Products
eCommerce
Invoicing
Payments
Cash Application
Collections
Challenge: AR Efficiency Curbed at 75%
McPherson Oil fuels companies across the Southeastern region of the U.S., but when it comes to cash flow management, the company’s accounts receivable (AR) operation was stuck. Collectors were spending too much time on manual processes –building lists, running aging reports, and handling payments – often at the expense of proactive client outreach. Time-intensive tasks often left mid- and low-risk accounts overlooked, even for simple requests like needing an invoice copy or a reminder.
The company’s touchless payment processing rate was a stubborn problem and the root cause of inefficiency. Also known as straight-through processing rate, the percentage of payments processed without the need for human intervention hovered at 75%. The team struggled to push past it with collectors spending most of their days handling transactions instead of accelerating them. When Christian Collins stepped in as Commercial Credit and AR Manager, she knew change was needed – and she knew just what to do to make it happen.
After working with Billtrust for 15 years in a previous role, she had no hesitation in recommending the AR automation solution again when she joined McPherson Oil. In the face of delayed payments and missed opportunities, she knew Billtrust would foster a more streamlined approach for her team.
Solution: Touchless Processing Hits 98%
The organization focused first on Billtrust’s buyer-facing billing and payment portal, and it didn’t take long for adoption to surge among buyers. Electronic payments coming through the portal have increased by over 200%, driving touchless processing from 75% to 98%. With automation handling routine transaction workflows, team members were finally able to shift more of their time to downstream activities – like collections efforts.
With one collections dashboard and a single source of truth, the AR team can now see exactly which accounts need attention and when. No more juggling spreadsheets and sticky notes. Just clear priorities, built-in workflows, and automated follow-up emails.
“Having everything in one place has been a huge efficiency boost,” said Collins. “Our team comes in each day knowing exactly what needs to be done, and the automation ensures we’re working smarter, not harder.”
“Our team has really enjoyed the automation — the notes and the way that they automatically save, the automated emails, and all of the tracking capability. They no longer need to depend on a plethora of sticky notes to deal with all the reminders. Collectors aren’t wasting time anymore. Instead, they’re acting – making calls and escalating the right accounts at the right time.”
Christian Collins, Commercial Credit and AR Manager, McPherson Oil
Next, McPherson Oil is adding Billtrust’s Cash Application solution to further automate their AR lifecycle. “We’re in development now. The Billtrust team has even coordinated meetings with our bank and IT Department. We’re thrilled to roll this out,” Collins added.
Result: Collections Unlock $2M in Cash Flow
The improvements speak for themselves: cash flow increased by $2M, Days Sales Outstanding (DSO) dropped by 5 days. Before Billtrust, just 72% of receivables were collected within the expected timeframe. Today, however, that figure is 93%. This represents a 29% improvement relative to the previous rate.
“Executive management is so pleased with our $2M in accelerated cash flow,” said Collins. “They’re happy to report to the board, and they know the improved metrics are primarily a result of the Billtrust application.”
Internally, leadership has observed that morale is up. Longtime team members and new hires alike have embraced the AR platform thanks to strong training and intuitive tools. “The education classes prior to implementation were great. My team picked up on it so quickly. When it went live, it didn’t feel like we were just dumped off at the pool,” explained Collins with a laugh.
Customers are happier, as well. The Credit Department’s satisfaction score rose to 90, up from 85 the year before. Collins also notes that more customers are engaging with the Billtrust portal, with enrollments growing from under 25 per month to over 40.
Security, Compliance, Partnership
With many payments coming via credit cards, McPherson Oil also relies on Billtrust for PCI DSS compliance. “We just review and sign off. Security and compliance are as simple as that,” Collins said.
Customer experience is essential for Collins, which made it even easier for her to introduce Billtrust. “When you reach out, they don’t just respond – they’re already fixing it. Even if you just need someone to confirm what you’re seeing, they’re quick, clear, and confident. They’re there when you need them, period.”
