St Vincent de Paul Society NSW modernises Accounts Payable with ExFlow

St Vincent de Paul Society NSW (Vinnies NSW) is one of Australia’s largest charitable organisations, supporting vulnerable communities through a complex network of retail operations, social services, property management, and volunteer-led activities. Operating across multiple entities, Vinnies NSW balances commercial-scale transaction volumes with the governance, transparency, and accountability required of a mission-driven, not-for-profit organisation.

With every dollar ultimately supporting community services, strong financial controls and timely processing are critical. The finance team must manage a high volume of invoices while ensuring approvals are appropriate, auditable, and aligned with strict internal and external compliance expectations.

Challenge : Manual processes across multiple entities and charts of accounts

Prior to implementing Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central and ExFlow, Vinnies NSW relied on a highly manual and fragmented accounts payable process. Invoices were received and processed differently across the organisation, with each business operating its own approach.

Each entity maintained its own way of processing invoices, often using different charts of accounts and local practices. This lack of standardisation made consolidation difficult and increased reliance on manual knowledge held by individuals. Approvals were managed through email chains, and invoices were manually entered into the legacy ERP system.

This approach created several challenges:

• Inconsistent invoice handling across multiple entities
• Different charts of accounts and processing practices across the organisation
• Manual data entry and heavy reliance on paper and email
• Frequent duplicate payments caused by inconsistent interpretation of invoice numbers
• Limited visibility into invoice status and approvals
• Significant effort required to support audits and compliance

With the existing ERP reaching end-of-life and the organisation consolidating multiple entities into a single operating model, Vinnies NSW recognised the need for a modern, automated accounts payable solution that could scale with the business while strengthening control and visibility.

Solution : Standardising and automating Accounts Payable with ExFlow

As part of its transition to Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central, Vinnies NSW implemented ExFlow to automate invoice capture, approval workflows, and posting. ExFlow was selected for its native integration with Business Central and its ability to support complex approval hierarchies, compliance requirements, and high document volumes.

Invoices are now received via a centralised inbox and processed using ExFlow Data Capture, which automatically extracts invoice data and flags potential duplicates early in the process. This directly addressed a long-standing issue with duplicate payments that had previously gone undetected in manual processes.

Once captured, invoices flow into ExFlow’s approval workflows, where rules-based routing ensures invoices are sent to the correct approvers based on value, cost centre, and organisational hierarchy. Approval chains are automatically enforced and fully auditable, replacing email-based approvals and reducing the risk of unauthorised spend.

ExFlow’s tight integration with Business Central ensures that approved invoices are posted with full document visibility. Users can view invoice images, approval history, and timestamps directly from Business Central, improving transparency for both finance teams and auditors.

Despite the scale of change, including a full ERP replacement and significant process redesign, the organisation successfully went live within a 12-month implementation timeframe, meeting a hard financial year deadline.

Results : Faster close, stronger control, and improved visibility

The implementation of ExFlow marked a clear shift in how accounts payable operated at Vinnies NSW, moving the organisation from a manual, fragmented process to a controlled, automated workflow. The impact was felt across efficiency, accuracy, and confidence in financial governance.

ExFlow also enabled Vinnies NSW to meet tighter financial close requirements. With new leadership expectations to close accounts payable on day one of the month, this would not have been achievable under the previous manual process.

From manual handling to automated processing

Before: Invoice processing relied heavily on manual data entry, email coordination, and paper-based handling. Staff spent significant time typing invoice details, chasing approvals, and managing inboxes rather than reviewing or validating invoices.

After: By leveraging ExFlow’s automated data capture, duplicate detection, and rules-based workflows, invoice handling is now largely automated. The organisation no longer requires a traditional, dedicated invoice processing team, with staff involvement focused on review and exception management rather than manual data entry.

The AP team’s role has also evolved. Instead of being given all coding upfront, team members now read invoices and decipher coding requirements. This shift has improved invoice understanding and freed time for higher-value activities such as vendor reconciliations.

From delayed approvals to consistent turnaround times

Before: Approvals were managed through email chains, often requiring multiple follow-ups. Visibility into where an invoice was sitting, or who was responsible for the next step, was limited, particularly for higher-value invoices.

After: ExFlow’s automated workflow engine routes invoices immediately to the correct approvers based on predefined rules. Clear visibility and automated reminders support timely action, enabling Vinnies NSW to consistently meet its 48-hour invoice processing KPI, with many invoices approved within an additional 24 hours, even across multiple approval levels.

“With a new CFO came the necessity to close AP on day one of the month. This would not have been achievable without ExFlow.”
Janelle Fielding, Finance Manager, St Vincent de Paul Society NSW

From duplicate risk to improved accuracy and control

Before: Duplicate payments were a recurring issue. Invoice numbers were interpreted differently by different staff, and the legacy system provided little protection against accidental reprocessing, resulting in rework and financial risk.

After: ExFlow’s duplicate detection and validation capabilities identify potential issues early in the process. This has significantly reduced duplicate payments and highlighted weaknesses in legacy processes, enabling the organisation to standardise controls and improve payment accuracy.

From audit anxiety to audit readiness

Before: Audits required locating approval evidence across emails, paper files, and archived folders. Supporting audit requests was time-consuming and stressful for the finance team.

After: With ExFlow, every invoice, approval, and action is automatically time-stamped and stored centrally. Auditors can trace transactions from receipt through approval to posting directly within Business Central, significantly reducing audit effort and improving confidence in compliance.

From limited visibility to meaningful insight

Before: The finance team had little visibility into processing volumes, bottlenecks, or approval delays. Understanding performance relied heavily on anecdotal knowledge rather than data.

After: ExFlow provides structured reporting and analytics that surface invoice volumes, processing times, and approval patterns. While reporting is currently used at a foundational level, the availability of reliable data now supports informed decision-making and creates a platform for future optimisation.

“I couldn’t imagine going back to manually processing invoices. ExFlow saves time, improves accuracy, and gives us visibility and control we never had before.”
Janelle Fielding, Finance Manager, St Vincent de Paul Society NSW

Looking Ahead : Building on a strong foundation for further optimisation

Vinnies NSW sees further opportunity to extend value from ExFlow. Future plans include deeper optimisation of reporting and analytics, expanded use of purchase order functionality, and potential adoption of ExFlow Expense Management to replace existing manual expense processes.
By automating accounts payable and embedding stronger controls, Vinnies NSW has created a scalable, efficient foundation that supports its mission-driven work while maintaining the governance required of a large, complex organisation.