Products
Payments
Cash Application
Challenge: Multiple ERPs Downgrade Productivity
From uniforms to facility supplies, Cintas delivers the everyday essentials that keep millions of businesses prepared and compliant. In a high-volume operation like theirs, every second counts – especially on the back end. Cintas faced ERP challenges due to multiple systems and system changes. As a result, their accounts receivable (AR) processes began slowing just as an acquisition was set to increase their payment volume. That’s when finance leaders had to act fast.
It quickly became clear that managing receivables manually in the new environment wasn’t sustainable with the tools they had in place. Early modeling showed they would need to hire significantly more Employee Partners just to stay ahead. Instead of defaulting to more headcount, leadership began exploring automation opportunities with Billtrust.
They soon discovered the company they were acquiring was already running on Billtrust, giving them an immediate view into features and functionality. They saw firsthand how raw data and AI became automated workflows, helping them estimate their potential efficiency gains. With an initial time-savings forecast, the path to AR modernization came into focus and Cintas pressed forward, replacing their previous payment processing solution with Billtrust’s Cash Application solutions. They later deepened the relationship by adding the Payments solution, achieving additional efficiency, centralization, and credit card related security controls.
Solution: From 5 Information Sources to 1
One of the biggest benefits was Billtrust’s AI-driven cash application software, which uses machine learning and optical character resolution to maximize reconciliation accuracy. Beyond simple rule-based automation, confidence-based algorithms deliver more control over match rates, which reduces manual intervention and boosts productivity.
“We’re now working with a system that learns from every transaction. That shift has completely changed how we train, strategize, and tackle day-to-day work.”
Kerry Banks, Cash Application Manager at Cintas
With Billtrust, the organization has gained a single source of truth for their payment application process. Before, employees were working across 4-5 different platforms and sources of information just to post payments. Now, everything lives in one place – from check images and remittance details to payment notes and processing issues. What used to require separate emails and conversations is now a unified database of instantly accessible information, enabling visibility at every stage of the payment application process.
This simplicity also means transparency between centralized teams and collectors in field operations engaging directly with customers to ensure a cohesive experience from payment receipt to clearing of AR and accurate customer statements.
Advanced reporting and analytics are continuously in action delivering strategic insight, enabling a more innovative approach to forecasting. Whether tracking month-to-month performance, projecting staffing needs, or preparing for a future acquisition, Cintas’ team has the data and foresight they need to plan with confidence.
Results: Twice the Speed with the Same Team
Before Billtrust, Cintas was processing between 13 and 26 payments per hour depending on the ERP system. Today, that number has more than doubled – often hitting 40 to 45 payments per hour. The company is now processing their AR volume of 600,000 to 650,000 payments per month much faster, resulting in a 159.6% improvement in productivity.
In total, Cintas recognizes an annualized cost savings of over $1 million annually through efficiency gains, resource reallocation, and reduced bank fees. These year-over-year savings are a stark comparison to the projected costs had the Billtrust solution not been adopted.
“One million in productivity savings means we can reallocate our team to more valuable work – things that better leverage their skill sets to drive a stronger customer experience.”
Scott Hess, Director of Treasury at Cintas
From 16 People to Just 2
Before Billtrust, Cintas was using another AR tool, but performance was limited. On their best day, only about 30% of their total AR payments were posted automatically. With Billtrust’s continued collaboration, that number has increased to 54% with other subsets reaching 75% and higher. Credit card payments saw the most drastic improvement with an 85-90% auto-posting rate. Performance metrics doubled and tripled when compared to their previous tool, which generates tangible business value. Before, Cintas managed a rapidly growing team of 16 people to manually process all virtual credit card transactions. Today, they need just two people.
“That kind of productivity improvement has been a game changer, especially as we continue to scale through both acquisitions and organic growth. It has made a tremendous difference,” said Banks.
“We tried hard to work with our previous provider, but we could never get on the same page to understand how we could measure success. That was the deciding factor when we met with Billtrust. It didn’t take long for us to speak the same language, measure success on both sides, and define our goals so we could work on accomplishing them.”
Scott Hess, Director of Treasury at Cintas
Superior Service and More Time for Problem Solving
At Cintas, exceeding customer expectations is a top priority. For the cash application team, that means invisible excellence. “Our ideal experience is seamless,” explained Banks. “The customer sends a payment, it’s applied accurately, and there should be nothing more to discuss.”
But before Billtrust, that ideal was hard to reach.
With payments processed centrally and collections managed by decentralized field teams, a lack of transparency had created unnecessary friction in the process of servicing their customers. Both customer service representatives and collectors were fielding basic client questions without cross-functional visibility. Billtrust changed that. With centralized data management, field and internal teams now have real-time clarity into the lifecycle of every transaction.
“What used to be contentious became collaborative. And with fewer questions coming in, we’re now focused on solving real problems – identifying trends in the data and delivering an even better experience for our customers.”
Scott Hess, Director of Treasury at Cintas
Simplified Compliance and Risk Mitigation
Routing all credit card payments through Billtrust has removed PCI DSS exposure from Cintas’ internal systems, reducing risk and simplifying SOC 1 and SOC 2 compliance. With credit card volume exceeding $60 million per month, the impact is significant. “None of that touches my system,” explained Hess. Billtrust also worked closely with the organization to strengthen user access controls and ensure full audit visibility, supporting both internal governance and external regulatory requirements.
Continuous Collaboration
For Cintas, it’s just as much about the partnership as it is the product. “I find tremendous value in partnering with vendors that have a true collaborative spirit, and that’s what we get with Billtrust. It’s about constant innovation,” Hess explained.
“That’s right,” Banks agreed. “When we have our monthly meetings with the Billtrust team, it’s never us bringing problems or issues. It’s ‘What can we help you with? What are your pain points, and how can we solve them?’ The collaboration has been invaluable.”
