“Implementing DSQ Discovery’s invoice automation was the best decision I’ve made for this company. Work that used to take us a week now takes a day or less—and with one person instead of three.” - Vincent Guthrie, CEO, Integrated Waste Services
Waste may be “out of sight, out of mind” for most people, but it’s always top of mind for the team at Integrated Waste Services (IWS). Based near Atlanta, Georgia, IWS helps customers reduce their waste disposal and recycling costs. Behind the scenes, however, CEO Vincent Guthrie says invoicing was “tragic" until they adopted DSQ Discovery.
Overwhelmed By Invoicing
As the bridge between customers and haulers, the business juggled mountains of paperwork. They tracked tonnage and haul data, handled bills from vendors and sent accurate invoices to customers and they did it all manually.
"Billing was a nightmare for us,” Guthrie said. “It’s our responsibility to make sure we gave our clients not only great pricing, but accurate billing. It was a very arduous process."
IWS wrestled with QuickBooks for years before a switch to industry-specific software. But even that was just a bandage over a wound. Billing alone required three full-time staff members, who spent their days attempting to field customer calls, chase vendors for tonnage details and manually enter data. With so many manual touchpoints, the risk of invoice errors loomed large.
All this back and forth meant it took a week to gather, extract and audit client invoices. As the company grew, the cracks widened. Their process wasn’t just frustrating, it was unsustainable. On top of their struggles, their software vendor was acquired and tried to migrate them to a platform built for haulers, not consultants. It was the final straw.
Automation Creates Control From Chaos
IWS needed a system built for consultants. When they found DSQ Discovery from DSQ Technology, it almost seemed too good to be true.
“A platform that pulls in invoices automatically, audits them and syncs the data? I was like, this cannot be real. Much to my surprise it was, and it has been amazing,” Guthrie said.
The team no longer wastes time calling vendors to check if tonnages are correct or entering invoice line items manually. DSQ Discovery automatically collects and syncs hauler invoices directly into IWS’s system, which streamlines the process and saves the team hours of work.
What used to take a three-person team a full week now takes one person a single day. IWS has reallocated two employees to new areas where they can have a bigger impact.
“We're a lot more efficient now,” Guthrie said. “My team used to spend a lot of time on the small details, which wasn't pushing our company forward. Now, we’ve put them in other areas where they’re more helpful for the company's growth.”
Centralized Data And Better Financial Control
DSQ Discovery centralizes invoices, contracts, service details, customer billing and analytics. The platform also performs automated audits of vendor invoices against contracts. It instantly flags any discrepancies, stopping overcharges before they happen.
Internal operations are smoother and more efficient, and IWS customers also benefit from DSQ Discovery. They now have a dedicated client portal to access invoices in real time, enabling customers to self-serve and reducing the need for support calls.
Data-driven reporting gives IWS valuable insights, better financial oversight and the ability to make smarter decisions. The result? They can scale faster and more efficiently.
85% Faster Invoicing, $75k In Savings—And Counting
Since switching to DSQ Discovery, IWS has cut invoicing time by 85%. They’re also doing twice as much volume with the same number of staff, which saves at least $75,000 annually. With these efficiency gains, Guthrie has still retained all of his workforce.
“I could have cut jobs, but I believe in people over profit,” he said. “Keeping people around creates a great sense of loyalty, which has spread throughout the company and even into our client base.”
Guthrie has found a kindred spirit in DSQ, and is just as impressed with their team as he is with their software. “The team is amazing. Customer service gets back to us in an amazing timeframe, they’re very attentive and they even implement our ideas. DSQ does what they say they’re going to do—and it’s hard to find companies that operate like that anymore.”
While waste is still top of mind, DSQ has moved invoicing out of sight for IWS and allowed them to focus on higher-value activities.
“DSQ has saved us a lot of time and a lot of money. The return on my investment has been amazing—it’s a tremendous asset to our company,” Guthrie said.
