Swain Electric’s AP Transformation with Beiing Human
About Swain Electric
Swain Electric is a mid-sized electrical contractor based in Arizona, specializing in industrial and commercial projects. With a strong reputation for precision and quality. Swain Electric manages a complex web of subcontractors, suppliers, and jobs—all demanding tight financial control and accuracy.
The Challenge
Swain Electric’s Accounts Payable (AP) team was processing over 1,000 invoices per month, relying on a largely manual, paper-based system.
Pain points included:
- Time-intensive data entry: Invoices required detailed input (vendor info, job numbers, GL codes, tax details) by hand.
- Error-prone processes: Matching delivery tickets with invoices, ensuring correct job costing, and tracking approvals were fraught with delays and mistakes.
- Retrieval issues: Archived invoices were stored as PDFs on local servers or buried in file cabinets, making retrieval cumbersome—especially for project managers needing historical context.
- Approval inefficiencies: AP relied on check-signers for final invoice approvals, delaying the process and increasing the risk of oversight.
As CFO Matt Robinson noted, “Even with a strong ERP (Foundation Software), the manual overhead of AP was a bottleneck for productivity and accuracy.”
The Solution
In 2024, Swain Electric partnered with Beiing Human, an AI-powered AP automation solution designed specifically for construction companies. Their goal: eliminate manual entry, improve accuracy, and digitize approvals and storage.
Key features of the implementation included:
The Results
Swain Electric saw immediate, measurable improvements:
| Metric | Before Beiing Human | After Beiing Human |
|---|---|---|
|
Invoice Entry Time |
100% manual |
Fully automated + human verification |
|
Invoice Approval Process |
Manual, tied to check-signing |
Routed to project managers digitally |
|
Error Rate |
Moderate (manual entry prone) |
Significantly reduced via AI + human in the loop |
|
Team Productivity |
High manual overhead |
Refocused on higher-value tasks |
Robinson emphasized, “We didn’t just save time—we improved accuracy and elevated the role of our AP team. They now focus on verification and adding value rather than getting buried in data entry.”
Lessons Learned
- Human + AI synergy: The key to success wasn’t just automating but ensuring humans could easily verify and correct AI’s work—especially during initial adoption.
- Change management: Swain Electric started with tech-friendly internal champions to test and refine the system before rolling it out company-wide.
- ERP-first mindset: Deep integration with Foundation ERP was critical; any solution that didn’t offer seamless data flow would have failed.
By the numbers
Before & After Beiing Human
The Road Ahead
Swain Electric continues to expand its use of Beiing Human with upcoming features:
- Notifications: Real-time alerts to reduce missed comments and follow-ups.
- Q&A Indexing: Tying invoice-related conversations directly to the document trail for full auditability.
- Generative AI: Summarizing long back-and-forth invoice threads, saving time for busy project managers.
Final Thoughts
Matt Robinson’s advice to CFOs and controllers:
“We need to ask: Does what I’m doing add value to the person paying my company? The less friction in your back office, the stronger your business. Tools like Beiing Human unlock that potential.”
About Beiing Human
Beiing Human is an AI-based AP automation solution purpose-built for construction companies. It helps teams digitize, streamline, and audit AP workflows with precision and ease. Learn more at beiinghuman.com.
