The Power of User Experience: Transforming AR Solutions from Good to Great
It’s easy to see the impact of user experience in the B2C world.
Take Netflix for example.
Their service is customizable, engaging, and easy-to-use. As a customer, this ensures I get maximum value from the product.
In the world of B2B finance solutions, this standard is rarely seen. Of course, it’s a higher priority for a company like Netflix where they live and die by their user experience. However, in the accounts receivable (AR) software space, it needs to be treated more seriously.
Many AR solutions are guilty of complex user interfaces with unnecessary and confusing features. They can be difficult to customize, with providers expecting users to accept what they’re given or wait on product support to make adjustments to the tool.
In AR, these problems are — quite literally — costly. They impact productivity and lead to delays that directly impact cash flow. They also prevent users from successfully adopting the solution which means they never truly understand the value of it.
The result? Wasted time, wasted money, and ultimately, a wasted opportunity. Let’s explore the key elements that make or break an AR solution’s user experience.
Getting up and running
When your AR team adopts a solution, they want to get set up quickly. To achieve this, they need their new tool to integrate seamlessly with their existing systems.
Many AR solutions do not have an effective ERP connector. These are essential to transfer data from your organization’s ERP to the new system. One of the great benefits of an AR solution is that it consolidates data from the systems in your tech stack in a single place, but getting to this end goal is tricky without an established connector. This leads to providers building a custom API which adds time and expense to the implementation process. Not a good start.
With Quadient AR, users can take advantage of the platform’s established connectors to transfer custom fields that exist in their ERP. And, even if these fields don’t exist in Quadient AR, they can be set up easily and immediately. This ensures that users quickly become accustomed to the platform’s functionality as it mirrors the experience they're used to.
These custom fields can be used to enhance any area of the AR process, from improving reporting granularity to optimizing credit management. You name it! This means you can continually tweak elements of the platform to meet the specific needs of your business.
Customization is Key
Speaking of tweaking the solution to meet your needs, customization is a critical element of an effective AR solution. After all, your business is unique and so are your AR requirements.
Unfortunately, many AR solutions aren’t able to match the level of customization that your business requires. Instead, they focus on an out-of-the box readiness, with all features built-in and ready to go.
Of course, built-in features are the foundation of an AR solution. Users need to be able to pick up the tool and get value from it right away, whether that’s via automated collections workflows or intelligent payment capabilities. However, they also need more than “off-the-shelf" capabilities.
We recognize that it’s impossible for providers to create a ready-to-go solution that can service every industry and customer demographic perfectly. That's where the need for smart and fast customization comes in.
For many solutions, customization requires users to contact their provider’s support or IT team to make changes. This leads to product downtime which impacts AR productivity, as the tool is unusable while changes are being made.
With a platform like Quadient AR, users can make necessary adjustments without any technical background or coding knowledge. They don’t need to wait on their provider’s support, and they have admin access to adapt the solution immediately to their business needs.
“The tool [YayPay] is painfully easy to use. We got people together for one day and that's all we needed to onboard them."
Susan LaRosa, Director of Credit, WS Audiology
A one-stop-shop
Reporting is the crux of successful AR. Teams must be able to track numerous KPIs — preferably in real-time — to monitor financial performance. Whether finance professionals want to check on the status of their customer accounts, the amount of credit they’ve extended, or the cash that’s coming in each week, accurate and accessible metrics make all the difference.
AR software vendors know this. And they often use this knowledge to their advantage. Many solutions offer custom reports for an additional fee. In addition to this, providers require a lengthy lead time to create and deliver the customized report to the customer.
In AR, time IS money. And we respect that. Our Business Intelligence (BI) capabilities enable users to circumvent this common issue. They can easily build custom dashboards that allow them to view and segment AR data in a way that makes sense to their business. This means no more reliance on expensive, custom-made reports. And no need to conduct time-consuming and error-prone in-house data analysis. With Quadient AR, non-technical users can create compelling reports in seconds.
“With our previous accounting software, we always had to create our own internal reports to get what we need to run our business. With the Business Intelligence Module, I have the ability to make Quadient AR my one-stop-shop for all my accounts receivable needs!"
Stephen Tracy, Director, People and Operations, CHG Healthcare
Putting the 'You' in User Experience
We treat user experience seriously. Because we know that’s what transforms an AR solution from good to great.
Our solution offers a smart and simple implementation process, outstanding customization capabilities, and a comprehensive suite of features.
“AR” you ready to see it for yourself? Request a demo today: https://www.quadient.com/en-gb/ar-automation/request-demo
