BambooHR curbs unmanaged spend and accelerates accounting with Brex.

Corporate card and expense management solutions that couldn’t scale

BambooHR had used other cards for travel and business expenses, with separate systems used to track receipts and manage reporting. Expense data was then exported into our accounting software for reconciliation and closing the books.

Stacey Dearden, accountant at BambooHR, said reining in excess spending was a top priority for the executive team as the company grew, and managing multiple systems was increasingly unsustainable.

“Our executive team wanted a combined credit card and expense management platform so we wouldn't have to juggle multiple workflows,” Stacey said. “And when travel picked back up post-pandemic, we issued a lot of cards without having set policies on who got cards and how much they could spend. It was becoming difficult to manage.”

BambooHR wanted to issue fewer physical cards to employees and rely more on one-time virtual cards and employee reimbursements, which was a very manual and slow process with its previous solution. Additionally, BambooHR sought tight integration with its ERP to tie it all together and accelerate the month-end close.

“Closing the books was always manageable because we had minimal credit card spending and fewer transactions,” Stacey noted. “As we scaled, the process of transferring data from our card and expense providers into our accounting software became a major pain point. We needed a solution that could grow with us.”

Cards, expense management, and reimbursements on one integrated platform

BambooHR transitioned to Brex corporate cards in 2021 and brought over expense management and reimbursements shortly after. The company chose Brex for its intuitive interface, robust integrations, and the Brex rewards program.

“We evaluated a number of platforms, and Brex is simply way more user-friendly,” Stacey said. “Another reason Brex stood out was its rewards. We were getting a better percentage back than other competitors.”

Since adopting Brex, BambooHR has more than 10x-ed its card spending, using Brex cards for expenses like software, travel, meals, and office supplies. Despite the increased transaction volume, Stacey says Brex actually simplified their processes.

“BambooHR switched to Brex because we wanted more control over cards as well as spend limits, but we also needed an integrated spend and accounting platform we could operate from a single dashboard,” Stacey said. “Cardholders appreciate the visibility into their spend, and finance loves having receipts and transactions in the same place. Brex has helped us move much faster.”

As BambooHR scaled, it also upgraded its ERP to NetSuite. Brex’s seamless NetSuite integration has reduced the manual effort for coding expenses, enabling the accounting team to focus on more strategic work. Additionally, Brex’s integration with Coupa streamlined spending approvals and reduced the number of physical cards issued.

“Our IT team funnels software spending through Coupa. So employees go through Coupa to get Brex virtual cards, and the approval process mirrors any other invoice,” she said. “Spend approvals are all in one place — we just apply spend limits to their virtual cards. With Brex virtual cards, we’ve significantly reduced the need for physical cards, which was a key priority for our executive team.”

“As we’ve grown, Brex has been able to grow with us, and it’s had a major impact across the business — from employees to accounting to finance. Brex has helped us move much faster.”

— Stacey Dearden, Accountant, BambooHR

Controlled spend, automated expenses, and a faster close

By integrating cards, reimbursements, and expense management into one platform, BambooHR controls spending before it happens and gains much-needed visibility and automation. Brex helps BambooHR limit the number of physical cards it issues, accelerate expense reconciliation, and achieve a 5-day month-end close.

“We’re putting a ton of marketing spend on Brex cards, and those cards are sometimes charged several times a day,” Stacey explained. “Department heads want to track those charges in real time, and our finance team also wants more details included with these transactions. The visibility Brex brings to our overall spend function has been amazing.”

Stacy appreciates how Brex’s NetSuite integration simplifies her day to day and accelerates the month-end close, particularly with Brex’s accounting automation tools.

“With Brex, I can create custom rules that do the work for me,” she said. “By auto-mapping merchants to specific departments in NetSuite and auto-categorizing expenses, Brex saves us so much time. The export process into NetSuite is super quick and easy, too. I can update multiple transactions all at once right in the Brex dashboard.”

BambooHR’s reimbursement process even got a facelift with Brex, and Stacey notes how Brex improves processes that impact the entire company. “For anyone who doesn’t have a Brex card, we personally reimburse them through Brex,” she said. “It’s a much faster and smoother process — most people get reimbursed within a week.

“As we’ve grown, Brex has been able to grow with us, and it’s had a major impact across the business — from employees to accounting to finance. It's rare for a spend management solution to work for everyone, but Brex does just that.”