Automation Strategies for Improving Cash Flow

4 Essential Automation Strategies for Improving Cash Flow

Let’s face it – as a business owner, you’re busy. Whether it’s customer acquisition or fulfilling work requests, you have several things on your to-do list that must get crossed off daily. This leaves little room on your plate for tasks that may be important but don’t help your company grow.

One of these essential tasks? Accounting. Tracking expenses, processing invoices, and calculating your profit margin all help evaluate your company’s financial performance and ensure you have sufficient cash flow. However, if you don’t have a skilled accountant that can crunch numbers, they become another tedious task for you to handle.

Fortunately, there are plenty of ways for you to streamline accounting processes. Here are four essential automation strategies that will improve cash flow and allow you to focus on growing your business.

Streamline How You Send Invoices

Many businesses don’t realize how much time and money they waste on sending, tracking, and processing invoices. This is particularly true for companies that are still processing invoices manually. Manually processing invoices is an outdated practice that robs your company of productivity and leaves it vulnerable to billing errors that can cost your bottom line.

Stop sending out client invoices each month and automate the process instead. Billing and invoicing software makes it easy for companies to accurately bill their time, track outstanding client debts and eliminate billing errors.

You’ll even be able to track cash flow and juggle a variety of foreign currencies if you frequently work with international clients. As a result, companies that automate the invoicing process can reduce their costs by 29%.

Add On Fees Instantly

After analyzing more than 80,000 invoices from 93 countries, MarketInvoice found that 62% of invoices are paid late. Moreover, one-third of these invoices were paid more than two weeks after their due date.

However, it can be time-consuming to chase after overdue invoices. This can significantly hurt a company’s profit margins, mainly if you rely on cash to fund other operations. It can also be tricky to charge a late fee diplomatically.

Instead, automate the process with software that instantly tacks late fees to a client’s bill once it’s past due. By knowing the process is automated and out of your hands, clients will be discouraged from missing payments in the future.

Simplify Payroll

Unsurprisingly, your employees expect to be paid. For many business owners, this can be time-consuming, especially for small businesses. One study found that small and medium-sized companies spend more on payroll-associated tasks than larger businesses.

Automation can reduce payroll processing by as much as 80% and save you considerably on time and labor. Online payroll software allows business owners to make direct deposits, file tax forms, and even ensure they comply with local, state, and federal payroll regulations.

Pay Bills Easier

Did you know that labor accounts for 62% of total accounts payable costs? With the plethora of online tools and software available, there’s no reason for AP departments to continue reviewing invoices manually.

Depending on the size of your company, accounts payable automation can reduce overhead costs. Streamlining the process will improve invoice accuracy, ensuring you pay the correct amount each month. AP automation software will keep track of payment cycles, eliminate errors like duplicate payments, and ensure your invoices are paid promptly every time.

Technology has enabled small business owners, freelancers, and other professionals to become more productive while increasing their cash flow. Stop wasting time on routine tasks and let automation software take over so you can continue to focus on what matters most – growing your business.

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Aaron Darke – Aaron Darke is a small business owner and new freelance writer. He has run marketing and creative agencies in Australia and the USA since 2005. He has gained experience working with large and small companies, from global alcohol companies to small to medium businesses and local non-profits.