Overview
Zip Water is a globally recognised innovator in water filtration systems, with a brand presence in more than 70 countries. With such an extensive supplier network, payment security and supplier onboarding efficiency are critical to maintaining trust and operational excellence.
By partnering with Eftsure, Zip Water's accounts payable (AP) team strengthened its controls, streamlined processes, and reinforced its commitment to best-practice financial governance. The result: fewer manual checks, greater confidence in payments, and a more robust defence against fraud.
Challenge
Zip Water's AP function had already begun its digital transformation, moving away from legacy payment methods and introducing automation. However, manual checks still played a role in onboarding suppliers and verifying bank details, and remained a pain point for international suppliers.
Verifying bank details often requires international phone calls, which creates logistical hurdles and internal bottlenecks. Time zones, language barriers, and restricted phone access can make even simple tasks difficult.
'It can be daunting... you're thinking, will there be a language barrier? When am I going to have to call them? Am I doing this after hours?'
— Amy Dulihanty, Accounts Payable Team Lead, Zip Water
This friction left residual exposure to fraud. The risk is significant: globally, manufacturing organisations experience a median loss of US$267,000 per fraud case, one of the highest among industries. For Zip Water, this risk became real:
'We had a case where a domestic supplier changed their bank details on an invoice, and unfortunately the payment was sent to a fraudulent account. Even though it was rare, it really highlighted how exposed we were without independent verification.'
Solution
Zip Water implemented Eftsure to add a final layer of control across its AP lifecycle, reinforcing an already strong commitment to financial integrity.
Now, Australian and New Zealand-based suppliers are verified during onboarding, and payments are re-verified before release. The team uploads payment files and uses Eftsure's traffic-light system to confirm that bank details match trusted records. Any discrepancies are flagged in real time, giving the team the ability to pause, investigate, and prevent misdirected funds.
'It really has streamlined the process and given us a lot more confidence that we're processing payments to the right accounts.'
Supplier onboarding also received a professional uplift. Eftsure replaced Zip Water's legacy spreadsheet process with a secure digital form, ensuring consistent data collection and supporting compliance.
'It's saved us a lot of admin time - and it just looks a lot more professional to our suppliers.'
Results
Eftsure helped Zip Water take an already mature finance operation and make it even more secure, efficient, and future-ready.
- Strengthened payment verification across domestic suppliers
- Reduced admin workload and manual onboarding processes
- Seamless integration with existing ERP and banking workflows
- Greater assurance for internal audit and compliance reviews
- Improved supplier experience through professional digital onboarding
With international payments a growing focus, Zip Water is also preparing for Eftsure's global verification capabilities, a move that will remove major pain points.
'International verifications are really painful right now. Eftsure will save us a lot of time and give us that added security.'
Want to protect your payments and streamline supplier onboarding? Book a demo with Eftsure.
