^The APQC Blog

For the last two years, the AI story in finance has been one of acceleration: rapid movement from experimentation to pilots to early rollouts.

Procure-to-pay needs end-to-end ownership because no single function controls the full journey from sourcing and purchasing to invoice processing and payment.

Despite recognizing the value of KM, many organizations struggle to build programs that deliver lasting business impact. The biggest barriers are rarely the technologies they choose.

Most organizations understand the value of benchmarking. The challenge isn't deciding whether to benchmark, it's figuring out how to turn benchmarking insights into meaningful improvements.

Hidden payment delays disrupt the cash cycle by making cash outflows less predictable, clouding liquidity forecasts, and straining the vendor relationships finance teams rely on.

I will say the unpopular thing here.

Most consulting firms use benchmark data to win work. The best consulting firms use benchmark data to win the sales and deliver client results.

It's a distinction I think about often when talking with consulting leaders.

Imagine a new engineer joins your organization on Monday and by Wednesday, a critical customer issue lands on her desk. It is complex, urgent, and sounds familiar. 

Invoicing and accounts receivable (AR) are foundational finance processes that directly influence an organization's liquidity, working capital, and overall financial health.

AI business process optimization solutions can help organizations work faster, reduce manual effort, improve decision-making, and create more consistent outcomes.