Right at Home

Right at Home, a leading care provider, faced growing challenges managing purchase orders and approvals across its national office. Their previous system — a standalone Cognito form — offered little visibility or control.

Simplifying Purchase Order Approvals and Budget Control Right at Home, a leading care provider, faced growing challenges managing purchase orders and approvals within their national office. Their previous system — a standalone Cognito form — offered little visibility or control.

Eric Green, FCCA, Group Financial Controller, describes the issues clearly:

• Approvals existed, but no one could see progress or track sign-offs.

• No reminders or budget checks were built in.

• It didn't integrate with Xero, meaning manual follow-up was constant.

• Budget holders on the old system had no sign-off rights.

Eric wanted a solution that could:

• Mirror their management structure with tiered approvals.

• Let budget holders handle smaller purchases independently.

• Notify requesters automatically when their POs were approved.

• Be accessible from anywhere — whether in the office or on the go.

As he put it: "I didn't want people to have to keep checking the system — I wanted the system to tell them when something was done."

Right at Home implemented Zahara to bring control and automation to their purchase order and approvals process.

With Zahara, the finance team gained:

• Seamless tiered approval workflows, matching their internal hierarchy.

• The flexibility to handle both PO and non-PO approvals — useful for recurring costs like rent and rates.

• Notes and comments directly within each PO, providing clarity and context for decision-makers.

• Mobile and desktop access, allowing managers to approve on the move.

"It allowed us to put responsibility further down the chain, while keeping visibility at every level. Directors no longer need to sign off on every small thing — and that's exactly how it should be."

After introducing Zahara, Right at Home saw immediate improvements in efficiency and accountability.

• Faster Approvals — Managers can sign off POs at their desktops or on the go using the mobile app, saving time across the business.

• Transparency & Self-Service — Staff can see where approvals sit and who to chase — no more guessing or waiting for finance updates.

• Automated Reminders — Zahara's built-in prompts ensure approvals don't stall, keeping processes moving.

• Reduced Admin for Finance — The finance team no longer spends time tracking approvals; Zahara manages it automatically.

• Easy Adjustments — Approval workflows can be updated in minutes with simple click-based controls.

Eric summed up the difference:

"It's efficient, time-saving, and incredibly easy to tweak. Whoever designed it clearly understands how finance teams actually work."