An incredible 99% of companies using AI in accounts receivable (AR) have accelerated their payments with 75% of them converting invoices into cash at least 6 days faster. These are some of the latest findings from a new research study performed by Wakefield Research.
But improvements in Days Sales Outstanding (DSO) are just part of a much bigger AI story. With 95% of finance professionals feeling intense pressure to protect their corporate flow amid an uncertain economic climate, generative AI and agentic AI are being used as levers to improve the financial position of many companies. However, with all of the upside comes the responsibility of managing AI properly. The Wakefield study sheds light into how CFOs are keeping a tight grip on advanced technologies.
Our recent webinar, “AI in AR: Research Reveals Real-World Impact,” features Paul Bragan, Senior Partner at Wakefield Research, and me, Ahsan Shah, SVP of AI & Analytics at Billtrust, as we explore new insight from this survey of 500 AR leaders at companies across virtually every industry. The verdict? AI is already rewriting the playbook for finance:
- Financial forecasting and AR customer experience initiatives are being fueled by AI tools
- AI is the preferred technology for enabling scalability and cash flow management
- As finance leaders implement AI, they’re using a cautious approach to balance innovation with control – more on this below
Watch the Webinar
90% Say AR Operations Can’t Scale Without AI
The most sobering finding? 90% of organizations believe their AR teams will fail to expand in capacity without AI. With 80% of companies being asked to do more despite having outdated AR tools, something has to give. The good news: early adopters are already seeing results that go beyond simple automation.
Research Shows the Top Use Cases for AI in AR
When 99% of companies report DSO improvements, with three-quarters cutting it by 6 days or more, we’re talking about real money flowing into the business faster. Four key capabilities stand out from the research as the top use cases for AI in AR operations:
- Cash application automation (47% adoption)
- Anomaly detection and alerts (47%)
- Real-time credit monitoring (46%)
- Predictive payment forecasting (46%)
“AI is being leveraged as a financial watchdog, an active agent, and in some situations, almost a crystal ball for accounts receivable leaders.”
Paul Bragan, Senior Partner at Wakefield Research
Strategic Accounts Receivable: AI Improves Customer Experience and Cash Flow Forecasting
Here’s what caught some off guard: 47% of companies reported stronger customer relationships after implementing AI. Another 43% saw improved cash flow forecasting and financial predictability.
According to our webinar attendees, this isn’t what people expect when they think about AI in AR. To contextualize the results, I explained how AI helps AR professionals elevate their roles and responsibilities to the strategic level.
“When AI handles invoice matching, payment monitoring, and routine follow-ups, AR professionals gain capacity for strategic work—compliance and risk management, financial forecasting, and yes, building deeper relationships with their buyers.”
Ahsan Shah, SVP of AI & Analytics at Billtrust
The research study from Wakefield further illustrates this point. As AI releases people from administrative work, CFOs are focusing their AR teams on more impactful and meaningful tasks:
- Compliance and risk management (62%)
- Financial analysis and forecasting (57%)
- Strategic financial planning (55%)
- Improved customer relationships (50%)
And strategic transformation is already happening. As I mentioned in the webinar, “traditionally, AR has been more of a back-office function. But now and in the future, AR is a front-office growth driver.”
How AR Roles will Grow More Strategic
| TODAY | TOMORROW | FUTURE |
|---|---|---|
| AR Manager | AR Strategy Director | Risk & Opportunity Director |
| Handles invoices and payments | Identifies unseen financial risks and ways to address them | Predicts AR risk and develops preventative programs |
| Researches disputes | Trains AI to advance automation, generate more insight | Develops data-driven AR optimization models |
| Sends payment reminders | Champions the progression toward autonomous workflows | Drives revenue and profitability proactively |
CFOs Take a Cautious Approach to AI: Trust Matters Most
Despite the compelling business benefits of AI, the research reveals that the vast majority take a cautious approach to adoption.
94%
believe AI can help AR teams
66%
say AI use should be limited
Finance Leaders are Split on their Approaches to AI Management and Control
- 29% push for AI as a strategic engine with transparency
- 40% favor AI as an assistant under human control
- 26% limit AI to narrow tasks with strict oversight
- 4% prefer AR to remain fully human-driven
The magic lies in balancing innovation with control, especially since nearly half of executives fall into the skeptic camp – the 26% limiting AI to narrow tasks with strict oversight. While these approaches could easily be labeled as resistance to AI, it’s characterized more as wisdom. CFOs don’t want to dive into AI autonomy but instead start in the shallow waters before going deeper.
This was a significant part of the webinar, as we discussed what fosters trust with AI models and systems. It boils down to this…
A Formula for Building AI Trust
- Transparency: Clear audit trails showing how AI reached its decisions
- Security: Enterprise-grade data protection and governance
- Continuous learning: Feedback loops that improve AI performance over time
- Gradual autonomy: A path from AI-assisted insights to AI-driven actions for optimization and improvement
As I told the attendees, “Trust is earned, not given. Finance leaders don’t have a margin for error on payments or collections calls.”
Reviews, Feedback Loops, and Approvals Foster AI Trust
Review and approvals play a critical role in trust development, as the study found: 64% of professionals are comfortable with AI drafting emails and invoices; however, they still want human review. In fact, the findings spotlight key moments when the role of the human remains essential: The human touch is extremely important for tasks that require empathy or where mistakes could create bigger problems. For finance departments, this means AR professionals should continue to be engaged in billing disputes and customer escalations as well as other areas where human judgment is essential.
AI in Accounts Receivable: Research is a Call to Action for Finance Leaders at Mid-Market and Enterprise Companies
The research makes one thing clear: Organizations that successfully implement AI will compete in an entirely different category. Agentic AI specifically can turn AR operations into strategic assets that drive business growth. AI isn’t replacing AR professionals; it’s expanding their abilities and elevating their work.
While employees can feel threatened by AI, it’s not AI they should be afraid of – but rather employees at other companies who are able to upskill and multiply the scope of their work with the help of AI automation. Don’t miss this guide to uplifting AR teams with AI.
The question then becomes: How can your team lead in AI readiness, training, and advanced automation rather than scramble to catch up? Download the complete Wakefield Research report below for detailed insights, benchmarks, and a roadmap for bringing AI to your AR team.
AR Meets AI
Data-Driven Insights from 500 Global Finance Leaders
