How Smartness took control of subscriptions and Saved €50K in 1 year

Did you know fast-growing companies often waste thousands on unused or overpriced software? Without a clear system in place, subscriptions multiply, payments become a nightmare, and costs spiral out of control.

That’s exactly what Smartness was facing. Managing payments, renewals, and vendor contracts had become an operational headache—until they found WithLess.

By centralizing vendor management, automating payments, and eliminating inefficiencies, Smartness regained control.

The result? More than 50K euros saved on subscription costs, full visibility into their stack, and over 200 hours saved on admin work.

The challenge

Smartness, a fast-growing Italian startup in the hospitality tech industry, faced an operational challenge: managing an ever-growing list of software subscriptions and payments.

Scaling fast meant rapidly adding new tools, but also losing track of them. It didn’t take long for three major pain points to emerge:

1. Zero visibility: No centralized system to track all subscriptions, contracts, and vendors.
2. Manual processes: Payment approvals, invoice reconciliation, and renewals were time-consuming and inefficient.
3. Cost explosion: Every renewal cycle led to higher costs, with previous discounts disappearing.

“We needed clarity on what we had, who was using what, and a better way to manage payments and vendor contracts.”

Fabio Ferioli, CFO, Smartness.‍

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Their gut told them they were wasting time and money, but they had no data to prove it. That’s when they turned to WithLess.

The solution

WithLess helped Smartness regain control in two steps:

1. Centralize & automate: Gain full visibility over software, centralize vendor and contract management, track spending, automate payments, and eliminate wasted costs.
2. Optimize & negotiate: Ensure software costs stay low by leveraging WithLess’s on-demand negotiation services.

Step 1: Centralizing software & automating payments

WithLess became Smartnesss single source of truth for subscription management. They:

• Centralized all contracts, vendors, and subscriptions in one dashboard.
• Automated invoice matching and reconciliation, eliminating manual admin work.
• Gained real-time insights into software usage to cut redundant tools and avoid unnecessary renewals.

Step 2: Optimizing costs with on-demand negotiation

Once Smartness had full visibility, it was time to lock in savings. WithLess’s on-demand negotiation service stepped in for every major renewal.

Here’s how it works:

• Smartness shares renewal needs in a 30-minute call. WithLess handles everything else.
• WithLess expert buyers leverage software usage reports to negotiate better deals.
• Smartness only hears back when the best offer is secured.

“We chose WithLess to manage payments, automate admin work, and ensure we never overpay for software. WithLess steps in every time a contract is up for renewal.” — Fabio Ferioli, CFO, Smartness

The result

In the first year of working with WithLess, Smartness:

• Saved +50K euros on software costs—without changing tools.
• Managed 150+ subscriptions effortlessly—with full visibility.
• Freed up 200+ hours of admin time—thanks to automation.

“At a fast-growing startup, it's easy to lose control of expenses. WithLess helped us stay on top of payments while keeping software costs in check,” adds Luca Rodella, CEO of Smartness

And the impact didn’t stop at just reducing costs. WithLess turned every renewal into a savings opportunity rather than a headache, even for essential providers.

Thinking back about the HubSpot negotiation result, Fabio recalls, “I never thought we could get that kind of discount from a provider like HubSpot.” Now, Smartness runs operations smoothly, knowing software costs are optimized, payments are automated, and contract renewals are hassle-free.

As Fabio sums it up: “We now have complete control over software costs, payments are automated, and contract renewals are no longer a hassle. We focus on growing the business while WithLess ensures we’re never overpaying.”

‍WithLess helps companies take control of non-payroll spending with a centralized management platform, automated payments, and on-demand negotiation services. Our expert buyers secure better pricing on renewals, and we only charge a 30% success fee—meaning you only pay if you save.

Want to stop overpaying for software? Let’s talk.