Item: Airbase
Rating: 9
Author: Chloe Sayers

Use Cases and Deployment Scope

We use Airbase for all of our accounts payable functions. This platform consolidates every expense outflow of cash for us into one convenient portal and approval process. This includes virtual cards, physical cards, vendor payments, and expense reimbursements. It also integrates directly with our GL to record the correct entries for expenses, liabilities, and payments.

Pros and Cons

Expense management.
Reimbursement.
Vendor payments.

Amortization of prepaid expenses.
Reporting of prepaid expenses.
Check payments.

Return on Investment

Reduced time to reimburse expenses by 28 days.
Improved vendor visibility into payments.
Allowed for real-time visibility into expenses.

Usability

8

Very usable

Automation and Guided Procurement

We do not have multi-subsidiary accounts or multi-currency so cannot comment on this use case.

Alternatives Considered

BILL and Expensify

Airbase is much more user-friendly than Expensify for the end user submitting reimbursements. When we selected Airbase, BILL did not have a virtual card program, which set Airbase apart from the rest.

Key Insights

Do you think Airbase delivers good value for the price?

Yes

Are you happy with Airbase's feature set?

Yes

Did Airbase live up to sales and marketing promises?

Yes

Did implementation of Airbase go as expected?

Yes

Would you buy Airbase again?

Yes

Other Software Used

QuickBooks Online Advanced

Likelihood to Recommend

Airbase is great for smaller companies who don't need a heavy procurement-based product. It is very user-friendly and makes the AP process smooth and repeatable. It would be less beneficial for large companies that have complicated POs and procurement needs.

Users and Roles

200 - All business functions are represented as most employees use Airbase for reimbursements and virtual cards - this ranges from sales to marketing to engineering and G&A.

Support Headcount Required

3 - We have an Accounts Payable specialist who provides most of the day to day support. A staff accountant and Senior Accounting Manager provide more advanced support as needed.

Business Processes Supported

Vendor payments
Reimbursement
Virtual cards
Physical cards

Innovative Uses

Monthly home office internet reimbursements
Travel expenses

Future Planned Uses

Purchase orders and requisitions
Advanced approvals

Likelihood to Renew

8

Airbase is a great solution, especially for smaller companies without an ERP that has an AP module. If an ERP was implemented, Airbase would be less valuable.

Products Replaced

Yes - Bill.com and Expensify - they were difficult for users to use and we wanted to consolidate systems while earning some cashback.

Key Differentiators

Cloud Solutions
Scalability
Integration with Other Systems
Ease of Use

The integration with QBO was key to eliminate manual JEs for each bill and payment. The most important factor was user accessibility since most employees utilize this system on some level and we want it to be easy to use.

Evaluation Lessons Learned

I evaluated only a few vendors, I imagine there are a lot more on the market today that might be more competitive.

Implementation Rating

8

The Airbase team was very helpful in importing our .csv files from our previous system. They provided a great overview of the system for the rest of the company and everyone got up to speed quickly.

Implementation Details / Implementation Partner

Implemented in-house

Implementation Phases

Yes - We first migrated over all domestic vendors, then rolled out reimbursements to the company, and then migrated over international vendors a few years later.

Change Management Lessons

Change management was a big part of the implementation and was well-handled - The biggest change was moving folks away from physical cards and reimbursements as the primary way to spend company resources to virtual cards and vendor bills. This was essential for our cash flow forecasting but meant the loss of personal credit card points which had to be negotiated.

Implementation Issues

Resistance to change
Department budget ownership

Training Types Used

Online Training

In-Person Training

Online Training

9

Very effective training, fully educated admin users who were then able to train other users.

Support Rating

8

Their support team is responsive and always helpful in getting to the root cause of an issue.

Airbase Customer Support Pros and Cons

Pros	Cons
Quick Resolution Good followup Knowledgeable team Problems get solved Immediate help available Support cares about my success Quick Initial Response	Escalation required Need to explain problems multiple times

Premium Support

No - the support team and CSM have been sufficient in accomplishing our requests.

Bug Resolution

Yes - Yes, bugs are resolved as quickly as possible with extensive communication along the way.

Exceptional Examples of Airbase Support

We were having a hard time reconciling some of their reports to our GL and our CSM went above and beyond in generating custom reports for us that ended up getting baked into the product, making reconciliations easier for everyone!

Usability Pros and Cons

Pros	Cons
Like to use Relatively simple Easy to use Technical support not required Well integrated Consistent Quick to learn Convenient Feel confident using Familiar	None

Easy Tasks

Reimbursements
Approval workflows

Difficult Tasks

Amortization reconciliation
Bill approvals

Mobile Interface Availability and Impressions

Yes - It works great for reimbursements and receipt collection but I prefer the desktop version for other AP tasks.

Scalability

8

It is very scalable among different departments in one company. We have not tried to use it yet with multiple entities so I cannot speak to that experience.

Reliability and Availability

7

Over the last 3 years, we've only had one major service issue that rendered Airbase unusable for us for about 24 hours. That said, they navigated the SVB bank crisis very well and made sure funds were available during that time.