Exec summary

Eugene Country Club strives to provide a “home away from home” for its members. But behind the scenes, the club relied on a manual accounts payable process where every invoice was coded, routed, and entered by hand. This tedious workflow required 15 to 20 hours of manual work each week, increased the risk of errors, and limited visibility.

About Eugene Country Clubs

Eugene Country Club has a rich history and deep roots in the Eugene, Oregon, community. Founded in 1899, it’s the second-oldest country club in the state of Oregon. While the private, member-owned club remains grounded in tradition, it continues to evolve its operations to better serve its members and staff. Today, the club’s members enjoy world-class golf, tennis, swimming, and an array of social activities, all while surrounded by the natural beauty of the Pacific Northwest.

The challenge

Eugene Country Club is known for its rich history and unwavering dedication to outstanding member experiences. But in the back office, the organization relied on a fully manual accounts payable process. 

Invoices were routed to department heads for coding, then sent back to the accounting team. From there, the team manually entered invoices into Jonas Club, the club’s ERP system. 

Every detail was hand-keyed, including vendor information, invoice number, amounts, and general ledger codes. This was a tedious process that required anywhere from 15 to 20 hours of manual work each week, depending on the season.  

“It was pretty labor-intensive,” said Steve Badenoch, Controller at Eugene Country Club. “Being in the golf business, we’re a lot busier during the summer.”

Manual data entry meant keying errors were inevitable, despite the diligent team’s best efforts. Furthermore, a lack of centralized visibility made it challenging to quickly locate invoice information when a question arose. 

Over time, it became clear that the team needed a more modern approach to AP that would improve efficiency, visibility, and accuracy.

The solution

The team at Eugene Country Club started their search for a modern accounts payable solution. After evaluating multiple options, they ultimately chose Ottimate because of the company’s industry expertise and a strong recommendation from another country club.

“One of the unique things about the country club industry is that we don’t compete with one another,” explained Badenoch. “We try to help each other. If one club has something that’s working really well, we share it with everybody.”

After selecting Ottimate, Eugene Country Club had a smooth implementation and onboarding experience. Ottimate guided the team through walkthroughs and facilitated a live training session with department managers to ensure everyone understood how to use the platform. 

“Moving to Ottimate was very easy,” said Badenoch. “It wasn’t a hard process at all.”  

Today, Ottimate serves as Eugene Country Club’s central hub for accounts payable. All invoices are captured within the platform, where they’re coded, reviewed, and processed. Thanks to AI-powered automation, there’s less manual work and fewer errors. 

The team at Eugene Country Club has found Ottimate’s search and reporting capabilities to be particularly valuable. Ottimate users can search by vendor number, general ledger code, or other criteria and quickly find invoices and historical data. That means they can find the information and answers they need fast, without manually digging through countless records.

“When a question comes up about anything, I love being able to just go to Ottimate and pull it up,” said Badenoch. “Even if it was three months ago, a year ago, or even three years ago, you can find it.”

The results

Implementing Ottimate has significantly increased the efficiency of Eugene Country Club’s AP process. Automation has reduced the need for manual work, enabling invoices to be processed faster and more accurately. 

One of the most significant outcomes has been the amount of time spent on accounts payable. What once took 15 to 20 hours per week has become a much lighter workload. 

“It was a full-time position in accounts payable, and now it’s part-time,” explained Badenoch.

Ottimate has also improved visibility across departments. Managers now have access to invoice details and past transactions, which makes it easier to understand spending and make better decisions. 

The ability to quickly surface historical data has also provided powerful insights to the team. 

“Being able to look things up and see the historical pricing helps us explain things at the financial level,” Badenoch noted.

Since implementing Ottimate, Badenoch and his team haven’t looked back. In fact, Badenoch strongly encourages other clubs that still rely on manual processes to make the switch to modern accounts payable.

“If you’re still manually inputting invoices, you’re behind, explained Badenoch. Ottimate transformed our AP process, turning a time-consuming, manual workflow into a streamlined, efficient process.”