As a member of our accounting department, I have very close relationship with what everyone in our company is concerned about – the numbers. 

I have always been a numbers person. They tell me everything I need to know about the health of our company, Leeco® Steel, which supplies plate steel to companies all over North America. Everyone on the accounting team is the same way—that’s why we do what we do. 

Processes are part of the daily rhythm of the accounting department. It’s essential we have a steady, and predicable, approach to the tasks we must accomplish for Leeco Steel’s fiscal stability. 

Predictability and routine can often breed complacency. But, this isn’t a place that encourages complacency. We evaluate our company’s process health frequently; asking the questions “How can we do things better for our customers? For our company? How can we use the technology we have to make things better for both of us?”  

We determined it was time to streamline our accounting and billing practices by eliminating one of its biggest components: paper.  Starting spring of 2014, Leeco Steel is hoping to get as many of our customers on e-statements as possible. 

We reviewed the data and it was clear that savings could be seen in a variety of ways by using e-statements:

 Time.

  • We no longer need the accounting team to fold invoices and stuff envelopes.
  • Our customers no longer have to wait for invoices. They receive them the day they are created. 

Money

  • Easily seen in the removal of the cost of paper, envelopes, printer ink (have you seen how much that costs lately?), and postage.
  • And there’s the bigger picture of saving trees and not using extra energy. It all adds up. 

We do have some customers that want the paper correspondence and we will happily accommodate. But the transition from the habit of paper to the ease of e-statements translates into savings for both Leeco Steel and its customers. 

- Melanie Johnson, Accounting/Certification Manager