How PandaDoc and Recurly built a path to efficiency with MuleSoft integration
The go-to document automation platform
When it comes to managing documents, PandaDoc does it all. From helping businesses create sleek proposals to streamlining the entire contract workflow with eSignatures, PandaDoc makes the tedious seem effortless. Renowned as a top-tier document automation platform, their tools are built to save time and boost efficiency for companies of all sizes. But even industry leaders face growing pains, especially behind the scenes.
As their financial operations scaled alongside the business, the limitations of PandaDoc’s existing Jitterbit integration with NetSuite became impossible to ignore. That’s when a thoughtful migration to Recurly’s MuleSoft integration came into play. What followed was a partnership that not only streamlined their billing and reconciliation workflows, but also gave PandaDoc the freedom to focus on what they do best.
Bogged down by manual reconciliation
For a company like PandaDoc, the numbers have to add up. Efficiency isn’t just a buzzword for their financial operations team; it’s a necessity. Operating a growing SaaS business means the gears behind the scenes, from billing to reconciliation, must turn smoothly.
Back in 2016, PandaDoc placed its bet on Recurly to handle subscription billing.
“We've come a long way as far as what we are able to do with Recurly,” explained Bibek Bhattarai, PandaDoc’s Vice President, Controller. “We started off primarily with subscription billing, but over the years, we started using a lot more of the functionality that Recurly has to offer. Our company has grown tenfold since the time I've been here, and Recurly has been able to do almost everything we needed in that timeframe, which has been awesome.”
Our company has grown tenfold since the time I've been here, and Recurly has been able to do almost everything we needed in that timeframe, which has been awesome.
But as the company scaled, cracks began to form with the Jitterbit integration that linked Recurly to NetSuite. It was clear that for PandaDoc to continue growing at pace, those cracks needed to be sealed.
The static nature of the Jitterbit integration meant limited flexibility, forcing the team to repeatedly reach out for manual interventions. Payments were routed into a single account, leaving the accounting team to tackle labor-intensive reconciliations, consuming three whole days each month — a strain on resources no growing business can afford.
Finding flexibility with MuleSoft
When Recurly recommended migrating to its newly developed MuleSoft integration, the PandaDoc team saw a window of opportunity. More than a simple swap, the MuleSoft integration offered something Jitterbit couldn’t deliver: flexibility.
"The primary pain point with Jitterbit," explained Bhattarai, "was how we couldn't flexibly sync transactions into the appropriate accounts. Everything was syncing to a single account, which meant a lot of manual work."
MuleSoft introduced the ability to dynamically map payment methods, gateways, or currencies to specific accounts. For the PandaDoc team, this wasn’t just a new integration; it was a reimagination of their reconciliation process. With MuleSoft, they could automate payments with precision, ensuring each transaction landed exactly where it needed to — not in one bulky, catch-all account.
Patrick Murray, Senior Solution Manager 1 at Recurly, shared that PandaDoc helped shape the development of this integration for broader use. Recurly worked directly with PandaDoc to incorporate feedback, adjusting functionality to fit their needs.
"We knew the architecture of our MuleSoft integration was much more robust, modernized, and modular compared to Jitterbit, but PandaDoc’s real-world input helped make the product stronger not just for them, but for other merchants, too," Murray noted.
A smooth transition, a faster workflow
Switching billing integrations might not inspire the same adrenaline rush as, say, launching a new product, but for PandaDoc, the stakes were just as high. After all, Bhattarai put it plainly: "Changing billing is scary." Migrating years’ worth of data and workflows into a completely new workflow took collaboration between PandaDoc and Recurly at every level — and Recurly came prepared. The team prioritized extensive testing, iterating on issues, and emphasizing constant feedback loops between the two groups.
"They hand-held us throughout the process and identified issues and dealt with them as they came up," Bhattarai recalled.
It wasn’t without some bumps, though, especially since PandaDoc was among the first Recurly merchants to adopt MuleSoft — but the finish line made the effort worth it. Where Jitterbit processed data with a lag of two hours, MuleSoft delivered updates like clockwork, every twenty minutes.
"On the NetSuite side, updates are much simpler now. Bringing in new fields or additional data from Recurly has become far easier with this new process,” said Bhattarai. “The integration feels much more nimble and capable compared to the old one, which has been an increased benefit for us.”
Less frustration, more time saved
Efficiency begins where frustration ends. For PandaDoc, MuleSoft didn’t just improve their processes; it transformed them. Reconciliation, once a tedious three-day grind, now wraps up in less than a single day.
We’re saving several hours of manual effort every month.
But the benefits go beyond hours reclaimed. The sheer reduction in errors has slashed support tickets by 50%, cutting down backfills for missed transactions and manual fixes that previously plagued their close process.
This shift has opened up space for PandaDoc’s financial team to focus on high-impact work rather than endless troubleshooting. Instead of spending hours untangling exceptions, they’re looking at insights and investing in their product.
A partnership rooted in trust
For any technology partnership, the queue of support tickets is a litmus test for what’s working — and what’s not. With Jitterbit, PandaDoc’s tickets ranged from data misfires to integration failures.
"With the new process, we’re monitoring daily, not just waiting for issues to pile up,” said Bhattarai. “We're ensuring everything maps between Recurly and NetSuite perfectly, and, thankfully, the number of support tickets has gone down significantly, because there aren’t as many issues."
What made the migration worthwhile wasn’t just better technology. It was the partnership. PandaDoc worked with Recurly not as a bystander but as an active participant.
We’ve seen firsthand how Recurly takes our feedback seriously and delivers on the roadmap. What stands out to me — and why we've still been around — is because of the receptiveness of feedback and willingness to listen to the customer.
What’s next? More growth
The integration may be complete, but the momentum it sparked continues. As a SaaS company expanding into volume-based contracts and innovative billing streams, PandaDoc needed tools that could grow alongside them. With MuleSoft in place, the PandaDoc team is leveraging Recurly’s dynamic capabilities to track usage, easily sync transactions, and prepare for a future full of scale.
And though the road to automation can be complex, Bibek would offer reassurance to anyone holding back: "You won’t make progress without change.”
For PandaDoc, the decision to adopt MuleSoft was about more than just solving today’s problems — it was also about preparing for future possibilities. With freed-up resources, fewer headaches, and a strong partnership with Recurly, they’ve transformed reconciliation from a roadblock into a runway for growth.
