)
Key results with Spendesk
Eliminated shared card confusion: No more waiting for corporate cards or questioning expenses
Global spend control: Complete financial oversight across five international markets
Robust authorisation controls: Three-tier approval process ensuring effective spend oversight
Faster month-end: Reduced from multiple days to one day
Enhanced employee experience: Apple Pay integration and mobile-first approach
95% receipt compliance: Complete transaction visibility across all locations
Zero payment failures: Reliable transactions during client entertainment and travel
About GWI
GWI is a global insights company that provides the human truth layer to AI, helping businesses make smarter decisions with data from real people. Available on demand, with survey data representing the views, behaviours, and interests of 3 billion people across 50+ countries, GWI is the go-to for sales teams, marketers, advertisers, researchers, and decision-makers in customer-centric companies.
The challenges
Before Spendesk, GWI faced significant spend management issues across their global operations that created friction for both finance teams and employees.
Core issues:
Limited corporate cards shared between senior executives only
Manual receipt collection and reconciliation across multiple countries
Employees forced to use personal cards and wait for reimbursements
Gaps in authorisation controls and approval processes
Complex month-end processes taking days to complete
No real-time visibility into company spending
Unfair burden on junior staff having to pay expenses upfront
Risk of payment failures during client entertainment
Five years ago you would give out a very limited number of corporate cards, namely to your CEO, COO, and CFO. At the end of the month you received the statement and then asked everyone for their receipts. The constant chasing of receipts and questioning of payments made the process too long and created tension between finance and the rest of the business.
James FranksBefore Spendesk
Three shared corporate cards for executives only
Manual receipt collection and chasing
Employees using personal cards for business expenses
Multiple days month-end processes
No spend visibility or control
Payment failures during client meetings
After Spendesk
Individual cards for any employee who needs them
Automated receipt capture and processing
Real-time spend visibility and control
One-day month-end processes
Global platform supporting all locations
Seamless mobile and Apple Pay integration
The solution
GWI implemented Spendesk to modernise its spend processes while maintaining robust financial controls across its global operations.
Key features implemented:
Physical and virtual cards with granular authorisation controls
Global platform supporting operations across five countries
Mobile-first experience with Apple Pay integration
Automated receipt capture through smartphone photography
Three-tier approval matrix from employee to manager to finance
Subscription management for recurring software and tools
Real-time spending visibility and reporting
Establishing control from confusion
The impact was immediate and comprehensive. Instead of employees competing for shared corporate cards or advancing personal funds, teams gained flexible spending power with effective oversight.
The mobile-first approach eliminated traditional desktop expense processes, allowing employees to capture receipts instantly and submit expenses on the go. This proved particularly valuable for GWI's international operations and frequent business travel.
Spendesk allows you to distribute cards more widely, which takes a lot of the pressure off, as long as you've got the right authorisation flows in place. It's all about less friction. In today's world, you want digital-first vendors where people can simply open an app on their phone.
James FranksThe results
Since adopting Spendesk over five years ago, GWI has streamlined its financial operations:
95% receipt compliance across all transactions and locations
Faster month-end: Reduced from multiple days to one day
300+ active users across global operations
Comprehensive approval controls across all spending categories
Zero payment failures during client entertainment and travel
Seamless global operations across the UK, the US, Greece, the Czech Republic, and Singapore
Enhanced employee experience with Apple Pay and mobile app
Complete spend visibility with real-time reporting
Time is the most important thing in life. With expenses, everyone wants a very quick and easy process. Being able to use your mobile phone to complete it makes it much easier for everyone. They don't want to log into a new system on their laptop and upload a picture of a receipt – it takes too much time.
James FranksReady to establish spend control?
Discover how Spendesk can help your global company gain complete spend control while empowering your distributed teams. Talk to an expert today.
)
251+
)
)