How Azora took control of its Purchase to Pay process

The healthcare organization Azora was already working with Elari. Some of the online stores had been set up, the templates were ready, and the capabilities for automated invoice processing were in place. But as the organization grew, the Purchase to Pay processes became more complex, and at a certain point, that called for a different approach.

That’s a familiar story. A system that works well enough, until the organization around it changes and you realize more is needed. More structure, more automation, more control. The realization that there was so much more to Elari than they were currently utilizing came during an optimization meeting with Customer Success Manager Jasper van Ommen. What they learned there made one thing clear: they were still leaving far too much untapped. Not a criticism. But an eye-opener. That moment marked the start of a serious optimization process.

The foundation first

Before a single invoice could be processed automatically, the foundation had to be right. And it wasn’t. The cost center structure was complex, confusing, and no longer aligned with the organization’s way of working. With sometimes as many as ten reviewers per organizational unit and responsibilities that had expanded over the years without a clear structure, adjustments were necessary.

Azora chose to get things in order there first: fewer cost centers, fewer reviewers per unit (from ten to an average of two), and a structure that fits the organization as it operates now and as it intends to operate in the future.

“The structure is your foundation. If it isn’t right from the start, making adjustments later becomes exponentially more complex.”

Joost Holweg, External Project Lead at Azora

Laying that foundation took time. Nearly a year. But it made everything possible afterward.

A proven approach as a starting point

You don’t have to figure out optimization on your own. Based on years of experience with a wide range of organizations, Elari has developed a standardized methodology: a set of proven best practices that describes how Elari should ideally be set up, from roles and permissions to invoice processing and contract management.

Those best practices served as the starting point for the project at Azora. Not as a straitjacket, but as a compass. Consultant Emmanuel assessed where Azora stood, where the greatest gains could be made, and what steps were needed to achieve them. This resulted in a concrete blueprint: a structured approach that the team followed step by step together with consultant Emmanuel, with the option to continue independently later on.

Control at the front end

The biggest shift isn’t in a feature. It’s in the moment when people take control.

In the past, a budget holder would only get involved once the invoice had already arrived. Now the process begins with the purchase order. The budget holder reviews the purchase order in advance, if necessary. The coding is already included in the order. And when the invoice arrives and matches the order, there’s no further work to be done. Whereas employees used to manually code and review invoices, their role has shifted to oversight and guidance: less administrative work, more control over the process.

A concrete example involves suppliers such as Bidfood and Hartmann: orders are placed through Elari, receipt is automatically recorded, and an invoice that matches the order is processed without manual intervention. For orders below a certain threshold amount, employees can place orders directly without prior approval from a manager.

The results of this approach are clear: in just six months, the number of purchase orders grew from fewer than 100 to more than 1,000 per month. Not because more was being ordered, but because an increasing number of orders now go through Elari instead of bypassing the system.

“You only move forward once you’re confident that the previous step went well. And you build that confidence by observing, verifying, and only then letting go.”

Elke van de Kimmenade, Finance & Control at Azora

Touchless as an ambition

Touchless means: an invoice comes in, codes itself, is matched with the purchase order and the receipt, and proceeds automatically without anyone having to review it manually. That’s a concrete ambition, not a promise you can fulfill in three months. That’s exactly why Azora isn’t trying to force the issue.

The decision is made on a supplier-by-supplier basis. In doing so, they rank suppliers by the number of invoices and invoice size. They also actively reach out to suppliers to request XML invoices via PEPPOL or email. And they follow the steps that consultant Emmanuel mapped out: a concrete blueprint that’s repeated for each supplier in Elari.

At first glance, XML mapping looks like code. But with the right documentation and an employee who has a knack for it, it can be learned. Harmke became the in-house XML specialist.

“You need someone who enjoys it. Then it’ll work out.”

Joost Holweg, External Project Lead at Azora

And the first results are already in: the top five suppliers alone save about 20 hours per quarter. But Azora is far from finished. There are still dozens of suppliers waiting to be connected, contracts that can still be automatically matched with invoices, and steps that still need to be taken. That 20-hour figure isn’t the final tally. It’s just the starting point.

From execution to oversight

Automation is shifting roles. Employees who used to manually code invoices now do so less often. They monitor, they assess, they make adjustments. The procurement module ensures that orders are approved up front, so that by the end of the process, the invoice only has one thing left to do: match.

The fear that something will go wrong if you let go is understandable. But the question is: what does holding on cost? What is the risk if something goes wrong, how big is that risk realistically, and what do you gain by letting go? Often, that balance is more favorable than it seems. Every manual check takes time. Every error you could have prevented in advance costs more than the error itself.

The monthly review of figures catches discrepancies. Spot checks keep the system sharp. And the system itself is designed to catch errors up front, not fix them afterward. The effect is measurable: the top five suppliers alone save approximately 20 hours per quarter. And that number grows as more suppliers are connected.

What Azora shares with others

The conversation with Azora yields one piece of advice that keeps coming up, expressed in three different ways: take your time.

Not as an excuse to be slow. But as an honest acknowledgment that optimization requires an investment before it yields results. This means setting aside time now to save time later. It also helps build trust before you actually start automating. Only once that foundation is solid should you take the next step.

Azora isn’t there yet. They say so themselves. But they know exactly which direction they’re heading, how they’ll get there, and why every step counts. That’s what it means to be in control.

Curious about what Elari can do for your organization? We’d be happy to demonstrate the power of Elari live during a no-obligation demo.