Beyond Provider Status: What Elevates an AR Platform to a True Partner?

An AR solution is no small investment. And once you’ve made the investment, you need to be sure that your team has adopted the solution and is getting value from it. 

This doesn’t just come down to purchasing a reputable product and expecting your team to work out the rest. AR professionals are burdened with myriad responsibilities, from credit management to collections to cash application, and they don’t have time to dive into user manuals and work out the nuts and bolts of a product. 

What makes the difference is when you invest in an AR provider that promotes a partnership, not just a platform. By this, we mean that your vendor shouldn’t just pass the technology onto you and consider that “job done”. Rather, they’re focused on working collaboratively with you on a continual basis. 

That means getting you set up on the platform, ensuring consistent, quality service, expanding your use of the tool, and even working with your customer base to improve their experience and strengthen your relationships. 

That may sound like a lot of responsibility (because it is!). But it’s what elevates an AR solution provider from “platform” to “partner” status. And importantly, it’s what you deserve. 

Get Up and Running — Fast

One of the keys to ensuring the success of AR software is working with a vendor that has a digital optimization program. Not only does this help get your team up and running; it also ensures that your customers have what they need to adjust to the new system. After all, AR’s role is to collect cash from customers, so you want to make sure that any tool intended to optimize this process is adopted by your customers as well. 

While many providers offer an account manager and customer service representative for general inquiries, having a dedicated contact for digital optimization is invaluable. This individual will ensure you have all the necessary tools to smoothly transition your customers to online payment methods and electronic invoicing — two key benefits of an AR solution. 

Quadient AR’s digital optimization program and in-app check campaign is a market differentiator. Our users can strategically target their check paying customers through automated communications that contain invitations to switch to digital payments. In addition, our team works directly with our customers to develop talking points that effectively outline the benefits of digital payments to their customers. Topping it off, users can add a “pay now” button to all invoices, enabling customers to quickly and easily submit payments via Quadient AR’s online portal. 

They helped us send messages to customers informing them of the speed and security benefits. This has enabled us to lower DSO and improve customer experience.”  

— Chuck Connor, AR Manager, CallRevu 

 

Digital optimization is not simply a “nice-to-have". It is a competitive differentiator that allows organizations to collect cash much faster, while delivering more secure and streamlined payment experiences to their customers. This not only results in lowered DSO. It improves customer experiences and drives profitable long-term relationships. 

If you want to learn how our digital optimization program helped CallRevu reduce paper check payments by 50%, while decreasing DSO by 9 days, click here! 

You Don't Need to Play "The Waiting Game"

If you’re working with an AR provider who expects you to accept routine maintenance that disrupts your tasks, you should consider other options. Product upkeep should never get in the way of your business, particularly when it comes to ensuring the financial health of your organization. 

When it comes to product updates themselves, aside from them needing to be non-disruptive, you should expect them to be made often. Some AR software firms only make them every quarter, while others make them less frequently still. What this means is that users, as in AR teams, must wait a long time before their provider addresses any product gaps or deficiencies. These may be inconsequential issues, but they could also be problems that impact revenue generation. And in an unforgiving economy, this is not a risk you can afford. 

At Quadient AR, we get this. Our product provides customers with 99.99% uptime. The platform updates in the background, allowing users to focus on their daily tasks, while product issues are resolved behind the scenes. In addition to this, the platform consistently releases 10 product updates each year. Our team is always listening to customer feedback and tweaking the solution so that it caters more effectively to user requirements. 

In fact, our commitment to customer success saw us recognized by Gartner this year in their Magic Quadrant™ for Integrated Invoice-to-Cash Applications. Our organization was recognized for its outstanding customer success management infrastructure. This enables the monitoring and management of customer health through regular customer touchpoints, ongoing training, and a customer advocacy program. For more detail, you can download Gartner’s Magic Quadrant™ here. 

Our question to you is — are you receiving this level of service alongside your current solution? 

Constant Support

A new AR solution is not just a financial cost. Successfully adopting one also takes a lot of time. You should get what you pay for and expect to see significant results. 

This is contingent on the provider you’re working with. They must offer continual guidance, regularly review how things are going, conduct recurring check-ins, and stay informed on how well the platform is — or isn’t — working for you. These are all reasonable expectations that you should have of your provider. 

Quadient AR is not only backed by industry experts, like Gartner. We are also recognized by our customers.  

“The true competitive edge that Quadient AR has is the relationship they create with their clients. My team feels heard, feels appreciated, and we are active partners with Quadient AR. This results in success for both of us.” 

— Peter Roller, Senior Director, WW Customer Payment Support at GoTo 

If you’re ready to upgrade from an AR platform to an AR partner, contact our team today: https://www.quadient.com/en-gb/ar-automation/request-demo