The traditional accounts receivable process is full of manual processes that are prone to error. What’s worse, inefficiencies in these processes can lead to unpaid invoices, late payments and the inability to collect the receivables that your business rightfully earned. As a result, many businesses turn to accounts receivable automation solutions.
If you’ve decided your business is ready to move to automating its A/R, you’ll want to find the best A/R automation software, also called invoice to cash software, that suits your needs.
Benefits of Accounts Receivable Automation Software
Whether your goal is to automate the collections process with accounts receivable automation software, scale it as your company grows or to get more control and visibility, you’ll want to look for a solution that offers the most benefits for your business.
These benefits include:
- Streamlining and automating the A/R process. Simplify procedures and improve A/R processes such as invoice distribution, tracking payments, credit management, bank reconciliation and dispute management. Automating these processes eliminate manual errors that lead to delays in collections, improving overall efficiency.
- Gaining better visibility into A/R operations. By centralizing data in one place, you’ll allow for A/R and finance teams, company leaders as well as marketing, sales and procurement to see metrics such as days sales outstanding (DSO), unique KPIs and customer risk assessments. This in turn fosters greater collaboration among teams and the ability to make more informed decisions.
- Having a proactive collections strategy. Most A/R collections teams are reactive, escalating collections calls only after customers have unpaid or overdue invoices. By automating the dunning process, businesses can proactively remind customers about payments, sending email reminders personalized to include information related to each customer’s industry, payment due date, and potential for payment risk. A/R automation systems can also alert the relevant managers and stakeholders when a customer needs to be followed up with, rather than rely on human judgment or wait for the delinquency to be “discovered”.
- Improving customer relationships. When you clearly communicate with customers with regular email reminders, you’ll end up making the A/R collections process more efficient and reducing any inefficiencies and friction often related to collecting receivables. This will speed up the payment process and reduce the need to chase customers for payment. Customers will appreciate your smooth and organized processes.
- Tracking and monitoring A/R data. Gain insights into where your A/R process has inefficiencies and where it might be improved. Advanced A/R automation software, such as Gaviti, enables you to measure A/R team performance as well as the performance of individual team members.
Key Features of AR Automation Software
When you’re running an accounts receivables automation software comparison, you’ll want to look at the features of each to determine whether or not it can help provide you the benefits above.
These key features include:
- Automated emails. Send dunning emails to customers automatically according to their different payment timelines, segmenting and customizing them according to different industry, size, location and payment history. This proactive approach also includes automated escalations.
- Cash application. Automate the matching of invoices to payments, eliminating human error involved with manual matching and accelerating the bank reconciliation process. When customers make payments using an automated A/R solutions customer payment portal, it also matches customer payment with the corresponding invoice with increased accuracy.
- Credit monitoring and management. Streamline the credit application process by allowing credit application submissions online to both existing and potential customers. Define and monitor credit limits according to comprehensive risk assessments that can be customized according to specific risk criteria beforehand such as payment behavior thresholds and credit score ranges and ensure that it is targeted towards the specific credit management strategy for each customer.
- Self service payer portal. Simplify customer payment by offering multiple types of payment, including credit cards, debit cards, ACH transfers, electronic wallets, and more. Allow customers to view past invoices and payment history and make credit requests.
- Disputes and deductions. Make sure that the right person is alerted of disputes right away and can easily find all of the information they need to resolve any dispute. Track, code, route and resolve customer disputes and deductions quickly by identifying recurrent issues and taking a proactive approach to future issues.
- Reports and analytics. Get a comprehensive view of A/R and data so that you can make data-driven decisions across every department. Analyze A/R performance over time and identify bottlenecks and determine methods for improvement. Integrated invoice-to-cash A/R management platforms also use data from one component of the A/R process for better insights and data in others. For example, data from your cash application component can be used for more accurate credit management.
What Makes A/R Software Good
It is very tempting when comparing accounts receivable management software vendors or A/R automation platforms, to look at a few key criteria such as price or a specific feature and make a decision. Sometimes people look at very superficial information when deciding if a company or product is “good”. For this list, we went deeper and asked questions such as: How scalable is the product? How modern is the technology? How many different use cases does it support? How personalizable is it? How long does it take to set up? It’s important to remember that automated accounts receivable software means different things to different vendors and companies. You also have to make sure that the offering is aligned with your priorities. For some companies, an onboarding time of 1 year is perfectly acceptable whereas other companies want something ready-to-go in 2 weeks. This list includes many different kinds of vendors because A/R automation software is not and can’t be one-size-fits all. If you are in the market for an accounts receivable solution or software of any kind, make sure that the company has what you want and can do what you want well.
The 7 Best Accounts Receivable (AR) Automation Software Vendors
Different accounts receivable automation solutions offer different benefits, focus on different things and are suited for different types of businesses. For example, the best A/R automation solution for an enterprise with complex needs might be different from one for an SMB that needs an all-in-one accounting solution.
Here is a comprehensive list of different solutions:
Gaviti
Gaviti’s platform enables businesses to automate any most manual AR workflows, personalize dunning workflows and emails, and leverage unlimited segmentation for targeted communication. Gaviti also includes advanced tools like dispute management, AI-driven credit management, and AI-driven cash application which not only help to optimize processes but also reduce common human errors. Gaviti also offers completely customizable reports and dashboards so all members of your team have easy access to the data that they need.
Gaviti’s unique benefit lies in its flexibility—functioning like building blocks, the platform allows businesses to design the exact system they need. However, the system is completely no-code, so A/R and finance leaders can design the system they need without the involvement of IT. The system can also be completely personalized so that customers feel like they are interacting only with your brand. Its seamless integration with any ERP or business system makes it the ideal solution for companies that use legacy systems. The building-block-like structure makes it ideal for medium – large businesses.
HighRadius
HighRadius is an excellent accounts receivable automation solution for large enterprises due to its robust, highly customizable platform tailored to meet the specific needs of each customer. Its enterprise-grade features encompass end-to-end automation of AR processes, including credit management, collections, deductions, and cash application. HighRadius leverages AI and machine learning to optimize workflows, improve forecasting accuracy, and enhance decision-making.
What sets HighRadius apart is its commitment to providing bespoke solutions that align with each enterprise’s unique business requirements and operational challenges. This tailored approach ensures seamless integration with existing ERP and financial systems while delivering a scalable solution designed to handle the complexities of large organizations.
Invoiced
Invoiced is a solution for both accounts receivable and accounts payable. It automates key processes like billing, collections, and payment reminders for AR while simplifying invoice approvals and vendor payments for AP. By combining AR and AP management, Invoiced eliminates the need for multiple tools, reduces manual work, and improves cash flow visibility. Having everything in one platform is ideal for small businesses.
Zoho Books
An automated accounting solution for small businesses, Zoho Books offers invoicing, online customer payment and automated payment reminders, inventory management, expenses tracking and financial reporting and can be used as an ERP and CRM for businesses.
Bill.com
With automated financial operations, including both A/P and A/R , spend and expense management, Bill.com is the closest to an all-in-one accounting software you can get for SMBs, helping to simplify complex accounting processes.
Tesorio
A Netsuite preferred partner, Tesorio solves the cash flow disconnect by integrating every aspect of your business that impacts cash flow: cash flow management, A/R automation, a payment portal, cash application and integration with ERP, CRM and payment processing data.
Sage50 Cloud
Sage50 Cloud is an accounting solution with full accounts payable and receivables functions for smaller businesses and operations that includes invoicing, inventory management and payroll functions. It is meant for smaller businesses that want everything under one roof. With recent acquisitions such as Corecon, a cloud-based construction management software, and BrightPearl, a retail operating system (ROS) for retailers and wholesalers, it is also able to deliver tailored financial solutions for different sectors.
How Gaviti Delivers Automated A/R Management
Gaviti’s invoice-to-cash automated A/R management solution has proven experience in increasing cash flow up to 50% and reducing DSO by 30%. It streamlines the entire A/R process, from invoice distribution to cash application and credit management and monitoring.
Its A/R management component delivers businesses:
- Streamlined customer interactions. Capture and record customer interactions, including calls, emails and notes. Have the information readily available so that your collections teams can have meaningful interactions with customers, resolve disputes and build stronger customer relationships.
- Intelligent prioritization. Make sure your A/R team prioritizes the highest impact activities. Gaviti assigns tasks to workers in their task queue based on urgency and highest impact to cash flow so that you can optimize collections and other A/R activities. This can be especially helpful in maximizing cash inflows and minimizing bad debt.
- Customized collections strategies. Customize collections strategies to align with your business needs. For example, you can activate more proactive strategies with higher-risk customers by regularly monitoring payment behavior, escalating dunning emails, and activating real-time credit alerts for when a customer exceeds their credit limits.
- Automate actions and escalations. Streamline and increase efficiency in the A/R process by automating invoice reminders, tasks, internal and external escalation for overdue invoices and other collections actions.
- Real-time reporting. Track key metrics such as DSO, collections efficiency and aging analysis continuously to identify customer trends, maximize current successful A/R strategies and pinpoint areas for improvement.
Want to know more about how Gaviti can streamline and automate your A/R process? Schedule a Demo