The problem
A plumber stops at the supply house most mornings, and the receipts end up on the dash, in a door pocket or in the trash. At month end someone types them into QuickBooks and hunts for the missing ones. With about 80 receipts a month at 3 minutes each, plus 2 hours of hunting and asking the supply house for copies, that's about 6 hours a month; at $45£34€40A$65C$64 an hour, $270£203€242A$390C$382.
What the AI does
Dext captures receipts and supplier invoices from a phone photo, an email or WhatsApp, reads the supplier, date and amounts, and sends them to QuickBooks Online for you to approve. The plumber takes the photo at the counter, and the paper can go in the trash. Supply houses that email invoices can send them straight to the business's Dext address instead.
A worked example
An illustrative example built from typical figures, not a named business.
A three-truck plumbing company in Denver already runs its books in QuickBooks Online. Each plumber has the Dext app, and the office manager approves the receipts in Dext each Friday instead of typing them in at month end.
Before
About 80 paper receipts a month, typed in at month end, about 6 hours with the hunting
After
Receipts photographed at the counter and approved in about 30 minutes a week
What it's worth
About $180£135€161A$260C$254 a month of office time saved, against about $25£19€22A$36C$35 for Dext. That's 4 hours a month at an assumed $45£34€40A$65C$64 an hour: 6 hours of typing and hunting, less about 2 hours of approving receipts in Dext.
How to set it up
- Sign up for Dext's Business plan: $25.21£18.95€22.56A$36.39C$35.64 a month billed annually ($302.50£227.44€270.66A$436.69C$427.59 a year) for 250 documents a month and 5 users.
- Connect Dext to your QuickBooks Online account and check how it maps suppliers to expense accounts.
- Put the Dext app on each plumber's phone and make the rule simple: photograph the receipt before you leave the counter.
- Ask your supply houses to email invoices to your Dext address.
- Approve each week, and check that sales tax amounts match the receipt, since tax rules vary by state and city.
What goes wrong
- Dext needs accounting software. This assumes you already pay for QuickBooks Online.
- Business covers 250 documents a month. A busy shop with supplier statements and invoices can go over.
- Reading line items costs extra (from $20.50£15.41€18.34A$29.59C$28.98 a month). Without it you get totals, not each part.
- A photo app only works if people use it. Check for gaps in the first month by comparing with the supply house statement.