Most finance teams at growing companies aren't starting from zero. They already have some automation, yet invoices still stall in approval queues, payments still get matched to invoices by hand, and the cash forecast still depends on stitching together data from several systems. The Finance Leader's Guide: Automating AP and AR, produced by Quadient, is written for that middle ground: businesses whose AP and AR automation has stopped keeping pace with the volume and complexity they now handle.
If you're deciding whether to replace a system that no longer fits, or you need to show leadership what the current setup is really costing, this guide gives you the reasoning and a practical plan for making the change.
Why outdated AP and AR automation holds finance teams back
The guide's central argument is that rigid, older tools can do as much damage as fully manual processes. Instead of adapting to how your business works, they force your team to work around their limits. The result is fragmented data, slow approvals and decisions made without a full picture of cash.
What makes this section useful is that it breaks the problem down by role. CFOs, finance directors and controllers, and AP and AR managers each feel the strain differently. For a CFO, it shows up as weak cash flow visibility and shaky forecasts. For controllers, it's reconciliation work that drags out the close. For AP and AR managers, it's hours lost to repetitive exceptions and chasing sign-offs. You'll likely recognize your own team in at least one of these profiles, and the guide backs each with survey findings you can cite when making your case internally.
What modern accounts payable and accounts receivable automation changes
From there, the guide looks at what finance teams gain when they move to a more capable platform. It covers real-time, centralized access to financial data, AI that spots payment patterns and flags likely late payers, and automatic extraction of invoice details so your team stops retyping them.
It also connects automation to outcomes a finance leader is measured on. You'll read about faster supplier payments and stronger vendor relationships, DSO reduction on the receivables side, and the return Quadient reports for customers using its AP and AR products. These are the kinds of figures that help when you're building a business case and need more than general promises.
A practical plan for AP automation implementation
Knowing you need a better system is one thing. Rolling it out without disrupting month-end is another. The second half of the guide lays out four implementation best practices, covering how to assess where you stand today, how to win stakeholder support, what to look for when comparing platforms, and how to plan a rollout that keeps risk low.
The selection advice is especially practical for growing businesses. It points you toward the capabilities that matter as you add entities, currencies and transaction volume, and toward integration with the ERP and payment tools you already rely on. It also explains how to keep measuring performance once the new system is live, so improvements don't stall after launch.
To ground all of this, the guide includes a short case study of Mission Construction, a company that replaced manual AP processes with Quadient AP connected to its existing QuickBooks setup. You'll see the problems it faced, what changed, and how its team shifted time toward higher-value work.
What you'll take away
- A role-by-role view of what outdated automation costs your finance function
- Evidence and benchmarks to support an internal business case
- Criteria for choosing a platform that scales with your company
- A phased approach to implementation that limits disruption
- A real-world example of AP automation in practice
Download The Finance Leader's Guide: Automating AP and AR to get the full role-by-role analysis, the supporting data on cash flow and DSO, the four implementation best practices and the Mission Construction case study. It's a quick, focused read that will help you judge whether your current tools are holding you back and plan what comes next.