Empowering Hotel Owners with Seamless Administrative Freedom

Linda co-owns and operates small businesses with her husband, including Le Manoir d’Auteuil, a bustling hotel in Old Quebec, as well as the Mango Sunset Bed and Breakfast at Lyman Kona Coffee Farm in Kona, Hawaii.

Managing a hotel involves numerous administrative tasks, from bookkeeping and accounting to property management, all of which can be overwhelming. Linda found a game-changer in Shoeboxed, a tool that has transformed her operations.

This case study delves into how Shoeboxed has streamlined her business processes, offering her newfound freedom and efficiency.

The challenge: chasing receipts—a time drain for business owners

Linda owns several small businesses, but her primary focus is Le Manoir D’Auteuil.

This quaint hotel in Old Quebec has significantly benefited from Shoeboxed. Linda explains, "For me, Shoeboxed has been a game changer because the application is so easy for the staff to use. The staff can effortlessly upload bills and receipts, whether it's a purchase from a hardware store or any other expense. This streamlined process has made the administrative side of running a hotel much more manageable.”

Linda described the various software applications she had previously used to manage the accounting for her properties. Prior to switching to Shoeboxed, she was using Quickbooks for her US property and Sage Accounting for the Canadian property.

However, both accounting solutions failed to provide an optimal experience when it came to receipt management.

“Sage doesn't really have an upload function for receipts. Quickbooks has that, but felt more complicated and slower than the Shoebox app,” recalls Linda. “So I was spending all this time having to chase receipts.”

The result—lost receipts and a resource drain on her time.

The switch to Shoeboxed was driven by the need for a more efficient system. Linda remembers a defining moment that spurred her to action: “My husband said, ‘You’re spending too much time on this. This is ridiculous.’”

And so the search for a solution began.

The solution: choosing Shoeboxed for easy receipt management

Shoeboxed offers features that cater specifically to small business owners.

As an award-winning receipt management solution, Shoeboxed not only provides businesses with receipt scanning and automatic expense category organization, but also detailed expense reports, and seamless tax category tallying. The platform's IRS-accepted receipts and human verification guarantee accuracy and compliance, streamlining financial management for small businesses.

For Linda, the ability to quickly access receipts and resolve any questions without sifting through piles of paper quickly became invaluable.

Additionally, aside from Shoeboxed’s receipt scanning capabilities, we asked Linda what other features stood out to her about Shoeboxed that convinced her to make the switch. Linda mentioned Shoeboxed’s business card feature and its mileage tracker (available in Shoeboxed’s app).

“In all honesty, the mileage doesn't always work 100% because sometimes you don't have the signal you need on your phone, but it still has been great. I'll send employees out to run errands and it's a lot easier than keeping a log in your car.”

Linda also mentioned using the business card feature, although perhaps not as frequently as the mileage tracker. “We don't accept business cards. If someone gives us one, we'll just load it up in Shoeboxed, and then we give them the card back. Then we're on our merry way.”

Quantifying the value of Shoeboxed: freedom from administrative busy work

“Shoeboxed has been a game changer because the app is so easy for the staff to use. So when bills come in, the staff can upload them, or if maintenance goes out to purchase something at the hardware store, they just upload it in the app, and it's all in there.”

Shoeboxed has both a web application for desktop uploads as well as a mobile app for on-the-go use.

Le Manoir D’Auteuil employees are all sub-users in Linda’s Shoeboxed account. (An unlimited number of sub-users can be added to a Shoeboxed at no extra charge.)

When Le Manoir D’Auteuil’s bookkeeper starts processing the monthly numbers, they can then refer to all of the bills that are saved and uploaded in Shoeboxed, eliminating the need to keep the paper receipts.

“It’s just more seamless. There's less communication necessary. If my bookkeeper has a question about a receipt, she just refers me to it. I can look it up easily and resolve the question pretty quickly, allowing me some independence and freedom from the administrative side.”

We asked Linda how she would quantify the value that Shoeboxed brings to her business. She replied, “Freedom. It's made that part of the operations—the administrative part—less dependent on me, which has been fantastic. So instead of spending a few hours a day on this, I don't spend nearly as much time as I used to.”

“Shoeboxed allows me some independence and freedom from the administrative side.”—Linda LaFollette-Cross

In closing

Shoeboxed has revolutionized the way Linda manages her hotel and her other businesses.

The ease of use, time savings, and enhanced functionality have made it an indispensable tool in her administrative toolkit. By eliminating the hassle of manual receipt entry and providing a seamless digital solution, Shoeboxed has empowered Linda to focus on what she does best—running a successful hotel and providing exceptional service to her guests.

For other business owners seeking to streamline their administrative processes, Linda's story is a testament to the transformative power of Shoeboxed.