BrightPlan is a leader in Total Financial Wellness. The company offers the first financial wellness solution certified for fiduciary excellence that provides a comprehensive personal finance solution for all employees that is real-time, personalized, and integrated with employer benefits.
As a big proponent of flexibility and work-life balance, BrightPlan’s CEO embraced remote working from day one and wanted a back-office platform that would automate accounting functions and support efficient workflow processes.
The company searched for an automated, cloud-based back office system that would allow the accounting functions to be managed from anywhere, and subsequently implemented BILL at its inception.
BILL saves BrightPlan many hours that would normally be spent on accounting tasks. In addition, BrightPlan is able to remotely access to all of the company’s accounting data and vendor details.
“I would recommend BILL to anyone - it is easy to use, delivers impactful cost savings, and gives me more time with my family - time like that is priceless!” — Alesha Escalante, Director of Operations
The idea behind BrightPlan came to CEO Marthin De Beer after an immediate family member suddenly became ill, necessitating he step back from his successful corporate life and giving him the opportunity to reevaluate his family’s financial and personal goals. In solving a personal problem, De Beer discovered it resonated with others and created BrightPlan to inspire and guide people in achieving their life goals. Today BrightPlan helps employers attract and retain talent by offering a total financial wellness program as an employee benefit, guiding employees towards financial well-being.
With a unique perspective on work-life balance, De Beer wanted BrightPlan to have a paperless and automated back office that could be managed remotely, and selected BILL at inception.
Joining as Director of Operations two years ago, Alesha Escalante credits her previous experience with BILL as a factor in her decision to join BrightPlan. “I knew that I wasn’t going to have to reinvent the wheel, and with BILL providing one source of information, I would be successful in finding all of the necessary documents when it came time for our first audit.” “The ability to store all of our documents in BILL, as well as BILL’s seamless sync into QuickBooks Desktop, is incredibly helpful.” QuickBooks Desktop, which syncs seamlessly with BILL, is part of the tech stack along with TriNet for HR solutions.
As a result of the automation and intelligence in the platform, BrightPlan saves many hours a week spent on accounting and with vendors entering their own banking information, sees less errors which reduces the company’s risk. Vendor loyalty has increased as bills are always paid on time. “In addition to showing our vendors we care about them by paying on time, we save a lot of money by avoiding late fees,” said Escalante. BrightPlan uses BILL for both Accounts Payable and Accounts Receivable, with Escalante creating invoices in BILL and customers remitting payments through the platform. Escalante loves BILL Artificial Intelligence which intelligently recalls account information including GL details. She is also able to map W9s to vendors, and store them in one logical spot. “BILL makes it all so much easier,” says Escalante.
How does Escalante use the time BILL frees up for her? “I appreciate having some extra time to be able to focus on furthering my knowledge, by joining a webinar or reading an article, things that I would previously have done on the weekend. I would recommend BILL to anyone – it is easy to use and delivers impactful cost savings, and gives me more time to get more things done.”
