OpenGov and Airbase: Leaving manual data entry in the past with Airbase and Sage Intacct.
Shaina Beeson
Accounts Payable Staff Accountant
Experienced AP Staff Accountant, Shaina Beeson, tells Airbase how automation and consolidation have reformed her work and saved her 15 hours a week.
Experienced accountant, new tricks.
OpenGov is the leader in modern cloud software for our nation’s cities, counties, and state agencies.
Shaina Beeson is a highly experienced, delightfully personable Accounts Payable Staff Accountant at OpenGov. When asked where AP falls in a company’s accounting demands, she describes it as the most “forward-facing area impacting most everyone in the company with so many moving parts.”
When introduced to Airbase, Shaina says she was “shocked — in a good way” at how AP had been consolidated and automated in one platform.
Now, Shaina effortlessly masters those moving parts of AP — vendor payment, corporate cards, bills, and reimbursements — as a team of one and a self-described “power user” of Airbase.
Consolidation across all of AP — a game changer.
Before Airbase, Shaina considered AP a process that invariably involved multiple systems. In her experience, “it’s very uncommon for AP and the card program all to be under one platform.”
“It’s the complete opposite of the past when I was inputting bill details 100% manually. On a weekly basis — with the AI, virtual cards, and everything in one platform — I’m saving at least 15 hours a week. That time is much better spent making further improvements and serving the company.”
Having previously used Stampli to manage invoices, among other point solutions, a single, consolidated platform is a game changer for Shaina. Across the firm, additional benefits are also getting noticed.
“I can definitely say that everyone in leadership — right up to the CEO — is thrilled about getting cash back thanks to Airbase virtual cards.”
Forget harassing employees — let the system be the enforcer.
“I’m no longer chasing people for missing details because I automatically see card activity and spend details.”
Previously, OpenGov was solely using physical cards. Shaina describes previously feeling like the “bad guy” as she had to constantly chase people for receipts and documentation. Now, Airbase automates document processing and compliance at OpenGov. Thanks to sleek UI and easy-to-use workflows, employees find it easy to follow due process according to Shaina.
“As far as accountability, Airbase has been tremendous. Everyone knows 100% what their spend is for, where it’s going, what the budget is, due dates, and so on — all of the time.
If receipts aren’t attached within 3 days, employees automatically receive reminders and auto-lock deploys. The relevant card doesn’t unlock until they’ve attached everything that’s missing — there’s no more chasing down details for Shaina.
From Google Docs to audit-ready automation.
“Before Airbase, our spend process was a little like the wild west.”
OpenGov’s previous approval process lived in a Google Doc — anyone could access the doc and edit those details relating to spend.
In comparison, Airbase creates a secure spend infrastructure with proper approval workflows and data management. Spend details are recorded accurately and are readily available. All this makes Airbase an “amazing one-stop shop” for audits according to Shaina.
Key stakeholders — such as the tax department — can monitor spend and ensure compliance at the early stages, as opposed to retrospectively at the close. Certain spend thresholds automatically trigger their review at the approval stage. Shaina noted that card spend limits are also helping keep spend in line.
“Without Airbase, when a PO comes through after spend has already occurred, and there’s information that needs review, you’re trying to fix it ‘after the fact’ — which really isn’t good.”
Sage Intacct integration: all transactions categorized and synced.
Shaina pairs her Sage Intacct tagging process with the categorization capabilities from Airbase to make spend more identifiable — and data easier to pull — at any time. No matter what type of spend it is, Shaina says it has been “really helpful” to be able to tag, categorize, and separate out spend, both within the spend management system or the ERP.
“I have zero complaints about the syncing from Airbase to Sage Intacct.”
Seamless data synchronization between Airbase and Sage Intacct stops things from “getting really confusing” according to Shaina. Beyond spend organization, Airbase also helps Shaina stay on top of other accounting technicalities too.
“This past year, I solely used Airbase to make my 1099 processing easy.”
Shaina singled out vendors over a certain spend threshold using Airbase categorization settings, thus identifying those who required 1099 processing.
Multiple entities, managed.
OpenGov often needs to carry out international transactions or manage spend across global operations due to its subsidiary in India alongside international contractors. Airbase seamlessly supports these payments and has given Shaina greater visibility into international spend at OpenGov.
“I can see my ACH payments, spend users, check payments, and international payments in one place, which has been so helpful. I can even split out USD and non-USD spend to keep track of different currency payments.”
Despite the complexity and geographic scope of OpenGov’s spend operations, Shaina manages it all effortlessly with her sole teammate, Airbase.