Question 1

What are the main bottlenecks in a typical order-to-cash process and how do I fix them?

Accepted Answer

The main bottleneck is manual data entry, which slows down everything from invoicing to cash collection. You can fix this by implementing accounts receivable (AR) automation tools that use intelligent workflows, AI, and ERP integration to replace tedious, manual tasks and streamline the entire O2C process.

Question 2

My team spends way too much time manually matching payments to invoices. How can I automate this?

Accepted Answer

You can automate this with cash application automation tools. These systems use AI, machine learning (ML), and optical character recognition (OCR) to automatically read remittance data and match payments to the correct invoices in seconds, even if the information is complex or incomplete.

Question 3

How can I free up my AR team to focus on high-value analysis instead of manual tasks?

Accepted Answer

By implementing a unified AR automation platform, you replace repetitive, manual work with connected intelligence. This simplifies tasks like invoicing, automated data capture, and collections prioritization, allowing your team to spend less time pushing paper and more time on high-value activities like strategizing, supporting customers, and driving financial performance.

Question 4

What KPIs improve the most after reducing manual data entry?

Accepted Answer

Reducing manual data entry by implementing AR automation directly accelerates financial operations and improves several key performance indicators (KPIs). According to research cited by Vanson Bourne, organizations that automate see broad improvements:

Days Sales Outstanding (DSO) & Days to Pay (DTP): Nearly half of all organizations report significant reductions in both DSO and DTP, meaning they get paid faster.
Cash Flow: 92% of businesses experience faster cash flow.
Team Efficiency: 95% of organizations report higher efficiency, with some companies, like Cintas, seeing productivity gains equivalent to 14 full-time employees.
Invoicing Speed: Roughly 40% of companies see an improvement in invoicing speed.
Operating Costs: Automation leads to reduced payment processing fees.
Financial Risk & Compliance: 92% agree that automation helps mitigate financial risk and enhance customer satisfaction, while 40% note improved compliance and governance.

To maximize these KPI improvements, it&#8217;s crucial to select a platform that can scale with your organization. The right solution should be able to handle your transaction volume and growth trajectory, whether you are a mid-market business or a large enterprise.

Question 5

How do AR automation tools reduce human error in payment processing?

Accepted Answer

AR automation tools reduce human error by replacing error-prone, repetitive manual tasks with intelligent, connected workflows. Manual work, such as re-keying data, toggling between systems, and manually matching payments, is the root cause of most payment processing errors.
Automation platforms eliminate these errors in several key ways:

Direct ERP Integration: By connecting seamlessly with your ERP (or multiple ERPs), the automation tool eliminates duplicate data entry. Information flows directly from your ERP to the AR platform and back, creating a single source of truth and removing the need for manual reconciliation.
AI-Powered Data Capture: Instead of a human manually reading and keying in remittance information, technologies like AI, machine learning (ML), and optical character recognition (OCR) read, extract, and classify the data automatically. This provides structured, accurate information ready for posting.
Intelligent Cash Application: The system uses ML to analyze payments and assign a confidence score to its attempt to match the payment to the correct invoice. High-confidence payments are applied automatically with near-perfect accuracy, while humans only need to review the low-confidence exceptions. The system also learns from every transaction, improving its accuracy over time.
Anomaly Detection: AI can monitor payment behaviors and automatically detect anomalies, such as missed remittances or unexpected deductions, flagging them for review before they create larger reconciliation issues.

Solution: AI & Analytics

Fixing Bottlenecks in Order-to-Cash Processes: Which AR Automation Tools Are Best for Reducing Manual Data Entry?

Which AR Solutions Provide the Best Real-Time Visibility into Cash Flow?

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