Streamlining Chaos: How I Automated Vendor Billing & Field Check-ins to Save Time, Clients, and Sanity
A practical case study on using creative direction to solve operational inefficiencies in the security service industry.
1. The Challenge
Retail Security Services, an affiliate of Professional Retail Services, faced inefficiencies in vendor operations. Security vendors submitted invoices late or incorrectly, and guards failed to check in or out reliably at job sites.
- Delays in revenue collection
- Vendor frustration
- Client dissatisfaction
- Operational stress for a 20-person team
2. My Role
As Marketing & Creative Lead, I took initiative beyond design:
- Diagnosed operational failure points
- Proposed digital workflows
- Designed branded UX interfaces
- Built cross-team alignment
- Led training for internal and vendor stakeholders
3. The Solutions
A. Self-Service Invoice Portal
- Vendors submitted details via a clean, branded portal
- System auto-generated branded PDF invoices
- Invoice tracking and history access included
- Built for non-technical users: dropdowns, prefilled headers
B. Google Voice-Based Check-In/Out Tool
- Guards submitted shift details via mobile form
- Instant SMS to on-call managers
- Auto-email confirmation for the ops team
- Minimized human error and billing disputes
4. Design Thinking in Action
This wasn’t about pixels — it was about people, process, and performance:
- Interfaces built for non-technical users
- On-brand and mobile-optimized
- Human tone in automated flows
- Now part of the company’s RFP value prop
5. Results
- 80%+ reduction in invoice errors
- 30% decrease in payment delays
- Increase in on-site check-in confirmations
- 6–8 hours/day saved across ops team
- Increased vendor trust and client retention
- Built scalable tools still in use today
6. Takeaway
This project exemplifies how I lead beyond campaigns — identifying friction, designing for people, and delivering branded systems that work. A Creative Director can (and should) lead operational innovation, too.