Even our historical invoices stayed accessible in PaperLess regardless of which Sage system they’d originally been posted to.”
For anyone planning an ERP migration, this is worth thinking about. Platform independence isn’t just a nice feature—it’s the difference between a smooth transition and a nightmare implementation project.
What actually changed (beyond the obvious time savings)
Five years in, what’s different?
The finance team now spends that time doing actual finance work—analysis, exception handling, strategic projects that add value rather than just keeping the lights on.
Approval cycles went down to 2-3 days on average. Data accuracy improved dramatically. When the system’s reading invoices instead of tired humans on their 75th invoice of the afternoon, transposition errors and misread amounts basically disappear. Not completely—nothing’s perfect—but rare enough that they’re genuinely exceptions now.
Visibility went from zero to complete. Anyone who needs to know can check where an invoice sits: captured, waiting approval, approved, posted, queried. The “did you approve that?” conversations just stopped happening.
Audit prep changed from a multi-day ordeal to a non-event. Auditors want to see an invoice from eight months ago? Click, there it is, complete history of who approved it and when. Takes seconds instead of hours hunting through filing cabinets or email archives.
The support side of things
When you’re using a system daily, support quality matters. A lot. Nick’s been working with PaperLess for five years now, so he’s got perspective on this:
“The support team’s been consistently excellent. Not just responsive when things break—though they are—but proactive about finding proper solutions rather than quick patches. When we’ve had issues, they’ve been keen to understand the root cause and fix it properly. That responsiveness makes a real difference when you depend on the system every day.”
Nick Brown, Spreadex
Worth emphasizing because it’s easy to overlook during the buying process. You’re not just licensing software—you’re entering a relationship that’ll last years. How a vendor handles problems matters as much as how well the system works when everything’s fine.
Did it actually pay for itself?
The question every finance director asks: what’s the ROI?
Nick’s pretty clear on this: “Pricing was competitive to start with, and the value we’ve got out of it has more than justified what we’ve paid. I’d recommend PaperLess to anyone looking for reliable invoice automation without hesitation.”
The return comes from multiple places. Direct labour savings from dumped data entry is obvious. But there’s also fewer errors to fix, faster approval cycles catching early payment discounts, better supplier relationships from consistent timely payments, improved cash flow visibility, reduced audit costs. It adds up.
What other Sage Intacct users should take from this
If you’re running Sage Intacct and still doing invoices manually, a few things worth noting from Spreadex’s experience:
- Don’t wait until the pain’s unbearable. Manual processing doesn’t magically improve—it just gets worse as volumes grow. Spreadex automated in 2019 and the only regret Nick mentions is not doing it sooner.
- Integration quality matters more than you think. Native connectivity with your accounting system isn’t marketing fluff. When Spreadex switched ERPs, their workflows just kept working. Compare that to systems that need middleware or constant babysitting.
- User adoption really isn’t the nightmare you’re imagining. Spreadex’s team picked it up quickly. Intuitive workflows and mobile access meant training was minimal. People just started using it.
- The vendor relationship matters. You’re in this for years, not months. Responsive support that actually solves problems makes a massive difference over time.
- ROI isn’t just about time savings. Accuracy improvements, better visibility, faster cycles, supplier relationships—it all contributes. Look at the whole picture.
Interested in automating your Sage Intacct AP?
If Spreadex’s story sounds familiar—too much manual work, slow approvals, limited visibility over what’s happening—worth looking at what PaperLess can do.
What you get: AI invoice capture that eliminates data entry. Approval workflows you can configure to match your business. Native Sage Intacct integration. Mobile approval so things don’t wait for people to get back to the office. Complete audit trails and instant document retrieval.
Book a demo to see how it works with Sage Intacct, or get in touch to discuss your specific situation.
Common Questions
How does the invoice capture actually work?
PaperLess uses AI-powered OCR to read invoices. It extracts supplier names, invoice numbers, dates, amounts, line items, VAT—basically everything. Accuracy typically runs above 95%, so manual corrections are rare. Not perfect, but good enough that it genuinely saves time rather than creating more work.
Can we set up our own approval rules?
Yes. You configure approval workflows based on whatever matters to your business—invoice amount, supplier, department, cost centre, any combination. Invoices route automatically to the right people based on your rules. You can change these rules whenever you need to, changes take effect immediately.
How does it connect to Sage Intacct?
Native integration. Once an invoice is captured and approved in PaperLess, it posts into Intacct with all the correct coding. Matches to purchase orders where applicable. The invoice PDF attaches to the transaction in Intacct so you’ve got the original document right there when you need it.
Can approvers use their phones?
Absolutely. Approvers get notifications when invoices need attention. They can review everything—invoice details, supporting documents, the lot—on their phone or tablet. Approve, reject, or query from anywhere. Makes a massive difference to approval speed.
We’re on Sage 50 now but planning to move to Intacct—will this cause problems?
Nope. PaperLess works with both. Implement it with Sage 50 now, and when you migrate to Intacct later, your workflows come right along. Spreadex did exactly this—started on Sage 50, moved to Intacct, PaperLess just kept working. No disruption.
How long does implementation take?
Most Sage Intacct implementations run 2-4 weeks from kickoff to go-live. That includes configuration, approval workflow setup, training, testing. Exact timeline depends on how complex your requirements are, but it’s not a six-month project.
Is training difficult?
No. Most people find it intuitive. We provide guided onboarding for admins and approvers, but the system’s designed to be self-explanatory. You’re not putting people through weeks of training courses.
