Payment Reconciliation Automation

The Problem

A 15-person consulting firm processed client payments manually every two weeks. Reconciliation required 8+ hours of manual work: reviewing invoices, matching payments to jobs, flagging exceptions, generating reports.

The workflow involved multiple spreadsheets, email attachments, and manual status checks. One person owned the entire process. Any absence created bottlenecks.

The Real Cost

• 8–10 hours every two weeks of billable staff time on non-billable work
• Frequent errors requiring re-work and client correction requests
• No visibility into payment status between reconciliation cycles
• Process knowledge locked in one person's head

The Solution

We built a custom system that:

• Automatically pulls invoice data from their accounting system
• Matches payments to jobs and client accounts in real time
• Flags exceptions (partial payments, late payments, mismatches) for manual review
• Generates standardized reconciliation reports and sends them via email
• Stores all data in a shared system so the firm has full visibility — no single person dependency

Build approach: We mapped their actual workflow, including all edge cases (multiple invoices per job, credit adjustments, partial payments). Rather than forcing them into a template, we built a system that matches their process exactly. The system runs automatically on a scheduled cycle; staff reviews and approves — no data entry.

The Process: How We Built It

Step 1: Diagnose

We spent a day shadowing the existing workflow. We asked: What data comes in? What rules do you apply? What counts as an exception? Where do errors happen?

Step 2: Build

We built a system that:

• Reads invoices from their accounting software via API
• Applies their reconciliation rules (which we documented during diagnosis)
• Stores results in a database accessible to the team
• Sends weekly summaries to the finance team

Total build time: 5 days. One pass. No re-work. Delivered working, tested, ready for production.

Step 3: Operate

The system has been running for 2+ years with minimal intervention. We monitor it. When they change their accounting software or reporting needs, we update it. They never think about it — it just works.

Why This Matters

This is the kind of automation that compounds. The 8 hours recovered every two weeks isn't just a savings — it's hours freed up for actual client work, which is what generates revenue and grows the firm.

The system also created institutional knowledge. The reconciliation rules are now documented in the code. New team members don't have to learn the process by shadowing someone — they inherit a system that already knows.

And it eliminated a single-point-of-failure risk. Before: if the one person handling reconciliation was sick, the process stopped. Now: it runs automatically.

About This Build

Timeline: Diagnosis (1 day) → Build (4 days) → Testing & Deployment (included).

Tools: Custom Python system. Integrates with their existing accounting software. Runs on a scheduled automation platform.

Maintenance: Minimal. We review logs monthly, handle any system updates, and adjust the system when their process changes.

Cost basis: This type of build (single-process, well-defined inputs/outputs, moderate complexity) typically runs $15–35K depending on integration complexity and timeline compression.

Is Your Business Similar?

If you have a process like this — hours of manual work every week, multiple data sources, rules that only one person knows — you might be a good fit for custom automation.

Adapted Machine works with founder-led companies like yours. We don't sell software. We build systems that fit your exact workflow, not the other way around.