Esker, a global cloud platform and leader in AI-driven process automation solutions for finance and customer service functions, today announced that Optic 2000, a leading optical retailer in France, is automating its procure-to-pay (P2P) processes with Esker. Seamlessly integrated with the company’s SAP^® ERP system, Esker’s AI-powered Procure-to-Pay suite streamlines Optic 2000’s purchase requisitions, supplier invoices and supplier management processes that it previously managed manually.

Once the need for greater invoice efficiency and management arose, Optic 2000 sought a vendor to digitally transform its current processes to reduce errors and improve supplier relationships.

From 100% paper to 100% digital

Prior to implementing Esker’s solution, Optic 2000 processed its purchase requisitions and supplier invoices manually, resulting in data entry errors and lost documents. Locating physically archived documents was extremely laborious. All this made it difficult to maintain full visibility over approved items and invoices to be paid. This negatively impacted the company’s ability to organize cashflow and protect against late payments. Optic 2000’s six-person accounting team was losing valuable time on tedious tasks such as gathering document signatures and searching and archiving invoices. Today, 24,000 annual invoices go through Esker’s automated solution, which is being used by over 200 employees.

Successful implementation supported by internal advocates

Esker’s Agile methodology for solution implementation, support and training were greatly appreciated by Optic 2000. Through a combination of teamwork and customized training, Esker enabled Optic 2000 to successfully automate its entire P2P process.

“Following user acceptance testing (UAT), Esker accompanied our teams to ensure a smooth transition,” said Nicolas Queneau, Administrative and Financial Director at Optic 2000. “Executive assistants were trained on the solution first and their expertise helped smoothly onboard all relevant stakeholders. This vertical approach worked very well, as evidenced by the high solution adoption rates among the teams.”

Saving time and enhancing the value of finance professionals

Esker’s intuitive solution interface and seamless ERP integration were greatly appreciated by all involved in the project and helped in facilitating their work. By automating the entire supplier process, the accounting department has been able to save a considerable amount of time, freeing them up to concentrate on higher-value tasks such as account follow-up and analysis. In addition, the financial management process has been improved and accelerated payment processes have enabled the company to optimize its cashflow.

“The choice to automate our P2P processes with Esker has been effective in quickly developing an efficient business continuity plan adapted to today’s challenging climate,” said Queneau. “The teams working remotely are able to easily manage supplier invoices directly from Esker’s mobile application. It would have been much more complicated if they had to be on site every day.”

“The pandemic and remote working have accelerated the adoption of best practices such as e-invoicing, a trend that is expected to grow,” said Jean-Michel Bérard, CEO at Esker. “We’ve developed a sustainable solution for Optic 2000, well-aligned with their present and future ambitions for growth and digitalization.”

“Our employees, customers and suppliers are satisfied — it’s a win-win collaboration,” concluded Queneau. “We are now able to identify exactly where an invoice is in the process, and we have access to all related documents in real time and from anywhere. This flexibility and time saving are invaluable, helping us to continuously improve the quality of service we deliver, even more so in the current context.”

About Optic 2000

Optic 2000 is a leading optical network in France with 1,148 points of sale throughout the country and 797 million euros in sales revenue in 2020. Since its creation, the brand has been a benchmark in visual health, both in terms of customer care and the quality of the equipment offered. Optic 2000 stores are managed by state-qualified opticians who are recognized visual health professionals. Optic 2000 has been supporting the French Muscular Dystrophy Association (AFM-Téléthon) since 2012 by donating 1€* for each second pair of glasses, thus contributing to the research of innovative therapies, especially for genetic eye diseases.

About Esker

Esker is a global cloud platform built to unlock strategic value for finance and customer service professionals, and strengthen collaboration between companies by automating the cash conversion cycle. Esker’s solutions incorporate technologies like Artificial Intelligence (AI) to drive increased productivity, enhanced visibility, reduced fraud risk, and improved collaboration with customers, suppliers and internally. Esker operates in North America, Latin America, Europe and Asia Pacific with global headquarters in Lyon, France, and U.S. headquarters in Madison, Wisconsin. For more information on Esker and its solutions, visit www.esker.com. Follow Esker on LinkedIn and join the conversation on the Esker blog at blog.esker.com.

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