This article is brought to you by Square 9.

In the back offices of convenience stores, crucial information-based processes keep operations running smoothly and profitably.

Whether it’s lottery shift ticket reports, accounts receivable, contract management or human resources onboarding, managing back-office processes can take hours of valuable time that could be better spent, Stephen Young, president and CEO at Square 9 said.

“That’s why an increasing number of c-store operators are turning to AI-powered information management. By automatically capturing, classifying and validating data, this technology eliminates the need for manual data entry. Once a document is understood, the system can route and archive it through the appropriate processes and locations,” he said.

For example, Young noted that lottery ticket shift reports, often prone to human error and late submissions, can now be digitized through Square 9’s generative AI document capture, which extracts key details such as ticket numbers, sales totals and reimbursements. The system then validates the data against preset rules, flags inconsistencies and routes the report for approval. “This ensures that every submission is accurate, complete and on time,” he said.

That’s just one example of how AI can be applied. Similar automation can be deployed for countless processes, including payables, receivables, human resource functions and more. By extracting information, applying context and controlling the flow of documents to improve accessibility, intelligent information management helps c-stores work more efficiently, maintain margins and enhance service, Young explained.

“The benefits go beyond efficiency, though. By connecting with systems like PDI and hosting within the cloud, your c-store will stay connected across stores and departments for effortless process visibility and reporting—meaning store managers gain confidence in their reporting and insights, enabling faster decision-making,” Young said.

“Stores reduce costly errors, shorten turnaround times and minimize the back-and-forth between locations,” Young explained. “And with automation handling repetitive administrative work, staff can shift their focus to what matters most: delivering value to customers and partners.”

Learn more about how to use AI to automate invoices in part one of this two-part series brought to you by Square 9.