Before Trintech: Slow Close Cycles, Manual Work, and Reporting Gaps

Q: Michele, could you introduce yourself and describe the challenges AutoNation was facing before moving to Trintech?

A: I’m Michele Hutchinson, SOX Manager at AutoNation. We support 325 dealerships plus collision centers and auction operations, and before Trintech we were using BlackLine. But we struggled with slow month-end cycles, clunky reporting, and a daily bank-to-book process that was overly manual for the banking team.

As AutoNation continued to grow through dealership acquisitions, it became clear: we needed a faster, more scalable, more intuitive platform.

Why Trintech: Proven Performance & Immediate Confidence

Q: What made you confident that switching from BlackLine to Trintech was the right move?

A: My supervisor had implemented Trintech at a previous Goldman Sachs–owned company, so we knew exactly what the platform was capable of. Once we reviewed the proposal, the decision was easy—Trintech delivered the automation, reporting flexibility, and ease of use we were missing.

Key goals for the transition included:

• Simplifying the month-end process
• Creating more user-friendly reporting
• Improving the daily bank-to-book workflow
• Supporting AutoNation’s ongoing growth and dealership acquisitions

Trintech checked all the boxes.

Implementation: Deep User Involvement Drives Adoption

Q: What stood out about the implementation process?

A: Our banking department includes people who have been with AutoNation for 14 to 25 years, and their expertise was critical. Unlike our experience with BlackLine, Trintech brought our team into every stage of the design.

Our users were able to:

• Tell Trintech exactly what they needed
• Shape reporting requirements
• Influence the configuration
• Participate directly in user training

Because they helped build it, they embraced it. Adoption wasn’t forced—it was natural.

Top Transformation Highlights: Faster Close, Near-Perfect Auto-Reconciliation & Crisis-Proof Continuity

1. A Much Faster Month-End Close: Processes that once dragged are now streamlined and predictable.

2. Near-100% Auto-Reconciliation: Today, AutoNation’s matching rates are almost fully automated—dramatically reducing manual work and loss exposure.

3. Better Visibility & Research Capabilities: Teams now identify variances quickly, track activity cleanly, and minimize cash loss across dealerships.

4. Zero Downtime During a Nationwide Dealership Hack

One of the strongest proof points came during a major industry cyberattack that shut down 15,000 dealerships for 3.5 weeks.

AutoNation’s accounting system was offline—but Trintech wasn’t.

Trintech enabled us to:

• Generate new reports on the fly
• Keep the cash department booking all activity
• Maintain full visibility during the outage

When the system came back online, we simply uploaded each day’s activity—no backlog, no scrambling.

Without Trintech, we would have been forced into fully manual processing for nearly a month.

Integrations & Future Vision: Trintech + Workday

Q: How does Workday fit into your future-state vision?

A: We implemented Workday for HR and payroll last year. Seeing Workday and Trintech together at the conference opened our eyes to what an integrated future could look like—especially as we evaluate new ERP platforms.

This creates opportunities for:

• A tighter, more scalable ecosystem as AutoNation continues to expand
• Even more robust reporting
• Better automation across payroll and accounting

Partnership & Support: “With Trintech, You Become Family.”

Q: How would you describe your relationship with Trintech?

A: Once you join Trintech, you’re part of a family—and you stay part of that family. The annual user conference, Trintech Connect, is invaluable. No matter how long you’ve been an admin or user, you always learn something new.

Trintech has long-term employees, deep expertise, and an approach that makes it easy to call, ask questions, and get support.

We also love learning how other large organizations use Trintech—it helps us grow and improve continually.

Continuous Improvement: Expanded Use, Broader Reporting & New AI Capabilities

Q: What’s next for AutoNation’s journey with Trintech?

A: Every conference inspires new ideas. We’re adding more Trintech users, expanding reporting for HR and Payroll, and pulling additional datasets into the platform.

We also leverage AI heavily across AutoNation—document retrieval, dealership uploads, and eliminating manual steps—so Trintech’s upcoming AI enhancements will take us even further.

Our internal metrics are rising fast as automation expands, and Trintech’s AI roadmap aligns perfectly with where we’re heading.

Advice for Other Organizations: “You Don’t Just Want Trintech—You Need It.”

Q: What would you tell companies still relying on outdated tools or manual reconciliation?

A: I tell everyone: you don’t just want Trintech—you need Trintech.

If you want a platform that:

• Loads data easily
• Reduces loss
• Tracks everything cleanly
• Supports continued growth
• Keeps your business running—even during crisis

Then the answer is obvious.

Trintech Connect Conference: A Community That Shares, Teaches & Supports

Q: What’s your favorite part of the annual Trintech Connect Conference?

A: The community. The ability to network, learn, and ask questions year-round through the conference app. The insights from other customers. The direct access to vendors and Trintech experts.

Even longtime users discover capabilities they didn’t know existed. The conference is where you realize just how much is possible.