In e-commerce, a single delayed payment can bring business to a halt. Suppliers often withhold inventory until payment clears—especially for international orders—creating a domino effect of delayed shipments, lost sales, and frustrated customers. 

This creates a challenging paradox: how to maintain strict financial controls while ensuring lightning-fast payment processing.

As pioneers in e-commerce accounting, LedgerGurus understands these challenges intimately. Founded over a decade ago, the firm has grown to serve hundreds of e-commerce businesses by combining deep industry expertise with innovative technology solutions.

"When a domestic supplier withholds product until a payment clears, shipments may be delayed for a day or two," explains Valerie Rose, Service Delivery Manager at LedgerGurus. "As tough as that is, the timeline can be much more problematic if you're purchasing inventory overseas. That's why we chose BILL."

“When a domestic supplier withholds product until a payment clears, shipments may be delayed for a day or two. As tough as that is, the timeline can be much more problematic if you're purchasing inventory overseas. That's why we chose BILL."

Challenge: Managing multiple clients while maintaining strict controls

With clients spanning multiple states and countries, maintaining tight financial controls while ensuring rapid payment processing presented a unique challenge. LedgerGurus needed a solution that could handle complex payment workflows while protecting both the firm and its clients across multiple offerings.

"Each client had their own process for managing AP," remembers Rose. "Clients often wanted us to adopt their processes, which didn't always maintain a strong separation of duties. BILL gave us all of that—roles, permissions, separation of duties, and formal approvals in one standardized process—all in a digital platform that helps us collaborate with clients no matter where they are. Before BILL, those things just weren't there."

"One of our biggest challenges was control and how to divide up the AP process between us and the client," says Rose. "We needed a solution that could maintain security while allowing us to partner effectively with our clients for processing payments."

“One of our biggest challenges was control and how to divide up the AP process between us and the client. We needed a solution that could maintain security while allowing us to partner effectively with our clients for processing payments."

Solution: BILL Accounts Payable

LedgerGurus implemented the financial operations platform from BILL to transform its payment processes. The impact was immediate, particularly in three key areas: security, efficiency, and international payments.

"What we've really loved about BILL are the controls it offers and the way it lets us partner with our clients in processing payments," says Rose. "We don't have access to any of their accounts. We don't issue payments on their behalf. The clients are always the designated payers, so they know that their payments are secure and our employees don't have access to their sensitive information. And they get the best of both worlds—they stay in control, and the platform is so streamlined they can pay all their bills in just a few minutes."

The platform also enabled LedgerGurus to implement robust internal controls while simultaneously improving efficiency. 

"BILL helps us with the separation of duties within our firm too," Rose notes. "We have one person entering the bills and another approving them, and then they’re passed on to the client for payment. The platform's AI automatically captures and fills in the invoice details. All we have to do is review and verify them. If anything needs adjusting, it's just a quick click to update. BILL has dramatically streamlined our workflow."

In fact, BILL has helped LedgerGurus streamline and standardize their processes so much that they now know immediately if anything's off-track. "Thanks to BILL, we have quite a few internal KPIs, and each one has its own specific target," Rose says. "We track our speed and efficiency within surprisingly narrow tolerances. If any engagement falls outside that range, we know something's wrong. It's that predictable."

For international payments, BILL has been particularly transformative. "Many of our clients have foreign suppliers," says Rose. "Before BILL, they were typically issuing payments through their banks, often with wire fees as high as $35 per payment. With BILL, once the vendor has accepted the connection and set up their bank account, the payments are much more cost-effective and they arrive much faster—that’s critical in making sure their inventory shipments don’t get delayed."

“Before BILL, they were typically issuing payments through their banks, often with wire fees as high as $35 per payment. With BILL, once the vendor has accepted the connection and set up their bank account, the payment timeline is much faster and more cost-effective."

Results: Building trust through security and convenience

For LedgerGurus, one of the most valuable benefits of BILL has been how it helps the firm build trust with new clients. While some clients initially express hesitation about working with a third-party payment platform, the security features and intuitive workflow quickly put those concerns to rest.

"Most clients are very receptive to BILL once they understand the security model," says Rose. "We can assure them that we never touch their bank account—they set it up themselves and maintain complete control. It gives them the security they need while offloading the day-to-day responsibility they want to get off their plate."

The platform's efficiency has also proven to be a compelling selling point. "By the time a payment reaches the client's desk, everything has been handled," Rose explains. "It's just an overview and a one-click payment. They particularly love features like recurring bills and auto-pay options for regular expenses like rent."

That balance of control and convenience extends to cash flow management too. "Cash flow can be challenging for e-commerce businesses," notes Rose. "BILL helps them manage that cash flow and maintain visibility while ensuring they retain final sign-off on every payment. It's that perfect combination of oversight and automation that really resonates with them."

And that's just the first step—with cash flow under control, LedgerGurus can do even more. "For most of our clients, bill pay was a capacity killer. They had to spend time on it every day because it has such a critical impact on cash flow—but streamlining those processes with BILL frees up that time. It gives them room to think beyond today and tomorrow. That's when they ask about our advisory services."

“For most of our clients, bill pay was a capacity killer. They had to spend time on it every day because it has such a critical impact on cash flow—but streamlining those processes with BILL frees up that time. It gives them room to think beyond today and tomorrow. That's when they ask about our advisory services."

The integration: QuickBooks Online

As an added bonus, the seamless integration of BILL with QuickBooks Online has also sped up their monthly close.

"The integration with QuickBooks Online has been fantastic," says Rose. "All the bills, payments, and journal entries are automatically pushed to it. It really speeds up that reconciliation timeline because everything's right there in the holding account."

“The integration with QuickBooks Online has been fantastic. All the bills, payments, and journal entries are automatically pushed to it. It really speeds up that reconciliation timeline because everything's right there in the holding account."

Summary: A partnership built on innovation

For LedgerGurus, BILL has become more than just a tool—it's a strategic partner in their mission to provide exceptional e-commerce accounting services, including new advisory offerings focused on budgeting and cash flow planning. 

"BILL has been a great partner in helping us solve a fundamental challenge in e-commerce accounting," Rose concludes. "AP workflows involving multiple people can be slow and cumbersome. BILL automates the multistep process and notifies each person when it’s their turn to take action. It spurs momentum while also maintaining proper controls. Everyone can efficiently complete their part of the process while maintaining proper controls. It's really the best of both worlds: faster payment timelines with enhanced safety and security."

“BILL has been a great partner in helping us solve a fundamental challenge in e-commerce accounting."