Scratchpad and Airbase by Paylocity: A Head of Operations Approach to Paying Bills

The Scratchpad product is all about efficiency — helping Salesforce users be more productive and more effective. So it’s no surprise that Scratchpad — the company, with about two dozen employees — was eager to increase their own efficiency. To do it, they chose Airbase by Paylocity.

The Challenge: Juggling Finances Without a Finance Background

Diane Garcia has been the Head of Operations at Scratchpad for a little over a year. She has a background in customer success, but no background in finance. Nevertheless, everything from bill payment to marketing approvals runs through her.

Diane told us, “I’ve paid bills before, but accounts payable was new to me.” When she began at Scratchpad, she was using QuickBooks, entering data manually, and asking the CEO for bank account information. 

Her biggest concern was simply, How do I pay bills? Diane wanted “a layer between the company bank accounts and payments.” She needed an easy way to keep herself organized and pay bills, but not manage the company’s finances. “I don’t need or want access to millions of dollars in the bank accounts — I just want to make sure that things are running smoothly and that the bills get paid.”

The Solution: Fast, Transparent Bill Pay with Airbase by Paylocity

Diane tried Bill.com but found it cumbersome. When she discovered Airbase by Paylocity, she was delighted by how easy it made bill payments.

She began using Airbase cards with fixed budgets for contractors and appreciated how fast it was to get started.

Scratchpad’s initial use focused on cards and bill pay. More recently, they began using reimbursements and are now migrating off Expensify.

She quickly discovered more advantages. “Airbase gives me a lot of control. It’s easy to see the graphs, you can see who’s spending what, and I’m confident that it keeps me compliant. It’s a home for W-9s and contracts. It gives me security — when people leave, I know that I’m not paying for an old subscription. I love the visibility. Sending virtual cards by email is so easy! And the app is actually pretty, too.”

The Results: Smooth Execution and a Shared View of Spend

Scratchpad’s first focus was using Airbase by Paylocity cards and bill payments, and recently they’ve begun using reimbursements. “I’m excited about that, and now we’re migrating off of Expensify.”

Scratchpad has an outsourced accounting team, and they also use Airbase by Paylocity. There are fewer questions and less back-and-forth now that others can see what she’s doing. “We’re all on the same page now.”

Diane was especially pleased with Airbase by Paylocity’s customer service, truly a compliment given her expertise in customer success. “I loved the onboarding team. The Airbase specialist provided everything we needed to get up and running quickly — we were off to the races in no time at all.”

For Diane, it’s all about visibility and execution, making sure that the team can buy what they need, knowing what’s going on, and ensuring that they’re paying accurately.