Expense automation simplifies how you manage expense tracking, reporting, and reimbursements. It means no longer chasing down receipts, manually filling out forms, or waiting days for approvals. 

Instead, your expense filing process shifts from a tedious, time-consuming task to a seamless workflow where expenses are submitted, reviewed, and approved in just a few clicks. So, you get the following benefits: 

• Reduced manual data entry, lowering the chances of errors
• Faster approvals through automated workflows
• Real-time insights into expense data for better decision-making
• Smooth integration with accounting software for efficient record-keeping
• Improved compliance with spending policies through automated checks

However, for CFOs, expense automation isn’t just about convenience. 

Poor internal practices, such as vague policies or inconsistent enforcement, cause automation to fail. If employees submit incomplete or inaccurate data, the system magnifies these issues instead of fixing them. 

There is also a constant worry of losing control:

• Can automation catch fraudulent claims? 
• Will the tool adapt to unique business rules? 
• How do you ensure compliance without constant manual checks?

So, in this blog, we’ll show you how to address these concerns and implement an expense automation system with Pluto that guarantees data integrity, compliance, and control—freeing you to focus on strategic initiatives while the routine tasks are handled seamlessly.

How Does Expense Automation Work in Pluto?

Traditional expense management methods rely heavily on manual processes—employees fill out forms, attach physical or scanned receipts, and wait for approvals through emails or paper trails. Accounting teams then spend hours reconciling these submissions, manually categorizing expenses, and ensuring they align with company policies. 

While this approach works, it is prone to errors, delays, and inefficiencies, especially as companies scale. Missing receipts, incorrect entries, and delayed approvals lead to frustration, compliance risks, and a lack of visibility into overall spending.

Automated expense systems transform this outdated process, whether you want to automate petty cash, corporate cards, reimbursements, or procurement. The systems enable real-time tracking and automated workflows configured to your needs. 

Here is a step-by-step overview of how Pluto ensures reliable and secure expense automation. 

1. Capture Expenses

With Pluto, capturing expenses becomes effortless. 

Its optical character recognition (OCR) feature simplifies expense filing by automatically extracting details like amounts, dates, and vendors from uploaded receipts. This significantly reduces manual effort and speeds up the process.

Employees can upload receipts using the following methods:

• WhatsApp: Each card-based transaction triggers a notification, prompting employees to submit the corresponding receipt. Receipts can be uploaded directly via WhatsApp, which instantly syncs with the relevant expense record on the platform.
• Email: For invoice payments, receipts can be forwarded to a designated email address. Pluto processes the invoice and attaches it to the corresponding expense record automatically.
• Drag-and-drop: For bulk receipts, employees can use the mobile app or website to upload multiple receipts at once, streamlining data entry further.

2. Implement Controls

With automation, the biggest concern is losing granular control over expenses. 

What if you need approvals from the heads of two different departments? Would this require manual intervention before entering the data into the system?

This is a common limitation in many ERP systems, where basic approval workflows are handled, but multi-layer approval processes are lacking.

With Pluto, every expense triggers notifications and alerts for relevant team members based on approval workflows configurable to your company’s expense policies. 

Here’s what you get with Pluto:

• Approval workflow builder: A no-code approval workflow builder lets you configure rules based on simple if-then statements. You can create detailed workflows with multi-layer policies tailored to specific departments or roles.
• Flag out-of-policy expenses: Out-of-policy expenses, like duplicate receipts and policy violations, are automatically flagged. Pluto’s OCR feature detects and highlights duplicate receipts. Each expense passes through the approval rules you've set, and any non-compliant transactions are flagged. 

Controls on Pluto Cards

For transactions on Pluto cards, any out-of-policy expenses are not processed. Additionally, you can configure the cards to auto-freeze if receipts are missing, preventing potential fraud.

3. Ensure Visibility with Audit Trails

While the system has controls in place to manage approvals and ensure compliance, audit trails are still essential to maintain accountability and transparency. Pluto’s activity log records every change made to a transaction, offering a detailed history of each expense.

This log is stored securely for up to 5 years, making it available for audits or internal reviews. Pluto adheres to bank-grade security standards, ensuring your data is always protected.

4. Grant Role-Based Access Controls

Once the data flows into your system, you have to ensure that only authorized individuals can access it. Pluto offers five user roles to control access:

• External Accountant: View-only access to financial records and the ability to sync to ERP, but no other permissions
• Internal Accountant: View access to records, the ability to approve or reject expenses, and manage financial instruments such as cards for making purchases
• Super Admin: Full access to all features, with the ability to make changes and override settings
• Employee: Access only to their own transactions and payment instruments
• Manager: Access to their own transactions, reports, and approval rights for expenses

Pluto also provides additional controls to protect your data. Once approved, transactions can be locked to prevent unauthorized changes. 

5. Record and Reconcile

With all the data approved and stored in Pluto, you can avoid duplication of efforts and the hassle of exporting and importing CSV files. Pluto seamlessly integrates with your existing ERP or accounting platform, ensuring that your records are synced in real time, allowing you to close books up to 10 times faster.

Pluto’s integration features include:

• Sync with general ledger: Transactions flow seamlessly into the general ledger, eliminating the need for manual entries
• Synchronized vendor list: Pluto keeps your vendor records synced with your accounting system, ensuring accurate and timely data recording
• Multi-level coding: Easily split expenses across specific projects, departments, or cost centers for detailed tracking
• Tax compliance: Sync tax rates directly from your accounting platform or create custom tax codes for unique needs

6. Optimize with Real-Time Reporting

Finally, you can view all the data in a centralized dashboard that clearly shows your company’s spending. You can filter the data by categories, projects, or timeframes to identify spending patterns and optimize budgets, helping you make faster, more informed decisions.

Successful Implementation of Expense Automation: A Case Study of BloomingBox

BloomingBox, a leading UAE-based gifting platform, successfully streamlined its spend management processes using Pluto. 

As the company grew, managing expenses manually became increasingly difficult, especially when dealing with multiple locations and a growing team. The company was facing key issues, such as:

1. Lack of cash flow visibility: Manual processes made it hard to track expenses in real time, creating confusion about bill payments and due dates.

2. Delays in the reimbursement: Employees had to fill out reimbursement forms manually, get approvals, and wait for the accounting team to process payments, resulting in slow reimbursements.

To address these issues, BloomingBox implemented Pluto’s suite of expense management tools and got following features:

1. Automated Payments with Corporate Cards

Pluto's virtual and physical corporate cards allowed BloomingBox to automate payments and track them in real time. The ability to issue unlimited cards, set spending limits, and restrict categories (like limiting driver expenses to fuel) helped them gain better control over their expenses.

2. Receipt Management via WhatsApp

Pluto made it simple for employees to upload receipts directly via WhatsApp, eliminating the risk of lost receipts and reducing manual work for finance teams. Each transaction triggered a notification for the employee to submit receipts, speeding up the entire process.

“The beauty in one part that I was amazed about Pluto, in terms of your technology, was your whole integration with WhatsApp and the ease of how easy it was to swipe, make a payment, take a picture, upload it via WhatsApp, and it's there on the platform for approval.”

~ Lee Kersen Mascarenhas, Head of Operations, BloomingBox

3. Transaction Splitting for Policy Compliance

The system allowed BloomingBox to split transactions, ensuring only policy-compliant portions were approved. This feature helped the company maintain tighter control over its budget and cash flow, reducing unnecessary expenses.

4. Simplified Reimbursement Workflow 

The company implemented Pluto’s no-code approval workflow engine, which allowed managers to approve reimbursements quickly. By using trigger-based workflows, BloomingBox eliminated bottlenecks and sped up the approval process. Employees no longer had to wait weeks for reimbursements; they could upload receipts and receive approvals in real time.

“The beauty is you pay, upload your receipts right away, and approval can be done on the spot.”

~ Lee Kersen Mascarenhas, Head of Operations, BloomingBox

5. Real-Time Spend Visibility

Pluto’s centralized dashboard made all expense data accessible in one place. BloomingBox could now track ongoing requests, bills, and payments easily, avoiding duplicate payments and improving cash flow visibility.

“We have been using Pluto for a few months now, and we literally have everything in one place.”

~ Lee Kersen Mascarenhas, Head of Operations, BloomingBox

By switching to Pluto, BloomingBox not only saved time but also simplified its bookkeeping process. The company now has complete control over employee spending, with real-time access to expense data and faster payment approvals.

Can Expense Automation Save You Time Without Compromising Security?

Companies hesitate to trust automation, fearing loss of control, compliance risks, or complicated onboarding processes. Pluto eliminates these concerns by addressing them upfront. 

With advanced controls and granular access settings, businesses can restrict spending, approve transactions in real time, and maintain complete oversight of their finances. 

Features like automated approval workflows, real-time spend visibility, and seamless integrations ensure that Pluto doesn’t just replace manual processes but enhances them with precision and accountability.

For instance, BloomingBox’s successful implementation of Pluto’s expense automation system allowed the company to scale operations without adding extra administrative overhead. The company now enjoys enhanced control, faster approvals, and simplified bookkeeping, all of which contribute to a more efficient and streamlined expense management process.

“We can expand without having to add more people because of Pluto.”

~ Lee Kersen Mascarenhas, Head of Operations, BloomingBox

Pluto’s solutions empower businesses to trust automation while maintaining control and ensuring compliance. 

Book a demo today to see how Pluto can transform your expense management and enable you to focus on what truly matters—scaling your business efficiently.