In the foodservice industry, every minute counts.
Between managing daily operations, human resources, suppliers and customers, administrative tasks such as invoicing can quickly become a burden. This is particularly true for entrepreneurs managing several establishments, where documents pile up, follow-ups multiply, and the risk of error increases with time.
It's in this context that Le Balthazar, a restaurant chain renowned for its vast selection of Quebec beers, decided to embark on a digital transformation of its accounting processes. To increase efficiency, centralize information and secure their processes, they turned to XMA Solutions.
At Le Balthazar, accounting is managed by a small team of two, with the direct involvement of Pierre-Luc Therriault, the President, who actively oversees all departments, including finance. With several branches to manage, he is constantly looking for ways to make things simpler and more efficient for his team.
Before implementing Zeendoc with XMA Solutions, invoice management was still largely paper-based. Paper documents were filed in archive boxes, and invoices received by e-mail were often stored directly in inboxes. There was no uniform method for archiving or centralizing information.
Each month, the team easily had up to 150 invoices to process. It's difficult to quantify precisely the time required for processing, since many tasks, such as filing, were carried out irregularly, according to need and availability. However, one thing was certain: it was time-consuming, and the process was far from optimal. To better understand the situation, let's take a look at the main issues and challenges.
Issues and challenges
Before implementing Zeendoc, several obstacles slowed down accounting processing and increased the risk of errors. Here are the main ones:
Physical transportation of documents: some invoices had to be moved from one restaurant to another in order to be processed. This simple back and forth could lead to processing delays of one to nearly two weeks.
Lack of centralization: with paper invoices stored in archive boxes and others stored in different e-mail inboxes, there was no uniform method for quickly finding a document. Searching for a past invoice became a headache, especially during supplier audits or follow-ups.
A growing administrative workload: the gradual addition of new restaurants, such as the one in Boisbriand in 2024, represented a risk of overloading the accounting team. With more transactions and invoices to manage, it would have been easy to reach a breaking point requiring the hiring of additional staff.
For these reasons, Pierre-Luc began looking for a sustainable solution that would support their growth without adding to their management burden. It's also important to mention that their system had been working well up to that point without too many errors, but Pierre-Luc could see that the risks were increasing as the company grew. “It's important to be one step ahead and anticipate possible issues.” he says.
Before choosing XMA Solutions and the Zeendoc platform, the Balthazar team had already explored other options. Pierre-Luc had been looking for some time for a way to automate the processing of complex invoices such as those from the SAQ, which are often very long and detailed. A first attempt with another platform proved unconvincing. There was a delay of around 24 hours between scanning an invoice and receiving the file for import, a pace too slow to really improve their processes.
It was Zeendoc's processing speed that made all the difference. Data extraction is virtually in real time, and above all, direct import into the accounting system greatly simplifies the work of the accounting team. The efficiency gains were felt almost immediately, especially with the volume of invoices the company processes every month.
Implementation and support
In terms of implementation, it was a bit laborious at first. The first few months were more demanding, as we had to set up automatic extraction of invoice lines and establish a gateway with their inventory software. But despite the necessary adjustments, the overall experience has been positive. Pierre-Luc emphasizes the human support received: “Louis-Philippe, the integrator, was super friendly.” This local support made all the difference during this transition period.
Results and benefits
Since this digital transformation, the results are already tangible. The accounting team has remained the same (just two people) despite the addition of a third location. Better yet, the overall workload has decreased! Tasks that used to take the team around 60 hours a week now only require around 40 hours. That's a saving of around 80 hours a month, without compromising on rigor or quality.
Secondly, rapid access to information has transformed the way they work. In the restaurant business, they often have to refer to a past purchase, whether to check a delivery, compare prices or validate a quantity. Now, if they need to consult an invoice or verify a purchase, a few clicks are all it takes. No more digging through filing cabinets or e-mails, as everything is centralized. This change not only improves the team's efficiency, but also management's ability to react.
Another important benefit has been the elimination of delays associated with physically transporting documents between different branches. This simple change made it possible to keep the accounting up to date, without having to wait for an employee to come along with a pile of papers.
And that's not all. The biggest game-changer for Pierre-Luc and his team is the invoice line extraction function. An SAQ invoice can contain 30 to 40 different items, usually for Le Balthazar. Previously, each item had to be manually entered into the inventory system, an extremely repetitive task. Today, automated extraction generates a CSV file ready for import. The time saved on this process alone is immense.
Conclusion
By focusing on efficiency, information accessibility and intelligent automation, Le Balthazar has gained in agility, while offering its employees a simplified work environment. This is exactly what Pierre-Luc was looking for. He wanted tools that would make daily life easier for his team, and that would support Le Balthazar's long-term vision. Because in the end, when you simplify work, you free up space for better management, better decisions and more fun.