Home Builders
Canada
In the picturesque town of Fernie, British Columbia, Elk River Mountain Homes has built a reputation for crafting exquisite, timber-framed homes that seamlessly blend luxury with natural beauty. With over 25 years of experience and a commitment to sustainability, the company has become a leader in custom home construction. But like any growing business, Elk River is not immune to operational challenges.
Recently, the company realised that it needed to improve the efficiencies of its accounts payable department, a crucial part of the business that ensures suppliers are paid promptly and clients are invoiced accurately. Recognising the opportunity to modernise and streamline its processes, Elk River took the bold step of introducing automation to its accounts payable process. Doing so has not only solved their immediate challenges but positioned them for future success.
At its core, Elk River Mountain Homes is driven by a commitment to excellence—both in the homes it builds and in the way it operates. This ethos prompted the leadership team to assess their internal processes and identify areas for improvement.
“We pride ourselves on our attention to detail and precision in everything we do, whether it’s the design of a custom home or the way we manage our business,” Kara Janzen, Senior Accountant at Elk River Mountain Homes, said. “When we realised our accounts payable processes could be more efficient, it wasn’t a matter of fixing problems—it was about seizing an opportunity to do things better.”
The accounts payable system relied heavily on manual data entry, which slowed processes and meant there was always a level of risk for human error. While the team worked diligently to ensure accuracy, the nature of risk is that it only becomes a problem after an incident. The team wanted to find ways to de-risk their processes wherever possible.
“We’re always looking for ways to raise the bar, and this was no exception,” says Janzen. “We knew there was a smarter way to handle things—one that aligned with our reputation for quality and reliability.”
Elk River’s search for a solution led them to SmartUi – a team of automation specialists with a long track record in streamlining and re-risking accounts payable. Integrated with the company’s existing Premier project management software, SmartUi provided a seamless and intuitive solution that aligned perfectly with Elk River’s needs.
“What stood out about SmartUi was how easily they were able to fit their solutions into our existing workflows,” Janzen said. “It wasn’t just about fixing inefficiencies—it was about creating a system that made sense for our business.”
By automating the accounts payable process, SmartUi eliminated the need for manual data entry, reducing errors and freeing up staff to focus on higher-value tasks.
The financial benefits were significant as well: the monthly cost of Smart UI was a fraction of the salary that it would have cost to hire additional staff to manage the growing workloads the team had.
Elk River’s partnership with SmartUi is part of a broader commitment to embracing innovation. The success of the accounts payable transformation has inspired the company to explore additional ways to enhance its operations, including automating subcontracts and purchase order management.
“We see this as just the beginning,” Janzen said. “Our goal is to keep improving, to keep finding ways to work smarter and deliver even more value to our clients and partners.”
This mindset is what sets Elk River Mountain Homes apart—not just as a custom home builder, but as a company that continually strives for excellence in every aspect of its business.
The benefits that Elk River Mountain Homes took from this automation apply universally, regardless of what sector a business operates in. By adopting SmartUi, any company can reinforce its position as a leader in its industry.
“For us, it’s all connected,” Janzen said. “The same care and attention to detail we put into our homes, we put into every decision we make as a business. This wasn’t just about accounts payable. Rather, it was the fact that it was about living up to the standards we set for ourselves and the promises we make to our clients.”
For businesses seeking to modernise and streamline their processes, Elk River Mountain Homes’ experience demonstrates how SmartUi can be a catalyst for meaningful, measurable change.
https://youtu.be/f46CAklqwiY Automate your invoice data entry for Premier Construction Software with SmartUi’s intelligent Invoice Automation application. SmartUi’s cloud-based solution will streamline your invoice entry process,
Get a first-hand insight into how a complex Accounts Payable Automation is successfully integrated with Netsuite at NSW homebuilder, Beechwood Homes. SmartUi cloud-based Invoice Automation
I’ll start with a quick fact, technological evolution and it’s adoption will never again be as slow as it is today! The race to find
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