CH Media

How CH Media cut expense processing time down from weeks to days

CH Media is the leading media company in German-speaking Switzerland. With approximately 1,800 employees across more than 30 locations in 13 cantons and over 70 media brands spanning print, TV, radio, and online, the company delivers impactful journalism and captivating entertainment.

Less Paper, More Automation

With its large workforce and the complexity of operating a diverse media organisation, managing expense claims became an increasing challenge for CH Media’s payroll department. Aline Scheidegger, who has been a Junior Payroll Specialist at the company since August 2020, recalls: “We used to receive expense receipts through internal post or email. Processing them manually was incredibly time-consuming.”

Processing times were a major issue, with expense approvals taking one to two weeks. The process drained valuable resources and left little room for efficiency improvements. “We urgently needed to implement a digital process that allowed for fast and straightforward approvals while reducing our reliance on paper,” explains Patrick Aregger, Head of Payroll at CH Media.

CH Media required a solution that could minimise errors and streamline the process for both employees and the payroll team. “We needed a system that was easy to use and intuitive. The entire process needed to be faster, and we wanted to reduce administrative burdens,” says Aline.

Streamlined Processes Save Time

After evaluating various options, CH Media chose Perk. Thanks to the seamless integration with their existing ERP system, SAP, the payroll team was able to transition quickly without significant disruptions to daily operations.

With Perk, the manual processes were replaced by a fully digital, zero-touch system. Employees now simply submit their expense receipts digitally, and Perk’s AI handles scanning, categorisation, and automatic compliance checks. The days of paper overload and manual data entry are over. “We only need to perform a final review of expense reports. The system flags any anomalies, and approvals are completed much faster”, explains Aline.

The simplified workflows have brought significant time savings to the payroll team. “I receive instant notifications if something doesn’t comply with the expense policy. I no longer have to check the rules manually every time, which saves me a great deal of work,” says Patrick.

In addition to the Perk Expense, CH Media also implemented Perk Pay, the corporate card solution. Employees can easily use their company cards, and all expenses are automatically synchronised, giving the finance team full visibility over spending.

The Results: Increased Efficiency

The implementation of Perk delivered immediate results. CH Media significantly reduced its processing times, with expenses now being completed in an average of just six days—a drastic improvement compared to the previous process. “The efficiency boost has been enormous. What used to take weeks now takes just days, and the risk of errors has dropped significantly,” notes Patrick Aregger.

“Perk has truly transformed the way we work.”