University of New Mexico saved 35,000 hours and 800,000 sheets of paper annually

Challenge

Before Emburse, the University of New Mexico (UNM) managed expenses and invoices manually. The paper-dependent system required multiple steps and could take up to two weeks for expenses and invoices to be processed and paid. Finance transported documents across campus for signature physically, then manually filed them for the audit.

Seeking to eliminate tedious tasks and empower users with a more intuitive solution, UNM implemented Emburse.

The reality was even more complex behind the scenes. With wet signatures required and paper moving from office to office, there was little visibility into where anything stood at a given moment.

“Before Emburse, we had a very paper-driven process. Wet signatures were required, lots of paper, multiple copies everywhere. It could take two weeks or even a month for someone to be reimbursed, and we just couldn’t track it.” — Lorrie Black, Sr. Business Analyst, UNM

The inefficiency wasn’t just operational—it impacted people directly. Faculty and staff were left waiting, with no clarity or confidence in the process.

Emburse Solution

UNM streamlined expense and invoice workflows in Emburse, eliminating manual work and increasing visibility. Electronic routing rules and PCard integrations automatically enforced compliance, which cut processing steps in half.

At the same time, Emburse introduced a fundamentally different experience—one where employees could complete submissions correctly the first time, without friction or rework.

As adoption grew, the ease of use became clear across the organization.

“When people started using it—faculty, staff—they saw how easy it was. That made a big difference.” — Lorrie Black, Sr. Business Analyst, UNM

As a result, UNM reduced reimbursement time by 75%, saved 800,000 sheets of paper (equivalent to 96 trees), and recovered 35,000 hours of expense processing annually.

Result

UNM simplified expense management, improved visibility, and gained efficiency. They were selected as an Emburse Champion Awards winner due to their incredible achievements, including:

• Saved 35,000 hours annually
• Cut processing steps in half
• Sped reimbursement by 75%
• Reduced carbon footprint

“We had a faculty member and our CFO both get reimbursed the same day they submitted their transactions. It was done right the first time, went through approvals, and they had their remittance that afternoon. They were amazed.” — Lorrie Black, Sr. Business Analyst, UNM

What once took weeks now happens in hours, fundamentally changing expectations across campus.

By replacing manual processes with a streamlined, intelligent workflow, UNM didn’t just improve efficiency but transformed the experience of spend management across the institution.