Why we switched to Payhawk: How we streamlined spend & closed faster

As Finance Director at Finance Alliance, I’ve always believed that the right tools can make or break how effectively a team operates. A finance team isn’t just about processing numbers, it’s about enabling the rest of the business to grow with confidence, while keeping operations compliant, efficient, and scalable.

When I first joined Finance Alliance, we were using a different platform for expense management. It was a good solution for our size at the time. But as the business grew, our financial processes became more complex. Managing approvals, handling multiple currencies, and integrating everything into Sage Intacct (our accounting system) became increasingly important.

That’s what led us to look at alternatives and eventually switch to Payhawk. 

We’ve partnered with Payhawk to walk you through the real benefits of a single spend management solution. Review your current finance workflows to start saving time for next year.

What is Payhawk? 

Payhawk is a global spend management platform that helps finance teams control and automate company spending across corporate cards, invoices, payments, and budgets. 

It offers real-time visibility into expenses, deep integrations with accounting and ERP systems like Sage Intacct, NetSuite, and Xero, and powerful automation features such as receipt capture, categorization, and audit trails. 

Key capabilities include:

• Real-time sync & closing → Faster month-end close with up-to-date expense data and hyperlinks to bills.
• Master data automation → Consistent codings from Sage Intacct to Payhawk, fewer errors, and easy resync if needed.
• Spend classification & audit → Automated categorisation, attachments, timestamps, and communication for compliance. 
• Fast, smooth setup → Quick deployment with low disruption, guided assistance, and clear how-to manuals. 
• Supplier sync → Keeps vendor data consistent between systems. 
• Approvals → Highly customisable flows to reflect business best practices and save approvers time. 

The challenges we faced

Our original tool had worked well as a starter tool, but as our company scaled, the gaps became more obvious. The biggest challenge was integration with Sage Intacct. At the time, most providers were only beginning to build connections to Intacct. That meant we were relying on workarounds, which slowed down our month-end process and created risks of errors creeping into our books. 

We also found limitations in how we could structure approvals. Our business needs aren’t one-size-fits-all. Some transactions require multiple layers of oversight, while others (particularly those that fall within predefined criteria) should move quickly to avoid unnecessary bottlenecks. Without flexible approval flows, we were either slowing people down or leaving gaps in oversight. 

Currency management was another concern. With a significant portion of our operations in USD, we needed a platform that wouldn’t rack up avoidable currency fees. 

Individually, each of these pain points was manageable. Together, they added up to friction that wasted time and increased costs.

Making the switch to Payhawk

Switching platforms can often feel daunting, but the move to Payhawk was refreshingly smooth. Their team supported us with clear how-to manuals, guided assistance, and best practices that minimized disruption. 

Within weeks, we had everything set up: 

• Supplier data syncing seamlessly between Payhawk and Sage Intacct.
• Approval workflows mapped to our exact requirements.
• Automated expense categorisation and audit trails in place.

The deployment was fast, intuitive, and didn’t drain valuable time from our finance team or our employees.

The results

The impact of moving to Payhawk has been immediate and measurable, touching every part of our finance workflow. To really appreciate the difference, it helps to compare life before and after the switch. 

Before, we were often forced to rely on manual workarounds to connect with Sage Intacct. Month-end was slower and more stressful than it needed to be, with the finance team spending hours chasing invoices and double-checking coding accuracy. 

Approval flows were rigid and didn’t reflect how our business actually operated, which either slowed people down or left gaps in oversight. On top of that, managing spend in USD meant higher transaction fees, and inconsistent coding left us exposed to errors that required even more clean-up.

After moving to Payhawk, those pain points quickly disappeared. The established, deep integration with Sage Intacct meant our data flowed cleanly and automatically. Real-time sync of expenses gave us faster visibility, so the month-end close became smoother and far less stressful. Approval workflows could finally be customised to our needs, ensuring the right people were always involved but without unnecessary bottlenecks.

Payhawk’s USD-specific features reduced the fees we had previously been paying, while master data automation brought consistency between systems, cutting down on errors and saving valuable time. 

On top of that, every transaction now carries a complete audit trail with attachments, timestamps, and communications built in - giving us confidence in compliance and simplifying audit preparation.

Payhawk hasn’t just improved individual processes, it has raised the overall standard of how we manage spend across the business.

Control your company spend at scale

Still juggling spreadsheets, manual reconciliations, and siloed spend tools? You’re not alone. Many finance leaders spend up to 40 hours researching, comparing, and trialling new tools before making a decision - that’s a full working week lost before the real work even begins.

We’ve partnered with Payhawk to make it easier. In a free 1:1 session, you’ll see exactly how a single spend management solution can transform your finance workflows and free up valuable time.

Imagine seamless ERP integrations, real-time visibility, and complete control across every entity and expense. No more tool-hopping. Just smarter, faster, more strategic decisions.

Here’s what you’ll get in your 1:1 session:

🧠 A personalised review of your current finance workflows.

⚙️ Side-by-side comparisons so you don’t waste hours doing it yourself.

📱 A live walkthrough of Payhawk’s platform (cards, expenses, AP, and integrations).

💡 Practical recommendations to streamline spend, strengthen control, and scale with confidence.