In my mind, the best way to develop a product is to understand what users need, how they think, and how they work. That’s the beauty of Applexus InSITE, a great app for invoice automation available (with a free trial!) on SAP Store. It’s a cloud-native app, co-innovated with trail-blazing consumer products companies, and is just as useful in other industries, including chemicals, life sciences, and utilities. Its creator, Applexus founder and CEO Sam Mathew, didn’t actually start out to build a product; but after years providing IT services to the industry, his team knew a market need when they saw it. And they had the hands-on experience to develop a solution with user experience as the driving force. 

 

An Accounts Payable Solution Built with Advanced Technology

 

“There are actually plenty of AP automation products available,” Sam readily acknowledges, “but most were built with older technology, and the paradigm has changed. We wanted to reimagine tomorrow’s technology and create a solution that would align with the day-to-day workflow of our users.” Process excellence is paramount, he noted. Artificial intelligence (AI) is built in to extract information automatically without errors, and the algorithm improves data accuracy with self-learning capabilities – and detects fraud.

 

But AI can only do so much, Sam explained, and exceptions are a fact of life in invoice handling. InSITE takes automation to a new level with drag-and-drop functionality that eliminates manual data entry. “We used the SAP Fiori user interface and took it further, creating a dashboard designed according to the way users think.” Plus, InSITE streamlines audit processing, reducing manual effort and providing digital traceability of an invoice from intake to posting and payment.

 

Ideas and Inspiration

 

In short, InSITE delivers the same high degree of business value that Applexus had become known for when creating custom applications for some of the biggest names in consumer products, fashion, and retail, he said. “This work is what gave us the ideas and the inspiration.” Providing value is in keeping with his original ambitions, which he articulated early in his career – long before building a company that now employs well over 400 people.

 

As a young person completing his degree in Mechanical Engineering, Sam told me, he was passionate about two things: innovation and giving back to the community. Those avenues, he surmised, would best be pursued by starting his own company. Not so soon, though; a friend counseled him to build skills in IT before going out on his own. He took that advice and fortunately, found an opportunity with a company willing to train him. Before long, Sam found himself implementing SAP NetWeaver – which, in the early 2000s, was the premier SAP platform for building and integrating applications and databases.

 

That work took him to Germany, the UK, and the U.S. from his native India, with a stop in Seattle, where he stayed put. In 2005, with several years of experience in both IT and business under his belt, he saw the opportunity to start that company. “Our customers needed a partner to support their IT transformation,” he remembered, “and the referrals kept coming in as we gained confidence and built our team. We would listen and make things happen, always looking for a better solution beyond the scope of what the customer initially asked us to do.”

 

A New Business Model – and Longstanding Focus on SAP

 

Ultimately, providing solutions to specific problems led to the development of products like InSITE, one of several applications from Applexus available on SAP Store. Of course, going to market with products requires a business model quite different from delivering services. “When Nittu joined us, he helped us focus.” 

 

Nittu Thomas, Applexus COO, elaborated further. “One clear area of focus was to build a seamless integration with SAP solutions,” he remarked, “including SAP S/4HANA and SAP Ariba software. When SAP Business Technology Platform came along, it was a perfect match. InSITE is designed to extend SAP’s intelligent suite and business network solutions. It facilitates seamless collaboration between all players involved in the invoice process within a company and its suppliers.”

 

The association with SAP is broad and deep, he added. “Working with the SAP Store team has helped us connect the dots and make more well-rounded offerings. And they have provided a variety of co-selling avenues, including many warm introductions to potential customers.”

 

And how about those original goals that Sam set out to achieve 20 years ago? Innovation? Yes, obviously. Community service? “We set aside 10% of our profits to a foundation established for that purpose,” Sam replied. “That ethos extends to our company culture. We care for our employees and treat them as individuals. It’s our people who have helped us grow.”

 

Why not try out Applexus InSITE today with a free 15-day trial?