Suzanne explains why she'd been frustrated with her statement reconciliation process and why staff turnover was so high when she joined the business.

“Everything was manual and there were many challenges. When I first joined Mole Valley Farmers, the statement reconciliation process consisted of a pile of statements and various highlighter pens. The team was manually typing data into a spreadsheet, line by line. With my continuous improvement background, I knew there would be a more efficient way of working.

"Initially, I introduced VLookup through Excel. This meant training an already overwhelmed team and asking suppliers to provide statement copies in Excel. We couldn’t achieve 100% and therefore had manual exceptions. It was a bit chaotic.”

Not only has Xelix transformed Mole Valley’s statement reconciliation process, but it’s also changed how Suzanne and her team feel about their roles. With a team split between permanent home working, office-based and hybrid working, Suzanne describes how they feel now.

“Team morale has improved tenfold. I used to see a lot of sickness and tears. I don’t have any now. One team member who used to sit in the background has flourished since implementing Xelix. Her confidence has grown, and she’s become our go-to person for Xelix-related questions.”

Suzanne had already looked at two systems to relieve the pressure and anxiety around statement reconciliation. She also wanted to reduce the number of invoice and payment errors. When she learnt about Xelix at the Accounts Payable Association’s Managers Update, it became a third contender.

“This was the first time I’d heard of Xelix. People around me were saying 'yes, we use them and they’re fantastic' and 'customer service is fantastic.' That was the clincher for me. Customer service is one of our core values, so based on this feedback, I made a call to [Commercial Director] Max,” adds Suzanne.

Xelix is an investment, so Suzanne had to get buy-in from her FD. A proof of concept using all three Xelix modules and Mole Valley data flagged around 120 payment issues to investigate. Two highlighted huge duplicate payments. 

"One payment was over £50,000 and another was equally large. We’d paid those invoices twice. I remember my FD’s remark. He said: 'Why didn’t our scanning company pick these up? We’re paying for that service. Why didn’t they pick it up?'

"The issue was due to slightly different invoice numbers - not something our scanning company can pick up. But with broader criteria and AI working in the background, Xelix did. Those two invoice errors sold Xelix to my FD. He could see the ROI would be pretty much instantaneous, and it would protect us in the future,” she says.

Suzanne says Mole Valley isn’t done with Xelix yet, and she anticipates further AP improvements. For example, their productivity improvements have freed up time for someone to focus on the Transactions module.

The scanning company they use only checks for supplier name and purchase order issues. So, Mole Valley started using Xelix to monitor transactions as well. They expect to pick up errors the scanning company isn’t capable of finding – like the two large duplicate invoices.

“We’re thankful for Xelix being there now to capture those duplicates as well,” says Suzanne.

Another area flagged for development is Xelix’s reporting suite. Suzanne knows the benefit won’t just be within the AP department.

“There are elements of the reports which could assist the Treasury department, such as forecasting spend based on the number of invoices due in the coming weeks. Xelix’s reporting suite proves useful for procurement too, providing a report on spend by supplier, for example,” explains Suzanne.

Mole Valley Farmers also wants to use Xelix for the agricultural side of its operations. Whilst 50% of the business, it amounts to around 1,000 active suppliers and 40,000 invoices a year. This data will soon feed into Xelix.

Suzanne sums up her experience of Xelix so far. 

“My initial expectations of Xelix were to provide automated statement reconciliations and great customer service to help us with changes we required. They’ve definitely met those.

We have regular reviews with the Xelix team in which they inform us of any changes they’re making following our feedback. They also want to know what changes they can make to help us become more efficient. It’s exactly the customer service I’d expect from a company like Xelix.”

And what would Suzanne say is the most significant transformation having implemented Xelix?

“The insight we gain from the Transactions module. Not just duplicate invoices but processing errors such as not having VAT on an invoice when that account usually does. It also highlights process downfalls and training gaps, so it’s a greater indicator for optimisation in those areas too. In terms of return on investment, this is the most valuable aspect of Xelix for us.”