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From 20 Hours to 2 Minutes: Real Stories of AR Turnaround with Automation

By Soumava Goswami

14 July 2025

5 Mins Read

Accounts Receivable Automation

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It is an unfortunate fact that many businesses struggle to get their due payment on time. As a result, it disrupts the cash flow of the business. Apart from that, it also leads to unnecessary stress and slow growth. Hence, many businesses are opting for accounts receivable automation systems.

Interestingly, many finance leaders in businesses complain that their accounts receivable processes are outdated. This way, it leads to inefficiencies and a lot of heavy manual work. 

Moreover, accounts receivable is also a time-consuming process. If you do not have the right system, all the payment delays will pile up. Also, it will make your cash flow unpredictable. Thereby, your business will find it difficult to report finances.

Read on to get a better idea about the importance of accounts receivable automation with the help of some examples.

Why Accounts Receivable Automation Is Important?

If you want to ensure an accounts receivable (AR) turnaround for your company, you must choose accounts receivable automation. In this case, you have to implement automation technology to speed up the payment collection process. This is important if you sell your goods and services on credit.

Primarily, a business looks to automate the following aspects of payment collection:

  • Invoice generation
  • Payment reminders
  • Payment processing
  • Collections management
  • Payment Reconciliation
  • Reporting and Analytics

This way, the technology helps to improve business efficiency. Apart from that, it helps to reduce errors and improve cash flow into the business. In addition to that, you will also improve your customer experience with accounts receivable automation. Thereby, you will have better visibility and control of your payment processes.

Major Examples of Accounts Receivable Automation

The following are some of the major examples (real stories) about companies that went for accounts receivable automation:

1. When Manual Processes Start Breaking Things

You know things have reached a tipping point when finance staff are sending invoice reminders on weekends. Or you might observe them skipping lunch to cobble together ageing reports from spreadsheets. 

For many growing businesses, that tipping point sneaks up fast. What starts as manageable soon turns into a cycle of late nights, overdue invoices, and stressed-out teams.

Take Christian from CW Systems. As Finance Manager at a fast-growing blinds and shutters distributor, he quickly realised that their accounts receivable process couldn’t keep up with their sales volume. They pulled their customer service team into chasing payments just to keep the books balanced. 

Manually sending emails, toggling between NetSuite and Excel, and playing phone tag with clients was chewing up valuable hours.

That changed with automation. Once the company implemented ezyCollect, Christian saw those five-minute reminder emails shrink to five seconds. In total, his team clawed back over 20 hours per month—a game-changer.

2. Merely Saving Time Is Not the Real Impact

It’s easy to focus on hours saved as the big win, but the real story goes deeper. Bruce, founder of Web Ninja, thought his collections process was “fine” until it hit the cash flow pinch. Despite having 600 customers, no one on the team really knew how much time the payment process takes. 

Once they started using ezyCollect, overdue debtors became half within a year. Cash recovery jumped to 80%.

What changed? Not just reminders or dashboards, but better control. Automated workflows replaced the scattergun approach with structured communication, clear visibility, and fewer follow-up calls. Bruce even began recommending the platform to his own clients. “It just works,” he said.

3. Accounts Receivable Automation Software: A Quiet Hero

It’s not the flashiest software in your stack, but account receivable automation software often does the heavy lifting where it matters most. Think of it as the plumbing behind the walls: unnoticed when everything flows smoothly, but immediately missed when it doesn’t.

Phil at IQPC, an IT services firm, dealt with over 500 invoices a month. His admin team struggled to manage the mess. Xero’s built-in reminders were triggering 20 emails per client per month. This led to multiple strains in relationships.

Hence, ezyCollect changed that by consolidating communications and tracking everything in one place. Suddenly, Phil had data he could trust, a team that wasn’t drowning. Also, they did not end up frustrating their clients.

4. The Difference Between Coping and Thriving

Many businesses survive with clunky AR processes for years. But survival mode takes its toll. Teams burn out. Hence, they were missing opportunities. Linda at Martec knew that feeling all too well. With over 3,000 customers and no central dashboard, her team spent hours manually chasing debt. 

After switching to ezyCollect, overdue accounts dropped by 80%. By month-end, only 3% of receivables were outstanding.

More importantly, Linda stopped feeling like she was flying blind. Her team could now focus on forecasting, analysis, and strategic initiatives instead of basic follow-ups.

Why Small Wins Add Up Fast?

Sometimes, the transformation isn’t about massive overhauls. Rather, it’s about fixing the thousands of tiny inefficiencies that bleed time and energy. For Hrvst St, a small juice business, chasing retailers was a daily headache. Moreover, late payments weren’t merely annoying. Rather, they threatened cash flow.

After automating reminders, their overdue days dropped to just two. They saved 14 hours each month. This means that there was more time for product development and customer engagement. That’s not merely admin efficiency, but also business growth. This was possible through reclaiming time.

Getting Paid Shouldn’t Feel Like a Struggle

Cash flow is the heartbeat of any business. Despite that, many times, the pain of collecting payments becomes normal. These stories prove it doesn’t have to be that way. 

From equipment suppliers to IT service providers, businesses across industries are discovering what happens when the back office is no longer a bottleneck.

Automation isn’t about replacing people. Rather, it’s about giving them the tools to thrive. When you go from 20 hours a month chasing invoices to 2 minutes a day managing your entire AR process, that’s not just an improvement. That’s a transformation.

And it starts with looking at your receivables not merely as overdue dollars. Rather, you must look at them as new opportunities.

Read Also: What To Look For In Accounts Payable Automation Software


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Soumava Goswami

A passionate writer and an avid reader, Soumava is academically inclined and loves writing on topics requiring deep research. Having 3+ years of experience, Soumava also loves writing blogs in other domains, including digital marketing, business, technology, travel, and sports.

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