An AR team posting payments for 64 locations
Nation's Best Gives Their AR Team Hours Back Every Day
Nation's Best runs 64 locations in 18 states. Their AR team used to match every payment to an invoice by hand.
Lumber and building materials · 64 across 18 states
What changed
- ~3
- hrs/day AR team time saved
- $50M+
- In annual payment volume
- 4,200+
- Pro signups online
- 93%
- ACH payment adoption
Figures reported by Nation's Best.
The Challenge
Nation's Best serves a demanding customer base: pro contractors who need fast, reliable service and accurate, timely deliveries. These customers value relationships above all else, expecting the same level of attention and responsiveness they'd get from a local dealer, even as Nation's Best has grown into a multi-state operation.
Before Toolbx, the AR team was struggling to maintain that level of service. Their previous customer portal handled the basics, but it lacked the tools the team needed to work efficiently. Customers could view invoices and make payments, but that was about it. There was no way to communicate with customers through the portal, no payment links, and no automation.
“Before we had a customer portal, the hardest part was keeping the communication and information consistent with customers. We relied heavily on emails, phone calls, spreadsheets.”
The AR team found themselves constantly juggling paperwork, emails, and phone calls. When a contractor needed copies of 20 invoices, someone had to manually attach each one to an email. When customers wanted payment history, the team had to create spreadsheets. Every request meant delays for the customer and less time for the team to focus on collections.
Worse, payments that came through the portal didn't automatically apply to accounts. The team had to manually pull each payment from the portal and post it to their ERP system, a tedious process that consumed hours every day.
The Solution
Nation's Best implemented Toolbx's payments portal and AR automation tools across all 64 locations, with full integration to their ERP system. The rollout gave contractors self-serve access to their accounts while equipping the AR team with modern collection tools.
That is how we handle all of our collections now. We create links and we send payment links via text or email to customers. They literally just have to click on a link and it takes them right to where we want them to be and they make a payment and we're collected.
April HayesCredit & A/R ManagerWhat Nation's Best turned on
“If I had to use one word for the onboarding and integration, it would be pretty seamless. It was very easy.”
The implementation stood out for its simplicity. Despite the complexity of integrating with Nation's Best's ERP system, which April noted "can be tricky," the onboarding was one of the easiest the team had experienced.
Pro Customer Portal
24/7 self-serve access to invoices, statements, payment history, and account balances
How it worksOnline Payments
ACH and credit card options with convenience fees built in
How it worksPayment Request Links
Direct links via text and email that take customers straight to payment
How it worksSMS & Email Messaging
Built-in communication tools for collections
How it worksERP Integration
Automatic payment posting that syncs directly to their system
How it worksIt's very easy for a 70-year-old man who is still working and out there doing his thing to get on his phone or get on his computer and pull his invoices, pull his statements, and make a payment online. It's for everyone, for all ages. It's just very simple and user-friendly.
April HayesCredit & A/R ManagerThe Results
Within eight months of going live, Nation's Best has seen meaningful improvements across their AR operations and customer experience.
Time Back for the AR Team
The most significant change has been in how the AR team spends their time. The automatic payment posting alone saves approximately two hours per day. Tasks that used to consume the team's attention, like tracking down invoice copies or creating payment history spreadsheets, now happen without anyone lifting a finger.
With less time spent on manual posting and customer requests, the team can focus on bigger priorities. April described it as being freed up from "smaller tasks that the customers can actually just log in and perform for themselves now."
A Modern Collections Workflow
The payment request links have transformed how Nation's Best handles collections. The ability to send a text or email with a direct link to payment has become central to their AR strategy.
The team still makes phone calls when needed, but the volume has dropped significantly. When a customer receives a text with a payment link, they can handle it on their own time without waiting for a callback or email response.
Better Experience for Contractors
The feedback from contractors has been overwhelmingly positive. The portal's simplicity stands out, with customers across all ages finding it easy to use.
The 24/7 access has proven especially valuable for contractors in the field. April shared a story about a pro contractor who urgently needed an invoice copy to submit a draw to the bank. In the past, he would have had to call the store or email the AR team and wait for a response. Instead, he logged into the portal from the job site, grabbed the invoice himself, and submitted it in time.
"He later said it literally saved his day," April recalled. "It's things like that. When they're in a pinch, it helps them too."
Flexible Payment Options
Nation's Best now offers both ACH and credit card payments, with a convenience fee on credit cards. The addition of credit card acceptance has been well-received, with customers appreciating the choice. At the same time, the strong ACH adoption rate (92.8%) keeps processing costs low.
"Customers like being able to choose between ACH or credit card," April explained. "Some people want those points on their credit cards. It's been great being able to have an option for them versus just one thing that they can use."
Looking Ahead
After just eight months, Nation's Best has already seen significant returns from their Toolbx implementation. The platform has created what April describes as "a more efficient workflow for my team and a better experience for our customers."
When asked whether she'd recommend Toolbx to another dealer, April didn't hesitate:
“Absolutely. It's only been eight months and it's already been a game changer for us. Helping us streamline our processes, reducing stress for my team, improved experience for the customer.”
With the payments and AR foundation in place, Nation's Best is well-positioned to continue growing while maintaining the responsive, relationship-driven service their contractors expect.
The best benefit for the AR team has been the automation of payments being applied. That has been life-changing on our side because our old portal did not automatically apply payments at all.
April HayesCredit & A/R Manager
