Meet Higginbotham
Founded in 1948 in Fort Worth, Texas, Higginbotham is a top 20 U.S. independent insurance brokerage and financial services firm. With 3,800 employees across 140 offices in 19 states, the employee-owned company offers business, personal, and employee benefits insurance, along with HR and financial services. Known for its “Day Two Services®,” Higginbotham delivers proactive, long-term client support, guided by values-driven leadership and a commitment to community and employee empowerment.
“Before Yooz, vendor payables was our weakest accounting area. Now, it’s one of our most efficient parts of the accounting group.”
– Tony Haas, Chief Accounting Officer.
The Challenge: Manual Processes Slowed Growth
As a fast-growing insurance broker with 150+ locations and 15-20 acquisitions annually, Higginbotham needed a better way to manage vendor payables across its expanding footprint. “From day one, we take over their vendor payables. It has to be seamless,” said Tony Haas, Chief Accounting Officer. Manual, paper-based processes and inconsistent approval workflows created bottlenecks that couldn’t keep up with the company’s rapid expansion. “With a shared services model and no room for slowdowns, the team needed an automated AP solution to centralize communication, improve control, and eliminate chaos.
“Having centralized vendor payables mailboxes and automated workflows really streamlined the process.”
– Tony Haas, Chief Accounting Officer.
The Solution: Scalable, Seamless, and Integrated
Higginbotham selected Yooz for its robust AP automation, seamless integration with Sage Intacct, and ability to scale with the business. While Tony admitted they regularly review competing products, the decision was clear: “We look at other AP solutions all the time, but no one’s been able to beat Yooz yet,” said Haas. Yooz’s flexibility and automation aligned perfectly with the company’s fast-paced, acquisition-driven growth.
“Yooz helped us scale smoothly—there’s no transition period when we acquire other agencies; we take on their payables from day one seamlessly.”
– Tony Haas, Chief Accounting Officer.
Implementation: Streamlined Implementation with Immediate Results
Yooz delivered quick wins. “We had three people handling vendor payables. After Yooz, we transitioned one into another accounting role,” Haas shared. Centralized email capture and automated workflows streamlined approvals and created a repeatable, scalable AP process – even as new agencies joined the fold.
“Yooz helped us scale smoothly—there’s no transition period when we acquire other agencies; we take on their payables from day one seamlessly.”
– Tony Haas, Chief Accounting Officer.
The Impact: From Bottleneck to Breakthrough
What was once Higginbotham’s weakest accounting area is now one of its strongest. “We haven’t had to worry about vendor payables since we implemented Yooz,” says Tony Haas. The AP team reduced manual tasks, reallocated one team member, and scaled from 1,000 to 2,800 invoices per month across 150+ locations. Centralized email capture and automated workflows made onboarding new acquisitions seamless. “It’s helped us scale up and manage growth,” Haas adds. Yooz gave them the tools to keep pace without sacrificing efficiency or control.
Words of Wisdom
When asked what they would say to other organizations about adopting AP automation, Tony said “Don’t be afraid to embrace AP automation. It’s not about replacing people but freeing your team from repetitive tasks so they can focus on more strategic work.”
