Esker, a global cloud platform and leader in AI-driven process automation solutions for finance and customer service functions, today announced in partnership with Grant Thornton Italy, that The Space Cinema, a leading cinema operator in Italy, is automating its accounts payable (AP), expense management and accounts receivable (AR) processes with Esker.
The partnership with Grant Thornton, a preeminent audit, tax and advisory firm, has provided pivotal support to the successful rollout of Esker’s solutions for The Space Cinema. The expertise of Grant Thornton’s consulting services played a central role in the development and management of Esker’s solutions. This successful collaboration accompanied The Space Cinema on its digital transformation journey by automating key financial processes.
Together, these three companies have achieved tremendous gains in efficiency, time, and cost. With Esker providing innovative solutions, Grant Thornton enhancing its consulting offer and The Space Cinema committing to digital automation processes, this partnership lays the groundwork for future projects in additional business departments.
“Teamwork is always a winning strategy. The professional relationship we have established and nurtured with The Space Cinema over the years is based on open communication, dialogue and mutual appreciation,” said Giovanni Gavioli, Managing Director at Esker Italy. “We are able to deliver the best solutions to meet our customers’ needs thanks to quality relationships, close collaboration and shared goals.”
The Space Cinema has achieved numerous benefits, including:
• Improved AP and AR processes with AI-based intelligent data recognition
• Decreased workload with touchless processing
• Optimised electronic workflow
• Seamless multi-ERP integration
• Enhanced control over business expenses
According to Alessandro Leone, COO at Grant Thornton Digital: “Automating business processes through the adoption of an AI-based engine is a goal for many businesses worldwide. I am proud to say that we have made this a reality and our great results have been achieved through a true partnership between The Space Cinema, Grant Thornton and Esker. Each party brought passion and technical expertise to the project to ensure it was a real success.”
The Space Cinema’s digital transformation was accomplished in three phases. In 2011, the company implemented Esker’s on-premises Accounts Payable solution to achieve greater visibility of its supplier invoicing process, before moving to a cloud model in 2021. Based on the success of the first project the company introduced Esker’s Accounts Receivable solution in 2018 to automate another substantial part of its accounting processes. And in 2021, The Space Cinema added Esker’s Expense Management solution to efficiently manage its employees’ expenses.
“Our partnership with Esker now spans over a decade, and their expertise in AI technology and touchless processing, enabled us to greatly improve our AP and AR processes which also created more time for our teams to devote to higher value activities,” said Gianpiero Nese, Finance Director at The Space Cinema. “Esker has also enabled us to keep employee expenses under control while simultaneously helping us improve our sustainability, as we no longer need to print and store thousands of expense reports.”
