In the current economy, the art and science of aggressively managing expenses in a way that enables employees to stay focused on strategically achieving business objectives is central to both survival and success.

For Intuit, the creator of mainstay accounting and tax software like Quicken, QuickBooks and TurboTax, taking a global approach to finance is vital to supporting its expansion plans beyond North America, Asia and Europe. In the past, Intuit used separate commercial card programs for its small-dollar purchase and travel/entertainment expenses in the United States and Canada. In 2008, a strategic decision was made to move to one global program to accommodate new markets as the company expands its footprint in targeting small to mid-sized businesses and individual users of its innovative products and technology.

"Although we always strongly encouraged commercial card use for small purchases to reduce administrative costs and improve employee efficiency, we wanted an issuer where the dynamics of the relationship and their capabilities supported our future plans," explains Janell Centers, Global P-Card Program Manager, who oversees the annual $40 million program. "Scotiabank committed to a North American platform, but was also able to support and manage a global program. That was the icing on the cake for us."

expansion and rollout for Intuit, and together, have created a solution for standardizing the data feeds from the various banks within the program.

"Scotiabank acts as the lead bank to coordinate efforts with others banks like Barclays in London and United Overseas Bank in Singapore, working behind the scenes to ensure a single platform experience for Intuit," says Cameron McPhail, Vice-President and Director, Commercial Card Sales, Global Transaction Banking.

"Furthermore, Intuit has adopted a global policy, infrastructure, and program support, as well as standardized processes to ensure they are well positioned for future global expansion," says Mindy Combow, Senior Manager, Commercial Card, Global Transaction Banking - USA.

Benefits of one program
For Intuit's transition to Scotiabank's Commercial Card program, the process relied heavily on a strong project plan combined with comprehensive internal communication efforts with its employees to understand the new program benefits. As well, a dedicated Scotiabank program management team was involved from inception and continues to be involved post-rollout.

"Tried and true program implementation guidelines offered best practices but we were flexible in meeting Intuit's unique needs, such as integrating their Oracle 11i enterprise resource planning software with our Commercial Card program technology," says Shaun East, Senior Manager, Scotiabank Commercial Card

Account Management, Global Transaction Banking. "This allows daily transactions to be made available in the Commercial Card application, which are then exported from Scotiabank's system and uploaded to Oracle in 24 to 48 hours."

In moving to one consolidated program, there are many advantages to program administration due to improved efficiency, streamlined processes and reduced costs. As well, Scotiabank's Commercial Card program is a truly flexible, scalable and fully-customized program that is designed to Intuit's existing and future business processes and systems.

A strong relationship for growth
"Intuit truly appreciates the level of commitment, expertise and partnership that the Scotiabank team has provided as we expand our global footprint," says Centers.

The dedication to collaboratively build global capability by all parties allows Intuit to efficiently deliver on its customer commitment.

* VISA Inc./Lic. user The Bank of Nova Scotia.

Left to right: Shaun East, Janell Centers, Mindy Combow

Establishing an international platform
Scotiabank was well positioned to partner with Intuit on a multi-national scale. In addition to reduced global pricing based on increased volumes, Centers says that Scotiabank's very close working partnership with VISA*, the commercial card issuer, is a competitive differentiator. Scotiabank and VISA have jointly led the global