How ClickBus reduced email volume in finance with chatbots and freed the team to focus on strategic work

"If we hadn't automated, we would have senior people answering emails instead of thinking about the business." — Ana Paula Fernandes Garcia, Financial Manager

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TL;DR

• Company: ClickBus (bus ticket sales platform)
• Team: Finance team with 21 people (AR, accounting, tax, transfers and purchases)
• Challenge: High volume of manual requests (invoices, receipts, documents) via email
• Automation: Chatbots for partners and bus companies, with direct access to documents and requests
• Results:
  • Significant reduction in operational email demands
  • Improved SLA for service (especially bus companies)
  • Team freed for strategic activities
  • Positive feedback from partners, bus companies and commercial team
• Stack: Abstra, Google Drive, Slack, Oracle NetSuite

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Who is ClickBus

ClickBus is one of Brazil's leading bus ticket sales platforms, connecting bus companies, partners, and passengers in a digital ecosystem.

With a complex operation involving more than 300 bus companies and various B2B partners, the finance team needs to handle large volumes of transactions, documents, and requests daily.

The finance area has 21 people, distributed across accounts receivable, treasury, accounting, tax, transfers, and purchasing.

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The problem: finance becoming a support center

Most of the finance team's demands weren't about analysis, but about responding to operational requests.

Every day requests came in like:

• sending invoices
• tax receipts
• payment confirmations
• registration changes
• advance payment requests

All via email.

In the case of bus companies, the scenario was even more critical:

• over 300 active bus companies
• only 2 dedicated people
• SLA frequently above expected
• direct impact on partner relationships

"We weren't able to handle the volume. Depending on demand, it wasn't a priority and this impacted service."

For partners, the problem was similar:

• high volume of requests
• operational bottlenecks
• complete dependence on the team

With the company's growth, it became clear that this model wouldn't scale.

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The solution: giving autonomy to partners and bus companies

ClickBus decided to attack the problem at its root:

transform manual requests into self-service flows, with more agility and control.

Two main flows were created with Abstra:

• chatbot for bus companies
• chatbot for B2B partners

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How the flow works

📥 Input (external user)

Bus company or partner accesses a portal using their registered email

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🤖 Automation in Abstra

The system:

• validates access based on NetSuite registration
• directs the user to their specific directory
• allows selecting period and document type
• automatically searches files in:
  • Google Drive
  • ERP (Oracle NetSuite)

For other requests (e.g., advances):

• the request is automatically sent via Slack to the team
• with context and standardized structure

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📤 Output

• user accesses documents directly (without depending on the team)
• requests arrive organized and structured
• team acts only where really needed

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Results: less operations, more focus

⏱️ Reduction in manual work

Most requests stopped going through the finance team.

Before: emails and more emails

After: self-service + structured flow

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⚡ Improved SLA (especially bus companies)

• faster responses
• less backlog
• less team dependence

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🤝 Better partner experience

• direct access to documents
• less friction
• more autonomy

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🧠 Time freed for strategic work

The main gain wasn't just efficiency, but focus.

"We don't want senior staff answering emails. We want them thinking about the business."

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Why it worked

According to the ClickBus team, three factors were essential:

1. Focus on repetitive volume

The team attacked exactly what generated the most demand: operational requests.

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2. Autonomy for the end user

Instead of concentrating everything in the finance team, ClickBus allowed partners and bus companies to access documents and make requests directly and in a structured way.

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3. Integration with existing systems

Connecting NetSuite, Drive, and Slack ensured the flow worked without friction.

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A less operational, more strategic finance team

ClickBus's experience shows that often the finance bottleneck isn't complexity, but volume.

By automating document access and structuring requests, the team stopped being an operational support point and started acting with more focus on what really matters.

"We can't get used to manual routines. Whenever possible, we have to automate." — Ana Paula Fernandes Garcia