October 1, 2025
Case Study
How Chesmar Homes Saves $10K+/Month by Automating Invoice Coding
From Overwhelmed to Automated:
Chesmar Homes was spending too much time—and money—on something as routine as utility invoices. With four busy divisions and around 1,000 invoices per team each month, the Accounts Payable staff was stuck in a loop: manually re-keying data, uploading spreadsheets, and chasing billing errors.
Worse, vendors were still invoicing properties that had closed months ago—and no one had time to catch them.
The Challenge
Chesmar’s AP process was built on spreadsheets and elbow grease. Each invoice took about 1.5 minutes to enter manually. That’s over 100 hours of labor every month across four divisions.
Meanwhile, hidden issues were piling up:
Utility vendors billing closed properties
Late fees and overpayments slipping through
Teams stretched too thin to fix the process
It wasn’t just inefficient—it was expensive.
The Solution: Actify Automations
Chesmar partnered with Actify to implement a custom-built automation system that didn’t just speed things up—it made the entire process smarter.
Here’s how it works:
Layer | What It Does | Why It Matters |
|---|---|---|
AI-powered OCR | Reads PDF/image invoices instantly | No need for custom vendor templates |
Smart Rules Engine | Flags invoices for closed properties, missing data, etc. | Catches costly errors automatically |
Auto-Enrichment | Adds full invoice coding data | Saves time and reduces back-and-forth |
Web-Based Interface | Drag-and-drop uploads with live status | Zero learning curve for staff |
Excel + API Output | Prepped for upload or direct system push | No manual re-entry into JD Edwards |
The Impact: 30 Days Later
In just the first month, the system processed 2,563 invoices and delivered major time and cost wins:
From 100 hrs → 1.04 hrs of manual work
$2,900+ in labor value reallocated
410 invoices flagged for closed properties
$21,000 in unnecessary charges prevented
Avg. Monthly Value Unlocked: 205 invoices caught, saving $10,500+
But here’s the bigger story:
Before automation, if a closed home’s water or power wasn’t deactivated, it kept billing. AP teams—already swamped—rarely caught the mistake in time. Now, every closed-lot invoice is flagged instantly, giving teams the chance to disconnect utilities and permanently stop the drain on margins.
Why It Worked
What set this solution apart was speed and flexibility. The AI didn’t need retraining every time a new invoice format appeared. And AP staff didn’t need to learn a new system—they just dropped in invoices and got results.
Most importantly, it didn’t just reduce manual work—it prevented waste before it could even happen.
What’s Next?
With a solid automation foundation in place, Chesmar’s teams are finally free to focus on higher-value tasks—while their invoice process quietly protects thousands in builder margin every month.