In a sector that combines retail pace, accelerated expansion and distributed operations, the finance function can easily become the bottleneck of the business. Synergym, one of the fastest-growing fitness chains in Spain with more than 160 clubs across the country, was living that reality up close. Each club operates as an independent cost centre, and the finance team was handling a growing volume of invoices with line items allocated across multiple clubs and accounting accounts at once.
Dost, the native AI platform for end-to-end automation of accounts payable, came in to solve a very specific challenge: allocating every line of every invoice to the right club and accounting account, automatically and without manual intervention. In this success story, we explore how Dost helped Synergym automate accounting allocation, gain autonomy and scale its finance operation at the pace of growth.
The challenge: allocating complex invoices across a fast-growing network
Synergym's finance team faced multiple obstacles in managing its accounts payable:
- Dozens of active cost centres: each club operates as an independent cost centre, and many invoices affect several at once.
- Invoices affecting multiple clubs: a single invoice for maintenance, equipment or supplies can contain lines with concepts allocated to different clubs.
- Line-by-line allocation, not header-level: generic extraction couldn't solve the complexity. Working line by line was essential.
- Accelerated expansion pace: the network was growing with dozens of openings every year, and the finance team needed to absorb that complexity without becoming a bottleneck.
- Need for autonomy: the team wanted to adapt rules and configurations to the pace of the business, without depending on the supplier for every change.
Without a solution designed for that real complexity, scaling the finance operation at the pace of the club network would have required expanding the finance team at the same rate, something unfeasible in a business of accelerated organic growth.
The solution: native AI integrated with Business Central, line by line
To address these challenges, Dost deployed its native AI platform to automate Synergym's accounts payable cycle, connected directly to the client's ERP.
Key features of Dost:
- Native integration with Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central: the invoice flow connects directly with Synergym's ERP, with no duplicate manual work, preserving the real accounting structure of the business.
- Line-by-line extraction, not header-level: Dost extracts every concept of every invoice separately, enabling precise allocation in operations with many cost centres.
- Configurable equivalence rules: the finance team defines its own accounting allocation logic, applied automatically to every line of every invoice.
- Automatic allocation of cost centres and accounting accounts: each club is mapped automatically, and each concept is allocated with precision, without manual intervention.
- Approval workflows adapted to the operation: invoices follow a validation process that fits the reality of the business before reaching the ERP.
- Custom models trained by the client: Synergym's team trains its own models to improve extraction as the business evolves, without waiting for the supplier.
- Real support during implementation: the Dost team dedicated hours, support and on-site training to the client's team, so they could gain full autonomy in day-to-day management.
- Full autonomy of the finance team: after the initial phase, the team configures and maintains its own rules, mappings and models without depending on Dost for every change.
The results: a finance operation that scales with the business
The impact of automating with Dost at Synergym has been transformative. The results speak for themselves:
📌 Around 2,500 invoices processed every month with minimal manual intervention.
📌 80% of invoices automated without human intervention, freeing the finance team for tasks that truly add value.
📌 From 119 to more than 160 clubs since Dost's implementation, with a lean accounts payable team.
📌 Precise accounting allocation by club, line and account, thanks to line-level extraction.
📌 Full autonomy of the finance team to configure rules and train models, without depending on the supplier for every change.
📌 Approval workflows adapted to the real operation, validating the process before the information reaches the ERP.
Why Dost is the best solution for operations with hundreds of cost centres
Dost doesn't just automate processes: it transforms financial management for companies with complex operational structures. Why is Dost a leader in accounts payable automation?
- Line-by-line extraction, not just header-level: every concept of every invoice is treated separately, enabling precise allocation in operations with many cost centres.
- Native integration with the main ERPs: smooth connection with Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central, SAP, Sage, Oracle, Odoo and other existing financial systems.
- Full autonomy of the finance team: after a guided implementation, the client configures and maintains its own rules, mappings and custom models.
- Architecture for multi-entity and multi-dimensional analytical operations: configurable equivalence rules, automatic allocation by cost centre, multi-entity and multi-currency support.
- Real support, not just software delivery: training for the client's team to gain in-house management capability from day one.
- Built-in regulatory compliance: full traceability and support for Verifactu and global e-invoicing.
- Cost optimisation: significant reduction in administrative costs across the finance department.
- Digital transformation of the finance area: adoption of fully automated management, aligned with modern financial strategies.
Conclusion: a finance operation at the pace of growth
Synergym's success story shows that accounts payable automation is a key lever when the business grows fast and operational complexity grows even faster. With Dost, they have achieved optimising internal processes, gaining full autonomy in configuration and maintaining a finance operation that scales at the pace of the club network, without the finance team becoming the bottleneck of the business.
If your company manages many cost centres, invoices with lines allocated to different entities, or lives a pace of growth that manual operations cannot sustain, it's time to move towards intelligent automation.
