How Europe’s Largest Events Company Reduced Overdue Balances by 49% with Kolleno

About our Client 

Our client is one of the world’s leading live events companies, operating in multiple locations across Europe. From music events to large-scale cultural experiences, the company earned its reputation as a world-class brand for large-scale events. But behind the scenes, managing accounts receivable was a challenge.

The finance team spent too much time chasing payments manually. Sending invoices, crafting follow-up emails, and tracking payment statuses was a full-time job. The other departments needed live payment visibility while on-site at events, but the existing system didn’t allow for controlled access. There was no straightforward way to access the necessary information in real-time.

To fix these inefficiencies, our client turned to Kolleno.

Here’s how Kolleno streamlined company’s credit control and helped fuel the company’s rapid growth.

The Challenges

As one of Europe’s leading events companies, our client works with multiple brand partners, vendors, and clients across different markets. However, rapid growth led to growing pains. The business’s finance team struggled to monitor who had paid, who was overdue, and when to follow up with customers. 

“It always felt like we were one step behind”, explains Credit Controller. “We struggled to maintain control, especially as the company was growing so quickly”.

1. Too Much Time Spent Chasing Payments

The finance team should have been focusing on how to grow the company and keep momentum going. Unfortunately, it was stuck in reactive mode, manually chasing payments and drafting follow-up emails. The more invoices that the company generated, the worse the problem became. 

2. No Controlled Access for Other Departments 

Events team, who managed relationships with sponsors and clients, needed a mobile-friendly way to check invoices, payment statuses, and client accounts while working remotely. But company’s existing system didn’t allow for controlled access to financial data. Accessing critical information in real-time was quite challenging. This lack of flexibility created inefficiencies and unnecessary risks.

3. Inefficient Email Follow-Ups Slowed Collections

Crafting follow-up emails one by one ate into the team’s precious time. Doing everything manually was slow and inefficient. This approach had two major drawbacks. First, it meant the team was unproductive in other areas, as they wasted too much time on collections. Secondly, it unnecessarily delayed payments, leading to cash flow challenges. 

The business needed a smarter, more efficient way to manage collections, control data access, and streamline communication.

The Solution

Why Kolleno Credit Control?

Our client needed an all-in-one solution for their unique set of requirements. Specifically, they were looking for a way to:

• Automate collection workflows and eliminate manual email follow-ups. 
• Implement intelligent email processing to track customer interactions.
• Enable mobile access, allowing events teams to check live payment statuses while on-site at events.
• Introduce customer portfolios and user permissions, ensuring sensitive financial data was only visible to those who needed it.

After researching multiple solutions, they realized only Kolleno offered true flexibility in user access control. With Kolleno, they could customize workflows, automate collections, and get full visibility over payments—all in one place.

“It was such a relief when we learnt Kolleno allowed us to split our teams into different user groups”, explains Finance Director. “This was something that no other solution provided, and which we desperately needed.”

Client’s finance team was drowning in manual credit control. Every overdue invoice meant another email, another spreadsheet update, and another day wasted chasing payments. Kolleno changed everything. 

With automated collection workflows, real-time tracking, and mobile accessibility, the team no longer has to micromanage accounts receivable. User permissions ensure that non-finance teams teams can check payments without exposing sensitive financial data. 

The finance team now works smarter, not harder. Collections are structured, efficient, and proactive.

Automated Collection Workflows

Before Kolleno, the company’s finance team was stuck in a cycle of manual follow-ups. Every overdue invoice required an email, manually written and sent. Payment statuses were tracked in spreadsheets. Team members constantly had to check which clients needed reminders. With no structured system in place, follow-ups were inconsistent and inefficient. As the company expanded, this process became unmanageable, draining time and resources.

Kolleno’s automated collection workflows completely transformed how the business handles accounts receivable. Now, AI-powered automation ensures that follow-ups are sent at the perfect time, with the right messaging tailored to each client. But that’s not all. The system also analyzes customer payment behaviors, identifying patterns to predict when reminders will be most effective. 

Escalations are also automated, ensuring that overdue invoices don’t get lost in the shuffle. If a customer hasn’t responded to initial reminders, Kolleno automatically escalates the case, adjusting the tone of communication or flagging it for direct action. This structured approach has allowed our client to get paid faster with less effort than ever before. 

With Kolleno, overdue balances shrank, payments sped up, and collections stopped being a constant drain on time. Client’s  credit control is now proactive rather than reactive, ensuring a steady cash flow without unnecessary delays.

“Kolleno saves us hours every week. We used to spend so much time managing collections and stressing about it. That’s no longer the case”, adds Credit Controller. 

An Easy-to-Use Mobile App

The business’s events teams needed real-time payment visibility while on-site at events. Before Kolleno, there was no way to check payment statuses on the go. This led to delays in resolving client issues and inefficiencies in managing sponsorship payments.

This is where Kolleno’s mobile app came in. Team members can now access live payment statuses directly from their phones or tablets, without needing to carry laptops around festival sites. Whether they are checking an outstanding balance, confirming a payment, or reviewing a client’s history, everything is available in just a few taps.

Kolleno’s mobile app has made client’s accounts receivable management faster, more flexible, and more efficient. The team no longer has to wait until they are back at their desks to check payment statuses. Instead, they can handle everything on-site, in real time.

According to Finance Director, “The mobile app has been transformative. Our team can now track payments in real time while at events, all without having to carry laptops or dig through spreadsheets.”

Detailed Customer Portfolios and Granular User Permissions

Before Kolleno, finance team faced a major visibility challenge.The events team needed real-time access to client payment statuses, but the existing system made it difficult and time-consuming, almost impossible without a laptop on-site. It caused a lot of frustration for teams working at events.

Kolleno solved this problem with advanced user permissions and customer portfolios, which allow the finance team to group accounts based on specific criteria. By segmenting customers into distinct portfolios—such as  partners, vendors, and event sponsors— our client could grant access only to the relevant financial data for each group. Now, the non-finance teams team can track client payments and outstanding balances without seeing confidential financial records.

Beyond security, this feature has streamlined collaboration between teams. Managers can now check live payment statuses on their own, without constantly relying on the finance team for updates. This has reduced back-and-forth communication, freed up finance resources, and improved overall efficiency.

The impact has been clear: faster access to critical payment data, better data security, and a more structured, organized way of managing financial visibility across teams.

“Kolleno allows us to manage exactly who sees what and when,” explains Finance Director. “It’s given us complete control over our confidential data while enabling secure access for non-finance teams when needed.”

The Impact

Kolleno has taken our client’s collections to the next level, leading to a:

• 49% reduction in overdue balances
• 27% faster payment cycles
• 25% less time spent on manual AR tasks

Thanks to Kolleno, our client can scale without the usual growing pains. As the business expands its festival portfolio and brand partnerships, the finance team isn’t bogged down by increasing transaction volumes. 

Automated workflows ensure collections remain consistent and structured. Intelligent email processing and a centralized dashboard provide full visibility over outstanding balances. With fewer manual bottlenecks, our client can focus on growth without worrying about cash flow disruptions.

Most importantly, Kolleno has strengthened collaboration across teams. With controlled data access, the brand partnership team can track payments without needing to request updates from finance. Decision-making is faster, communication is more transparent, and collections run like a well-oiled machine. 

What was once a labor-intensive process has become a scalable, streamlined operation. The business can now maintain financial health while continuing to grow at pace.

“Kolleno has completely changed how we manage accounts receivable. Payments come in faster, the team works more efficiently, and we finally have full visibility and control over our collections process.”

– Finance Director

Ready to Transform Your Collections Workflows?

Book a demo today to see how Kolleno can help you automate collections, improve cash flow, and eliminate manual accounts receivable tasks.