The Challenge
Fox Rent A Car was facing significant challenges with their invoice processing systems as the company continued to grow. With only three people in the accounts payable department, including AP Manager Lauren Steiner, the team was overwhelmed by the increasing volume of invoices.
“There’s just no way that three people can keep up with the volume of invoices we were having—and anticipating as we grow,” explains Lauren Steiner, Accounts Payable Manager at Fox Rent A Car.
The limitations of their previous system created several critical issues. The AP team could not process invoices quickly enough, causing delays in financial reporting. Monthly P&Ls took 1-2 months to complete, making it difficult for location managers to forecast performance. The company needed to find a way to distribute invoice processing to locations without requiring specialized accounting knowledge.
Fox had been using Vroozi's procurement marketplace for about five years, but as their business grew, they needed more advanced tools for accounts payable invoice processing. Their existing system required pre-training on specific invoice formats, which worked well at first but couldn't keep up as they added more vendors and invoice styles.
“Vendors change their invoices all the time,” says Lauren. “We needed something more adaptable—something we didn’t have to retrain constantly. Vroozi’s AI came at exactly the right time.”
The Solution
Fox Rent A Car implemented Vroozi Intelligence for AP Invoice Automation with its advanced AI capabilities. Instead of replacing staff, they redistributed invoice processing to their locations while empowering them with AI tools that required minimal accounting expertise.
"Vroozi presented their AI solution at just the right time," says Lauren Steiner. "We were already trying to solve our invoice processing challenges, and when they showed us what their AI could do, it was exactly what we needed. Everything just came together really nicely."
The comprehensive solution included:
- Advanced AI technology that learns and improves invoice recognition with 99% accuracy
- Intelligent data extraction that automatically captures invoice details with minimal human intervention
- Custom fields for Vehicle Identification Numbers (VIN) to track vehicle-specific expenses
- Integration with their existing accounting system (Great Plains)
- Supplier Portal integration to improve vendor communication
- Phased implementation across US locations, starting with Florida
Fox used a peer-learning rollout model: trained offices helped onboard the next set of locations.
“We did Florida first, then used those offices to help the AP team implement it across the U.S. It was a smooth, collaborative rollout,” Lauren notes.
The Results
Using Vroozi's AI-powered accounts payable invoice automation delivered immediate and measurable benefits to Fox Rent A Car:
Financial Impact
- Avoided adding new staff despite substantial increases in invoice volume
- Significantly reduced Days Payable Outstanding (DPO)
- Processed 1,800 more invoices in the first month than ever before
- Location managers now have accurate P&L visibility for bonus forecasting
"Our DPO numbers have gotten so much better because we're able to process much more quickly," says Lauren. "The P&Ls themselves are much more exact because locations are processing in real-time. They create a PO, and a day or two later they may be processing that invoice already, whereas before it could have taken a month or two for AP to process it."
Time and Efficiency Gains
- AI accuracy reached 99%, with Lauren noting, "It's always 99% of the time perfectly exact in what we need"
- Location staff spend just 30-45 minutes on invoices instead of all day
- Locations can process invoices every other day – rather than daily
- Reporting that used to "take forever" now takes 5-10 minutes
Staff Experience
"We have more time now to follow up and actually do things like work statements, or follow up with vendors," notes Lauren. "Even my team is saying things like, 'Oh this is so great, I got to do this, I actually had time to work on these statements,’ etc. These are things we never would have heard before. We're not spending all our time processing invoices anymore."
Better Vehicle Tracking
The VIN tracking capability has been particularly helpful for the fleet management team:
"It's been so much easier to report for them," Lauren explains. "Before, they would have to try to match things up based on a PO, and we all know vendors aren't very great with their PO numbers sometimes. Having that VIN number has allowed them to be much more exact with reporting and tracking the fleet."
Improved Vendor Relationships
The Supplier Portal changed how Fox works with vendors:
"Our large vendors and temp services love that they can log in and see if something is sitting with a location," says Lauren. "They have far more confidence in us now. They know exactly where their invoice is in the process and when they'll get paid. It just streamlines the business."
"I can't imagine now going back to the way we were," concludes Lauren. "The difference it's made is nuts."
Director of Accounting Julie Orlando adds: "Everyone across our organization was genuinely excited about implementing the AI solution. The system has dramatically reduced our processing time while maintaining accuracy. When we see how much more our team can accomplish now with the same headcount, it's truly remarkable. I couldn't imagine trying to handle our current invoice volume without Vroozi's AI capabilities."
