Lakeside Contractors Reduced AP Time by 80% and Gained Real-Time Cash Flow Visibility
Lakeside Contractors, a construction company operating with a lean finance team, transformed its accounts payable process by replacing paper-based workflows with Beiing Human’s AI-powered AP automation.
About Lakeside Contractors
Lakeside Contractors is a growing construction company where finance operations are handled by a lean team. With hundreds of invoices flowing in every month and limited administrative bandwidth, accounts payable quickly became a bottleneck.
By implementing Beiing Human’s AI-powered AP automation, Lakeside transformed a paper-heavy, time-consuming AP process into a streamlined, real-time workflow—freeing up significant time, improving cash flow visibility, and reducing operational stress.
The Challenge
A Paper-Based AP Process That Couldn’t Scale
Before Beiing Human, Lakeside’s AP workflow was fully manual:
- Invoices were printed and distributed on paper
- Project managers hand-wrote coding details
- Approved invoices were manually entered into the ERP
With 300+ invoices per month, this process created delays, backlogs, and constant end-of-month stress.
“I was spending six to ten hours every week just entering invoices. I was completely bogged down.”
Key Challenges:
- Excessive manual data entry
- Slow approval cycles
- Limited visibility into outstanding payables
- Reactive cash flow management
The Solution
Implementing Beiing Human AP Automation
Lakeside implemented Beiing Human’s AI-powered AP automation platform to eliminate paper, reduce manual work, and accelerate invoice processing.
Despite using a different version of QuickBooks, onboarding was fast and hands-on.
“When we had issues, the team either walked us through it or fixed it on their end. Setup was easy.”
Core Capabilities Used:
- AI-powered invoice and line-item extraction
- Email auto-forwarding
- Digital approval workflows
- ERP sync with QuickBooks
- Full audit trail and invoice history
Adoption & Change Management
From Paper Resistance to Team Buy-In
Moving away from paper initially caused hesitation among project managers. That resistance disappeared within weeks.
“The difference it made in the first couple of weeks was enough for them to be fully on board.”
Project managers now benefit from:
- Faster invoice delivery
- Clear approval history
- Easy access to previously approved invoices
The Impact
75–80% Reduction in AP Time
Before automation, Taylor spent 6–10 hours per week entering invoices. Today, invoice routing and ERP entry happen with a few clicks.
“Now I spend maybe 30 minutes sending invoices for approval and then just push them into the ERP.”
Results:
- 75–80% reduction in AP workload
- Hundreds of invoices processed without manual entry
- No end-of-month AP backlog
By the numbers
Before & After Beiing Human
Faster Approvals & Better Job Costing
Invoices now reach project managers almost immediately, improving accuracy and recall.
“They’re not trying to remember what they bought two weeks ago.”
More accurate coding has improved job costing and reporting across projects.
Real-Time Cash Flow Visibility
With invoices entering the ERP in real time, Lakeside can see payables as they happen—not weeks later.
“I can see what’s due now, not what was due two weeks ago.”
At one point, Lakeside reduced outstanding AP to just one vendor—a first in nearly three years.
Deeper Insights Through Better Data
Line-Item Accuracy That Enables Better Reporting
Beiing Human’s AI captures invoice line items with approximately 95% accuracy, allowing Lakeside to track costs that were previously lumped together.
One major improvement was separating winter concrete additives from general concrete costs—enabling faster change orders and clearer margin analysis.
“It actually goes into more depth than I ever used to, because I didn’t have the time before.”
Business Outcomes
- Fewer late payments
- Improved compliance
- Real-time AP reporting
- Stronger cash flow control
- More time for strategic and operational work
“I knew it would save time, but I didn’t expect the long-term impact on cash flow.”
Favorite Features
“Auto-forwarding is my favorite feature. It makes AP completely mindless.”
Feedback, Advice & What’s Next
- Improvement Area
Occasional UI lag when sending invoices for approval.
- Feature Wishlist
Ability to group selected line items under shared cost codes without fully combining the entire invoice.
Advice for Other Construction Companies
“Just do it. If you’re struggling with AP, give it a try. The team will make it work for your system.”
While Lakeside is currently focused on AP automation, the early results have been significant.
“In just three months, we’ve already seen huge improvements—and I expect that to continue.”
Ready to streamline your construction AP process?
Learn how Beiing Human helps construction teams eliminate manual AP work while gaining real-time financial visibility.