Automation is not just a replacement, but a massive opportunity for process improvement
Getting improved results within a short amount of time, with less money and resources been spent, is a compelling business proposition that creates buy-in. However, there is still resistance from organisations about what automation can do despite evidence-based outcomes and customer success stories.
The implementation of AI in business is often met with friction, which stems from our lack of desire to innovate, our fear of change, and our concerns about job security. The unease surrounding automation extends from the artificial intelligence we have in our phones, to the use of robots that have replaced humans in various roles.
At Dataline we understand these fears, because we have first-hand experience with AI with a particular focus on machine learning and data matching, as it developed from its simplest implementation to its own conditions-based autonomy. What we have discovered is that automation works, but our human intervention in its use is even more effective.
We fear what we don’t understand
Accounts Payable (AP) and Accounts Receivable (AR) are the backbone of most companies operating in the delivery of a product or solution. Success in managing your AP and AR is a result of careful calibration between people and process. Visualising what the end should look like for any business is a good starting point, but the struggle begins when the vision for the process is impaired by data entry methods that are outdated by the current AI-powered processing standards.
It is important to begin by understanding your key performance indicators (KPIs) when thinking about success in your AP and AR processes. Evaluate the baseline metrics of your accounts payable and accounts receivable systems: Ask how much it costs to process each invoice, the volume received monthly or yearly, the number of invoices processed versus the number of invoices delayed due to error or manual process restrictions, the uncaptured discounts, and the turnaround time for each. Once these are answered positively or negatively, the team can decide whether to continue with existing systems and have the same results or adapt to the attractive value proposition that only Accounts Payable or Accounts Receivable Automation can bring.
The fear of changing systems, even manual ones, is understandable because we are used to them, and switching things around consumes time, money, and effort. However, the investment return in using Accounts Payable Automation is almost instantaneous because the implementation is akin to plug and play. It even adjusts to your preferred tolerances and exceptions, making onboarding easy and very user-friendly.
We say it’s a delay, but we are in denial
Automation is embraced, albeit quietly by competing businesses that want to get ahead. Small and medium and large-sized enterprises wanting to improve the efficiency of their accounts payable process will fall short without technology. There is an unmatched speed in processing that only automation and AI can accomplish, if you don’t let your concerns for change get in the way.
What we fail to realise is that automation technology is machinery that learns how to be efficient at its very core, and this is evident in its execution. It can shrink the processing window from weeks to hours, giving you cost savings that are not possible when the task is performed manually. It can simplify error-prone systems into a streamlined error-free process, allowing you to do more with less.
Ask your team: Why aren’t we automating invoicing? Won’t our approvers appreciate a self-service portal they can access on-the-go? How much are we spending on costly errors? What is keeping us from moving to automation?
If the answers to these questions communicate a delay, then you may be in denial.
Change is inevitable, and so are your Accounts Payables
Change is a challenge. Adoption more so. It will require open communication between leadership and operations to support any change in the process. A great motivator is the exceptional ROI you can gain along with the value you add to your employees’ role and the business.
Discuss the advantages of committing to Accounts Payable Automation, like how its implementation can support your business automation goals, and how it can make your department reduce inefficiencies and turn AP into a profit center. There is a hidden monetary value in having more time spent in knowing and working with your suppliers, and that kind of relationship can only be established when less days are spent doing all manual tasks and more hours are focused on managing just the exceptions.
Automation is not about replacing us, but augmenting what we can do
We become most resistant to change when our ‘what’s in it for me’ argument is threatened. Creating buy-in is where leadership and management can start when trying to onboard a team into adapting to a new way of doing things. Any management decision that decreases a team’s participation at work is expected to create an atmosphere of anxiety. We can alleviate that anxiousness by demonstrating automation as an inclusive transformation goal that will benefit the employee and the business.
The path to that transformation goal starts with having a discussion with your team about their expectations and apprehensions with automation technology. Ask your team the following:
- What do you dislike about our existing systems?
- What makes our current processes comfortable?
- What troubles you when we talk about automation?
- What might happen when we give change a chance?
It is important to reintroduce participation after you create buy-in. Put people in charge of the different cogs that operate your new automation technology. You might think to consider assigning roles like an AP Automation Manager to oversee the health of your Accounts Payable Automation initiative. You might need to consider a Subject Matter Expert to reduce bottlenecks in the implementation of your AP Automation. Most importantly, you will want to leverage your team’s individual strengths, whether it be exception management, monitoring, or reporting to secure the continued success of your Automated Accounts Payable operation.
At Dataline, we’re proud of the flexibility our solutions offer. We are always enhancing and improving to ensure our customers continued success.
We’re committed to staying at the forefront of technology as we continue to provide the best possible solutions for your AP, AR, data, and business process automation needs.
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