Yooz and CSM Truck

Streamlined AP Transformation

Summary

Industry: Truck Transportation

Invoices: 8,000/month

Employees: 1,000 - 1,100

Location: Madison, Wi

ERP: Karmak

CSM Truck, a multi-state truck dealership group since 1978, operates 24 U.S. locations specializing in medium and heavy-duty commercial vehicle sales, parts, services, and truck leasing and rentals with a focus on the Kenworth brand. As a subsidiary of CSM Companies, a top Kenworth dealer in North America and three-time Kenworth Dealer of the Year, CSM Truck embraces the same people-first approach that has led CSM Companies to significant growth and over a billion dollars in annual revenue across all divisions.

The Challenge

CSM Truck's old invoice processing system was highly manual and inefficient, creating numerous challenges. Approximately 8,000 non-OEM invoices a month were received at the local branch level and sent electronically to the Accounts Payable (AP) team, where they would be manually entered and information keyed directly into the ERP. The invoices would then be stored both digitally and physically, leading to space issues and an increased risk of document loss.

This situation was further complicated due to remote workers, with illness and connectivity problems placing additional stress on the existing process. When multiple acquisitions and conflicting business systems further complicated issues, the company knew something had to be done. Once the branches moved to a single unified platform – Karmak – Ben Sager, CSM Trucks Corporate Controller, began the search for a unified software solution to handle particularly the non-OEM invoices more efficiently.

“One of the things that stood out to me with Yooz was that it is AP specifically focused. Additionally, I saw great potential in Yooz's AP Automation solution beyond just automating accounts payable invoices; it could also be utilized for creating purchase orders and managing payment approvals.”

–Ben Sager, Corporate Controller at CSM Truck

The Solution

Sager sought a solution that would put the AP department at the front end of the process and allow the company to easily scale. Yooz stood out as a highly flexible, complete cloud-based AP automation solution that excelled at leveraging the unique combination of OCR and AI/ML technology. An existing seamless integration with Karmak, the procure-to-pay capability, scalability, and user-friendliness all contributed to the final decision to move forward together with Yooz.

Sager decided on a phased approach, with an operational team implementing the new streamlined process in each store one-by-one. This greatly supported employee buy-in and a company-wide mindset change. Yooz was there at every step, with Sager stating that “the support we received post contract-signing was just phenomenal.”

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The Impact

The implementation of Yooz software marked a significant transformation in CSM Truck’s AP process. Vendors are now able to submit their invoices electronically directly into Yooz, where Yooz’s AI technology handles data input and processing. This minimizes the need for initial processing and document storage at the branch offices.

Furthermore, Yooz’s AP-focused solution integrates procurement to payment, offering a comprehensive workflow that was previously unavailable in CSM Truck’s business system. This integration extends beyond simply AP automation, such as enabling purchase order creation and payment approvals, supporting CSM Truck’s long-term potential needs.

The result? CSM Trucks now enjoys enhanced efficiency and visibility in their AP process, with fewer vendor inquiries, improved response times, and a streamlined AP cycle. These improvements drive significant ongoing efficiency gains and provide ample room for future growth.

“The document search is fabulous! There are loads of filter options so you can easily narrow your search, but you can also use a keyword, phrase or number that might be found anywhere on an invoice not just the invoice property fields.”

Julie Williams

Accounts Payable Specialist at CSM Companies

Words of Wisdom from CSM Truck

When asked what advice he would give to companies considering automation, Sager responded, “Transitioning to automation allowed the operational teams, previously bogged down by administrative tasks such as managing papers and keying data, to be focused more on our customers, which I think helped our business overall.”

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