Acme Erectors

The Challenge
Acme Erectors, like many commercial subcontracting companies, grappled with labor-intensive, manual processes for managing payment applications and compliance documents. Their reliance on Excel spreadsheets, in particular, led to frequent pay application errors and revisions, resulting in delayed payments. Moreover, the absence of a centralized system for tracking compliance documentation posed a significant challenge in ensuring all requirements were met.
Seeking a solution to streamline their billing workflows, reduce errors, and improve compliance tracking, Acme Erectors turned to Siteline. This transition aligned with a broader recognition of the need for more modernization within the company. As Acme鈥檚 VP of Operations, Josh Wilson, put it, 鈥淭here鈥檚 a reluctance in the construction industry, especially in steel erection, to embrace new technologies. We tend to stick to the old ways. But I鈥檓 passionate about improving our company鈥檚 processes and systems, and Siteline was another opportunity to do just that.鈥�
The Solution
Upon witnessing Siteline鈥檚 capabilities firsthand, Wilson鈥檚 initial skepticism turned into enthusiasm. He was also especially impressed with how easy it was to launch the system and integrate it with their current projects and financial workflows. 鈥淪iteline鈥檚 support team was the most responsive we鈥檝e ever worked with,鈥� stated Wilson. 鈥淲e were able to successfully onboard over 100 projects within a span of two months.鈥�
Siteline鈥檚 intuitive interface proved to be another major selling point. 鈥淲ith Siteline, anyone can become a billing expert with very little training.鈥� This user-friendliness has empowered Acme鈥檚 project managers (PMs) to take a more active role in the billing and collections process, fostering a shared understanding of payment statuses and responsibilities across the team. This increased collaboration has minimized reliance on the back office, improved cross-team communication, and accelerated Acme鈥檚 ability to address and collect outstanding payments.
Additionally, Siteline's comprehensive compliance tracking features automated and centralized the management of crucial documents like lien waivers and certificates of insurance. This streamlined process ensures all necessary documentation is readily accessible and accounted for with each payment application, resulting in fewer revisions and healthier, more predictable cash flow.
The Results
By enhancing visibility into financial operations, fostering collaboration across project and back-office teams, and automating previously manual processes, Acme Erectors has reduced its A/R aging from 77 days to 58 days鈥攁 25% improvement in its DSO. This result stems directly from the significant efficiency gains and operational improvements enabled by Siteline, which include the following.
Streamlined Revisions
Previously a cumbersome task, revisions are now swiftly addressed within Siteline, ensuring billing deadlines are consistently met. As Wilson explained, 鈥淪iteline makes it easier to identify and fix revisions, especially in AIA billing, where we often only learn about them later.鈥�
Increased Billing Visibility and Volume
The enhanced visibility into billing has enabled PMs to take a more proactive, hands-on approach to collections, fostering a healthy sense of competition. Consequently, Acme has witnessed a 10% increase in monthly billing volume, translating to faster cash flow for the company. 鈥淲e can all see stuff in Siteline that we didn鈥檛 even realize we were missing, Wilson noted. 鈥淲e celebrate the PM who bills the most across their projects, which has been great for cash flow and camaraderie.鈥�
Real-Time Reporting for Improved Collections
Siteline has replaced Acme鈥檚 twice-monthly aging reports with real-time invoice status tracking accessible from any device. This has empowered Wilson and other stakeholders to monitor outstanding invoices and leverage this information during negotiations. 鈥淲hen a GC asks for something, and you can pull out your phone to show them they haven鈥檛 paid you in four months, they magically pay you the next day,鈥� explained Wilson. 鈥淲e didn鈥檛 have the same access to this information before Siteline.鈥�
Airtight Compliance
Siteline鈥檚 automated compliance features have transformed how Acme handles critical documents like lien waivers. By proactively submitting the waivers on all projects, the company has significantly reduced pay application rejections, minimized financial risks, and further streamlined its A/R process for smoother operations and stronger cash flow.