How ZohoBooks Adapts to Commission-Based Business Models: The Phillips & Walls Case Study

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1. A Business Model Built on Commissions

Unlike companies that sell products or services at fixed prices, Phillips & Walls earns its revenue through commissions paid by banks, calculated as a percentage of the total loan amount.

This model comes with several constraints:

• Variable commission rates depending on the lender.
• Commission slabs based on loan size.
• Strict invoice formatting requirements imposed by banks.
• Zero tolerance for errors, as any discrepancy can cause significant payment delays.

Traditional invoice templates were not designed to accommodate this level of complexity, resulting in time-consuming manual adjustments and increased risk of errors.

2. The Challenge: Aligning Invoicing with Operational Reality

Before ZohoBooks, the team had to:

• manually calculate commissions,
• customize invoices for each bank,
• carefully double-check every amount to avoid mistakes.

As transaction volumes grew and commission structures became more complex, this approach proved to be neither scalable nor reliable.

3. The ZohoBooks Solution: Smart Customization

CTC Tax & Accounting’s ZohoBooks specialists worked closely with Phillips & Walls to configure the invoicing module to match the exact requirements of a mortgage brokerage business.

Key customizations included:

• using the loan amount as the quantity field,
• applying the commission as a rate,
• renaming Item Details to Client Name,
• using the discount field to reflect specific fees,
• creating a clear, compliant, and fully automated invoice template.

The result was an invoicing system that speaks the banks’ language without manual intervention.

4. A Structured and Controlled Implementation

The solution was rolled out in several stages:

1. Team training on the new system,
2. Pilot testing using real transactions,
3. Company-wide deployment in the UAE,
4. Post-implementation monitoring and optimization.

This phased approach ensured smooth adoption with no disruption to daily operations.

5. Tangible and Measurable Results

The benefits were immediate:

• Significant time savings through automation,
• Reduced risk of calculation errors,
• Scalability without additional staffing,
• Faster invoicing and quicker payments,
• Improved financial visibility through real-time reporting,
• Enhanced compliance and financial control.

As the Phillips & Walls team confirms:

“We now have complete confidence that our invoice templates are set up to make the billing process simple and accurate. The calculations are reliable, and we are very happy with this setup.”

Conclusion: ZohoBooks as a True Business Enabler

This case study highlights a key reality: the best accounting tools adapt to your business model, not the other way around. Thanks to the flexibility of ZohoBooks and the strategic expertise of CTC Tax & Accounting, even complex commission-based revenue structures can be automated, secured, and optimized with confidence.