Utility Bill Processing: Helping a Canadian Retailer Achieve 100% Timely Payments and Centralized Visibility

Utility Bill Processing: Helping a Canadian Retailer Achieve 100% Timely Payments and Centralized Visibility

Our client is a leading Canadian clothing retailer and manufacturer with 390 store locations and 650 utility meters across North America. With over 35 utility providers billing them across different formats and frequencies, they needed a centralized, reliable partner to manage their utility bill operations at scale.

Challenges Faced by the Client

1. Vendor Transition and Platform Retirement

The client’s previous service partner was shifting away from their current utility bill processing platform and core service model. It pushed the client to evaluate new partners. A key concern was whether their extensive historical billing and usage data could be imported into a new system.

2. Disconnected Processing Teams and Time Zone Issues 

The previous partner had utility processing teams in South America, the U.S. West Coast, and India. The South America team caused frequent delays due to overlapping time zones and communication challenges. Bill discrepancies often took 2–3 days to resolve. The client needed a faster turnaround and a centralized structure.

3. Summary and Bulk Billing Complexity

Many stores received bulk or summary bills combining multiple meters. This added complexity to tracking usage and invoice validation, especially during seasonal utility spikes or store closures due to renovations.

4. Language and Format Diversity

The client also required processing of French utility bills—something many vendors struggled to support consistently and accurately.

5. Manual Tracking and Note Logging

The previous system included custom notes tracking (e.g., usage spikes, store closures, or nearby system issues). This internal documentation helped explain usage variances to auditors or AP teams. A similar feature was required from their new provider.

Why the Client Partnered with ARDEM

The client chose ARDEM based on three critical capabilities:

1. Seamless Platform Transition

ARDEM confirmed that historical utility bill and usage data from the previous provider could be migrated into the ARDEM Utility Manager (AUM)—a cloud-based utility bill processing platform that centralizes all utility accounts and historical usage information.

2. Scalable 3-Shift Team and EST Alignment

The client wanted a provider to work during their hours to ensure that there was no delay in payments.

ARDEM offered a structured business process outsourcing services model with U.S.-based account and project management teams, and an offshore processing team running on a 3-shift schedule. This structure ensured no delays due to time zones—teams worked in sync with the client’s EST hours.

3. Full-Service Utility Bill Processing

ARDEM’s experience with utility bill processing services and ability to handle French invoices ensured seamless onboarding. Also, there are different types of taxes for Canada the client wanted us to consider. These are GST, HST, etc.

The client also valued the ability to extract bills from utility websites directly, eliminating manual downloads.

How ARDEM Solved These Challenges

1. Timely and Accurate Utility Bill Processing

ARDEM processes between 150–200 utility bills per week, covering water, sewer, gas, and electricity. All invoices are processed within 48–72 hours of being posted by the utility provider. Bulk and summary bills are separated, reviewed, and processed with 99.99% accuracy.

There were also bills that had “estimated usage” and “actual usage.” The estimated usage is based on the utility providers’ calculations, and when they go and check the actual meter read, they will often over-estimate and provide credits back. This was another item that we needed to identify and code correctly.

2. AP File Generation for Timely Payments

Extracted utility invoice data is converted into standardized AP files. These files are uploaded via SFTP and integrated into the client’s accounts payable outsourcing workflow.

All bills are submitted well before due dates, ensuring 100% on-time payments and allowing the client to benefit from available early payment discounts.

3. AUM Platform for Centralized Visibility

The ARDEM Utility Manager provides a single dashboard where the client can:

• View all processed invoices by the store. 
• Track usage trends over time. 
• Review high-usage alerts. 
• Access reports for auditors and AP teams.

The platform includes note-logging features that capture known utility anomalies (e.g., store renovation, weather-related changes, tenant system failures). 

4. Exception Handling and Special Case Processing

ARDEM assisted in resolving complex cases involving balance forwards and credit adjustments. We ensured proper handling of irregularities without disrupting the client’s financial reporting.

5. Reporting, Analysis, and Dashboards

Delivered variance reports highlighting usage spikes or drops across different stores.

Provided quarterly and batch-level reports for top store expenses, utility-specific spend, and potential anomalies (e.g., leaks or meter faults). Dashboards track performance across locations and assist in budget forecasting.

How the Client Benefited from ARDEM’s Utility Bill Processing Service

✅ 100% On-Time Utility Payments 

Ensured monthly and bimonthly utility invoices were processed and submitted before due dates to avoid late fees. 

✅ 99.99% Data Accuracy 

Manual validation plus automated checks ensured accurate data extraction and invoice matching.

✅ French and Multi-Format Bill Support 

Processed bills in French and multiple formats, simplifying compliance across diverse geographies.

✅ Centralized Utility Data Platform 

All utility data now resides in the AUM platform, which enables instant access to bills, notes, usage history, and alerts.

✅ Audit Readiness and Internal Visibility 

Teams can easily respond to auditor inquiries using AUM’s archive and reporting tools.

✅ Energy Overspend Detection 

Flagged unusually high usage at specific stores—allowing the client to investigate issues like leaks, faulty meters, or doors left open during extreme temperatures.

✅ Process Stability and Growth Potential 

The client is expanding to telecom invoice processing and scaling with ARDEM’s support.