Artificial Intelligence (AI) is everywhere, automatically adjusting your thermostat, alerting you about suspicious bank activity, and suggesting your next binge-worthy show. It’s like a supercharged sidekick quietly working behind the scenes to anticipate your needs, simplifying and optimizing your day-to-day. The use of AI in accounts receivable (AR) does the same thing, particularly from a B2B perspective. It helps AR teams work smarter, get paid faster, and delight their corporate buyers.
- AI analytics turn raw data into intelligence, enabling visibility and tighter control
- Generative AI makes it easy to query across your AR ecosystem to discover trends and key findings using nothing more than a simple question written in a conversational tone
- Agentic AI elevates the work of AR professionals by giving them autonomous virtual agents to assist with their daily tasks – Forbes calls Agentic AI agents “not just another industry buzzword but a paradigm shift”
By using AI in accounts receivable workflows, finance teams at a typical mid-sized business can save $440,000 and 4,500 hours per year – and that’s just from automating invoice processes. Imagine what could be done with AI transforming complex financial data into strategic decisions, providing and acting on proactive recommendations, and instantly answering even the most complicated financial questions.
One newly released study found that 78% of CFOs plan to increase their AI investments in AR processes. An AI assistant ensures those dollars are strategically put to work.
AI assistance isn’t just a high-tech add-on
By streamlining processes, reducing delays, and enhancing cash flow, AI in accounts receivable is reshaping financial operations in ways that drive lasting business impact.
No more manual, time-consuming tasks. Invoices are automatically matched to purchase orders, payments are instantly reconciled, and personalized follow-ups are drafted and sent to customers with overdue balances – all without lifting a finger. Intelligent Agentic AI agents can put cash flow on autopilot, giving your business the financial stability to fuel innovation and growth. Whether you’re managing 100 clients or 10,000, the solution scales effortlessly to match the workload.
It takes the average person one hour to complete the cash application process for 40 payments – that equates to 1,600 in a 40-hour work week. You could save the equivalent of a full-time headcount by leveraging AI automation.
From reactive to proactive. With AI in accounts receivable, teams go from being reactive responders to proactive advisors. Key customers delaying payments over the last few months? Agentic AI will automatically flag the pattern, alert the team, suggest a tailored outreach strategy, draft the email and send it – once approved. Ultimately, it’s capable of preventing a major cash flow disruption.
With these types of transitions, Finance shifts away from being simply a cost center to a team empowered to recognize new opportunities for driving innovation and growth through financial liquidity. Of utmost importance is the ability to act in that moment without the burden of manual work. When those two benefits come together, AI investment becomes not just a tool to improve efficiency or cost – but also a view into strategic financial breakthroughs.
Take a financial gut check. Just like you ask Siri or Alexa for quick answers, your AR team can ask an AI assistant equipped with Generative AI anything about your company’s financial health and get instant, data-driven insights. The more complex, the better: How is ACH volume trending vs. credit card transactions? Which accounts have significantly reduced payment volume? Which accounts receive their invoices via multiple delivery methods and what were those methods? Decode your financials and make smarter moves fast.
AI in accounts receivable unleashes the full potential of your AR operation, creating a domino effect of improvement across the organization. No more digging through spreadsheets, waiting on reports, or relying on a team of specialized experts. AI delivers real-time insights in seconds without a steep learning curve.
How can you take the first step toward AI in accounts receivable?
The answers are in Billtrust’s latest guide: From Generative to Agentic AI: Accelerating Cash Flow Management with Artificial Intelligence. Whether you’re just starting to explore AI or looking to go beyond automation, this is a powerful resource that unpacks what you need to know – from foundational concepts to driving immediate results.
- See AI in Action: Get real-world use cases of Generative and Agentic AI in accounts receivable, from basic automation and autonomous virtual agents to in-depth analysis, benchmarking, and smart dialogues about your company’s financials.
- Break down the basics: Understanding traditional business intelligence (BI) vs. AI-powered BI is key to unlocking AI’s full potential in AR. Get a better grasp on Generative AI, which only 9% of finance leaders are currently using.
- See results now: Learn five ways AI will give your AR operation an immediate competitive advantage.
The AI is ready - are you? Step into smarter, faster, more strategic cash flow management with Billtrust’s latest guide.
FAQ
Agentic AI is the next generation of Generative AI, featuring advanced AI agents that can reason and execute complex workflows autonomously. Unlike Generative AI, which focuses on generating insights, Agentic AI agents can take actions and assist with daily tasks.
Generative AI benefits accounts receivable processes by enabling easy querying across the AR ecosystem to discover trends and key findings using simple, conversational questions. This leads to better visibility and control over financial data.
The ROI of using AI in accounts receivable includes significant cost savings, increased efficiency, and improved cash flow. For a typical mid-sized business, AI can save $440,000 and 4,500 hours per year by automating invoice processes.
The first steps to implementing AI in accounts receivable include understanding the basics of AI and its potential benefits, exploring real-world use cases, and leveraging resources like Billtrust’s guide on Generative and Agentic AI.