From paper to Peppol: How Desktop Imaging is helping New Zealand make eInvoicing work with Tickstar

For nearly 30 years, Desktop Imaging has supported organisations to modernise how they manage documents, data and business processes. New Zealand-owned, the company works with many of the country’s central and local government agencies and has delivered projects for more than 80% of councils nationwide.

As government mandates and expectations around eInvoicing accelerated, Desktop Imaging recognised a clear opportunity to extend its services – and partnered with Tickstar to do it.

Before eInvoicing gained momentum in New Zealand, Desktop Imaging was already processing both physical and PDF invoices on behalf of customers, applying validation before passing data into finance systems and ERPs.

“When eInvoicing came along, we recognised pretty quickly that this was where things were heading”, says Kris Elliott, Solution Specialist at Desktop Imaging. “Over time, the PDF volumes were always going to drop away and eInvoices were going to increase, so we needed to support that as an ingestion channel, both for our own business and for our customers.”

For Desktop Imaging, eInvoicing wasn’t just about compliance. It was about improving outcomes for customers already struggling with manual processes.

“It wasn’t just a box-ticking exercise”, Kris explains. “There were real benefits for customers in terms of accuracy, efficiency and confidence in what they were receiving.”

Desktop Imaging worked with several Peppol Access Point providers before ultimately settling on Tickstar.

“Part of the decision to go with Tickstar was the maturity of the technology and the ease of integration”, Kris says. “But a big part of it was also the people: their knowledge, how proactive they were and how involved they wanted to be.”

Rather than a transactional relationship, Desktop Imaging found the Tickstar team to be actively engaged in making sure implementations were successful.

“It wasn’t a case of ‘here’s the service, see you later’”, Kris says. “They were proactive, they kept us in the loop on things like government adoption plans and they actually made sure we had what we needed to make it work.”

That collaborative approach quickly turned the relationship into a genuine partnership.

“It sounds a bit cliché, but we didn’t want a supplier. We wanted a partner”, Kris adds.

Working closely together, Desktop Imaging and Tickstar fine-tuned workflows and integrations early on to ensure a seamless experience for customers.

“There was a bit of back and forward at the start”, Kris says. “We’d say, ‘this is how we think it should work’, and Tickstar would come back with, ‘have you thought about this?’ That collaborative approach early on is why it’s so bulletproof now. For customers, the eInvoicing side is basically hands-off once it’s set up. That’s exactly what you want.”

One of the most prominent examples of this success is Fire and Emergency New Zealand (FENZ).

“FENZ is probably the eInvoicing case study we are most proud of”, Kris says. “It’s not just something we talk about – government agencies now use it as an example of how eInvoicing can actually be made to work.”

The partnership has also enabled eInvoicing for other major public sector organisations, including Wellington City Council, where Desktop Imaging manages accounts payable processing including eInvoicing, and Natural Hazards Commission (formerly the Earthquake Commission), where Desktop Imaging acted as the implementation partner delivering Tickstar’s eInvoicing capability.

“Those projects demonstrated the credibility and strength of our partnership with Tickstar”, Kris says. “Each completed project allows us to draw on that experience, helping ensure that the next implementation has fewer unknowns and is delivered both faster and more smoothly.”

Beyond delivery, Desktop Imaging and Tickstar have partnered on events and webinars to promote eInvoicing and educate government agencies and councils.

“A lot of organisations understand they need to do eInvoicing, but they don’t necessarily know how to make it work properly”, Kris shares. “Doing joint events has helped us show what good looks like in practice.”

That collaboration has also supported engagement through government panels and formal frameworks.

“Our partnership with Tickstar aligns well with government procurement panel requirements”, Kris explains. “Our joint presence on these panels gives agencies the confidence that they are talking to experts who not only know what they are doing, but who have also done it before.”

For Desktop Imaging, Tickstar’s standing in the New Zealand eInvoicing ecosystem has been a major advantage.

“There’s a lot of credibility that comes with Tickstar and it has the backing of Xero as well”, Kris shares.

Just as important is the responsiveness of the Tickstar team.

“If I’ve got a question, I can pick up the phone and know they’ll always answer and be willing to help,” Kris says. “That’s really the difference between a partner and a supplier.”

While current mandates focus on receiving eInvoices, Desktop Imaging and Tickstar are already looking ahead.

“Sending is coming next, and then further down the track there’ll be other document types like purchase orders and responses”, Kris says. “The partnership with Tickstar has given us a solid foundation to build on.”

For organisations starting their own eInvoicing journey, Kris’ advice is straightforward:

“Choose your partner wisely. If you really want eInvoicing to work for your organisation, who you pick makes all the difference.”

With trusted technology, responsive support and the backing of Xero, Tickstar is the leading Access Point provider for businesses ready to move. Contact Tickstar today.