How unified tools can help businesses save millions on manual payments

By Steve UMIDHA

For decades, manual processing of staff allowances has been costing businesses that manage large sales teams significant amounts of time and resources that could have otherwise been channeled to growth.

According to a recent study by the Entrepreneur, businesses spend 20 to 30 percent of their revenue every year to print out forms, double-check data and transfer it into Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems.

In contrast, automation can reduce the time spent processing expense reports by 67 percent, cutting costs from an average of Sh7000 per report to as little as Sh1200.

Traditionally, the uptake of automated payment tools in Africa has been relatively low compared to the global west due to limited availability of tools that address the unique needs of the local market.

Today however, some local companies are developing tools that integrate directly with accounting software, automatically reconciling transactions and eliminating manual tasks, such as chasing receipts that prevent teams from focusing on their core duties.

Recently, for example, Jaza360.com—a Kenyan-based company offering digital communication services across Africa, unveiled JazaKampuni, a tool that enables businesses to handle all company top-ups, bill payments and subscriptions from a single, unified platform.

Founded early 2025, Jaza360 emerged from the observation that businesses needed a better way to manage distribution of resources.

What started as a solution for local shops has today grown into a comprehensive platform serving more than 10, 000 small retailers and large corporations, having managed more than one million transactions.

The tool can schedule recurring disbursements for staff allowances, utilities, or subscriptions, ensuring timely payments without manual follow-ups. This reduces the need for field agents to carry cash, thus significantly decreasing the risk of theft or physical loss of funds.

Companies can download and instantly view transaction records for easy monitoring, reconciliation and financial transparency. This simplifies audits and helps detect fraud or anomalies more easily than tracking a paper trail.

As sales teams grow and transaction volumes increase, the automated system can scale effortlessly without the need to hire proportionally more administrative staff, which is a common bottleneck with manual processes.

The tool also enables organisations to send airtime to various recipients simultaneously, at rates nearly 10 percent lower than the standard rates, enabling organisations to save on airtime distribution time and costs.

Depending on the volume of airtime and service provider, the tool offers three percent commission cashback on airtime purchases of above Sh10, 000 and two percent on smaller amounts.

Jaza360 has also developed a product dubbed JaziliaDuka that enables kiosk operators to send airtime to customers on different networks including Safaricom, Airtel, and Telkom.