2989: The Evolution of B2B Payments: Inside Quadient's Innovative Approach

[00:00:01] [SPEAKER_00]: How are today's businesses adapting to a world where quick, easy transactions are not just

[00:00:07] [SPEAKER_00]: desired, but they're expected?

[00:00:10] [SPEAKER_00]: Well in today's episode of Tech Talks Daily I welcome Sarah Jane Martin, Director of ICA

[00:00:17] [SPEAKER_00]: Global AR Practice at Quadient Accounts Receivable.

[00:00:21] [SPEAKER_00]: She's going to shed light on the evolving B2B payment landscape and as consumer payment

[00:00:27] [SPEAKER_00]: processes like text-to-pay become more prevalent, we'll also talk about how traditional B2B

[00:00:33] [SPEAKER_00]: payment methods are keeping up or falling short.

[00:00:37] [SPEAKER_00]: And Sarah Jane will also discuss the challenges and opportunities of aligning B2B with B2C payment

[00:00:44] [SPEAKER_00]: experiences, the role of AI and intelligent automation in this transition and what all

[00:00:50] [SPEAKER_00]: this means for businesses striving for efficiency and transparency in financial transactions.

[00:00:58] [SPEAKER_00]: Delivering daily content to 140,000 of you wonderful monthly listeners across the globe

[00:01:04] [SPEAKER_00]: is no small feat.

[00:01:05] [SPEAKER_00]: I don't want to take all the credit here because it wouldn't be possible without the backing

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[00:01:58] [SPEAKER_00]: Thank you for your patience today, this is the moment you've been waiting for.

[00:02:01] [SPEAKER_00]: It's time to welcome my guest onto the show.

[00:02:04] [SPEAKER_00]: So buckle up and hold on tight as I beam your ears all the way to Chicago where

[00:02:09] [SPEAKER_00]: Sarah Cheney's waiting to talk with us.

[00:02:12] [SPEAKER_00]: So a massive warm welcome to the show, Sarah Jane.

[00:02:16] [SPEAKER_00]: Can you tell everyone listening a little about who you are and what you do?

[00:02:20] [SPEAKER_01]: Sure, thanks.

[00:02:22] [SPEAKER_01]: So my name is Sarah Jane Martin.

[00:02:24] [SPEAKER_01]: I am the Global Director of AR Practice at Quadriot, working mostly in the accounts

[00:02:31] [SPEAKER_01]: receivable space, supporting our sales team and also support leadership opportunities

[00:02:37] [SPEAKER_01]: such as this one.

[00:02:39] [SPEAKER_00]: Fantastic.

[00:02:39] [SPEAKER_00]: Well, there's so much I'm looking forward to talking with you about today because every

[00:02:43] [SPEAKER_00]: single day on this podcast, I try and take a different area and talk about how it's

[00:02:47] [SPEAKER_00]: being transformed by technology or how it's evolving.

[00:02:50] [SPEAKER_00]: I mean, with the speed of AI change, for example, it feels like everything's evolving

[00:02:55] [SPEAKER_00]: in real time at the moment.

[00:02:56] [SPEAKER_00]: And one of the reasons I invited you on here was to talk about B2B payments.

[00:03:01] [SPEAKER_00]: So just to set the scene, can you offer somewhat of an overview of the current

[00:03:05] [SPEAKER_00]: B2B payment landscape and how you're seeing it evolving to meet the demands of

[00:03:10] [SPEAKER_00]: modern businesses?

[00:03:11] [SPEAKER_01]: I think you're right.

[00:03:12] [SPEAKER_01]: I mean, the state of B2B payment today is changing pretty rapidly.

[00:03:17] [SPEAKER_01]: But we are still being especially in the US, a lot of organizations are still

[00:03:21] [SPEAKER_01]: relying on more traditional payment methods, so things like physical checks,

[00:03:26] [SPEAKER_01]: which I know if not necessarily something you guys see in the UK.

[00:03:30] [SPEAKER_01]: But we're still seeing a lot of that over here, even though there are more

[00:03:33] [SPEAKER_01]: digitalized methods available, such as bank transfers.

[00:03:38] [SPEAKER_01]: And I think a lot of companies are focusing on improving that experience

[00:03:43] [SPEAKER_01]: for B2C payments, offering things such as PayPal, Stripe,

[00:03:48] [SPEAKER_01]: but where we're seeing that improvement in the B2C space,

[00:03:51] [SPEAKER_01]: but not necessarily seeing that in the B2B space.

[00:03:55] [SPEAKER_01]: And I think there are a lot of technological advances with mobile

[00:04:01] [SPEAKER_01]: payments and artificial intelligence that are causing that B2B

[00:04:06] [SPEAKER_01]: payment space to be forced into a digital share.

[00:04:11] [SPEAKER_01]: But that's kind of how I would set the scene today around the payment landscape.

[00:04:16] [SPEAKER_00]: And there is a decade old saying now that the last best experience we have

[00:04:20] [SPEAKER_00]: anywhere becomes the standard expectation for what we want everywhere.

[00:04:24] [SPEAKER_00]: So all those B2C experiences we expect in B2B now.

[00:04:28] [SPEAKER_00]: So how are B2B payment processes falling short compared to those B2C

[00:04:33] [SPEAKER_00]: payment experiences you mentioned?

[00:04:36] [SPEAKER_00]: And what are the main pain points businesses are facing in this area right now?

[00:04:40] [SPEAKER_01]: I think what we're seeing is exactly what you've said, right?

[00:04:43] [SPEAKER_01]: We're so used to that experience in our personal lives

[00:04:46] [SPEAKER_01]: and it's sort of becoming that expectation then in the business

[00:04:50] [SPEAKER_01]: landscape as well.

[00:04:51] [SPEAKER_01]: And I think some of that is driven by just the generational shift, right?

[00:04:56] [SPEAKER_01]: I mean, we've got people now that are advancing in their careers

[00:04:59] [SPEAKER_01]: that have never written a check or wouldn't even know what a check is.

[00:05:04] [SPEAKER_01]: So their whole sort of technological experience is based in that.

[00:05:08] [SPEAKER_01]: And I think they're expecting that then when they're doing businesses

[00:05:12] [SPEAKER_01]: for B2B organizations, if they haven't sort of embraced

[00:05:16] [SPEAKER_01]: that digital transformation, you often see sort of a lengthy payment process, right?

[00:05:22] [SPEAKER_01]: So the slow payment processing times and that can often

[00:05:25] [SPEAKER_01]: lead to delayed service offerings or cash flow management issues

[00:05:31] [SPEAKER_01]: and also can kind of strain the relationship that you would have

[00:05:34] [SPEAKER_01]: with both your suppliers and your customers.

[00:05:38] [SPEAKER_01]: You know, and I think in addition to that, you know, there's a lack

[00:05:41] [SPEAKER_01]: of visibility into that payment journey.

[00:05:44] [SPEAKER_01]: So tracking payments across multiple platforms obviously

[00:05:48] [SPEAKER_01]: can be a logistical nightmare and without that correct technology

[00:05:52] [SPEAKER_01]: in place to get that view, it can lead to uncertainty

[00:05:54] [SPEAKER_01]: and obviously even potential error than financial reporting.

[00:05:58] [SPEAKER_01]: And then finally, I think there's definitely a risk of default.

[00:06:01] [SPEAKER_01]: So if you're not using technology that has some sort of AI

[00:06:05] [SPEAKER_01]: to leverage automatic payment updates or reminders

[00:06:09] [SPEAKER_01]: that go out to your customers and your suppliers,

[00:06:11] [SPEAKER_01]: then I think that can definitely present a risk of default.

[00:06:15] [SPEAKER_01]: So, you know, it's definitely prohibiting organizations

[00:06:18] [SPEAKER_01]: from ensuring secure and timely transactions,

[00:06:21] [SPEAKER_01]: which would replicate that B2C style that we're more commonly used to.

[00:06:27] [SPEAKER_00]: 100% with you on that.

[00:06:29] [SPEAKER_00]: And of course, text to pay and so many other seamless payment methods

[00:06:32] [SPEAKER_00]: have become popular in the B2C space.

[00:06:35] [SPEAKER_00]: Younger audiences even use the name Venmo as a verb.

[00:06:38] [SPEAKER_00]: I mean, the line I'll venue for food, for example,

[00:06:42] [SPEAKER_00]: is commonplace you can hear everywhere.

[00:06:43] [SPEAKER_00]: And how can B2B organizations adapt similar methods

[00:06:48] [SPEAKER_00]: to improve that payment process and make it a seamless?

[00:06:52] [SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, so I think businesses have to consider digitally

[00:06:58] [SPEAKER_01]: transforming their finance function.

[00:07:01] [SPEAKER_01]: Obviously if they want to achieve that B2C

[00:07:03] [SPEAKER_01]: like payment experience, you know, it's not enough anymore

[00:07:06] [SPEAKER_01]: to just send emails or have an online portal.

[00:07:11] [SPEAKER_01]: Although that is still fairly common,

[00:07:13] [SPEAKER_01]: but I think that even that feels a little bit antiquated at this point.

[00:07:18] [SPEAKER_01]: So I think we need to look at how AI driven solution

[00:07:22] [SPEAKER_01]: and intelligent automation can really improve that payment experience.

[00:07:25] [SPEAKER_01]: And they're pretty essential, really, if we want to consider

[00:07:28] [SPEAKER_01]: replicating the B2C experience.

[00:07:32] [SPEAKER_00]: We have gone what 10 minutes without even talking about AI properly.

[00:07:36] [SPEAKER_00]: And that's kind of broken a few laws in the world of tech podcast.

[00:07:40] [SPEAKER_00]: So what role do you see if you think what role do you see things like AI

[00:07:45] [SPEAKER_00]: and intelligent automation playing in transforming that finance function

[00:07:49] [SPEAKER_00]: of B2B organizations?

[00:07:51] [SPEAKER_00]: There's a lot of sellers out there saying that they've got the answer,

[00:07:55] [SPEAKER_00]: especially in accounts receivable, et cetera.

[00:07:57] [SPEAKER_00]: But what are you seeing here?

[00:07:59] [SPEAKER_01]: So I mean, I think one of the main things about AI

[00:08:03] [SPEAKER_01]: that really is important to know, right, is that it

[00:08:08] [SPEAKER_01]: it really removes a lot of the risk associated with

[00:08:13] [SPEAKER_01]: traditionally sort of manual processes.

[00:08:15] [SPEAKER_01]: And certainly in AI, there's always a ton of manual data entry,

[00:08:19] [SPEAKER_01]: which obviously inherently can lead to risk, right?

[00:08:24] [SPEAKER_01]: Are mistakes being made or somebody fat fingering something.

[00:08:27] [SPEAKER_01]: So we definitely see it there and also the ability

[00:08:30] [SPEAKER_01]: just to improve speed and accuracy by leveraging AI.

[00:08:35] [SPEAKER_01]: And then it also plays a huge part in being able to help analyze

[00:08:40] [SPEAKER_01]: huge sets of data.

[00:08:42] [SPEAKER_01]: You know, historically that was probably done by a business analyst.

[00:08:46] [SPEAKER_01]: It would require multiple reports being pulled from various sources.

[00:08:51] [SPEAKER_01]: And again, that can obviously have some inherent risk involved.

[00:08:54] [SPEAKER_01]: And then, you know, by the time you've been able to identify any insights

[00:08:57] [SPEAKER_01]: or trends or patterns in that data, it's old at that point.

[00:09:01] [SPEAKER_01]: Right? Could have taken so long.

[00:09:02] [SPEAKER_01]: So when you're leveraging AI, you're getting that immediate

[00:09:07] [SPEAKER_01]: sort of insight into what's going on and it's constantly changing

[00:09:10] [SPEAKER_01]: as the data changes.

[00:09:13] [SPEAKER_01]: So I think right there we can see the value of AI.

[00:09:17] [SPEAKER_01]: We've definitely seen that in the accounts receivable space

[00:09:21] [SPEAKER_01]: just with sort of identifying which customers are most likely

[00:09:26] [SPEAKER_01]: to not pay on time or which customers respond to an email

[00:09:31] [SPEAKER_01]: or which customers are using a credit card and just having that sort of data

[00:09:35] [SPEAKER_01]: available and in real time and constantly improving.

[00:09:39] [SPEAKER_01]: It's really where we're seeing the benefits of AI within the B2B space,

[00:09:43] [SPEAKER_01]: particularly in the course of accounts receivable, what I'm familiar with.

[00:09:46] [SPEAKER_01]: But I would imagine across all finance functions

[00:09:48] [SPEAKER_01]: just having the ability to analyze huge data sets

[00:09:53] [SPEAKER_01]: and identify patterns quickly, really can improve that speed and accuracy

[00:09:58] [SPEAKER_01]: and obviously just mitigate risk in that environment.

[00:10:03] [SPEAKER_00]: And I suspect we will have a lot of business leaders listening

[00:10:06] [SPEAKER_00]: within this industry that know they need to change,

[00:10:09] [SPEAKER_00]: know they need to get better, but knowing where to start

[00:10:12] [SPEAKER_00]: or avoid making unnecessary mistakes.

[00:10:14] [SPEAKER_00]: That's where things get a little bit tricky.

[00:10:16] [SPEAKER_00]: So just to bring to life what we're talking about here,

[00:10:19] [SPEAKER_00]: do you have any specific examples or maybe case studies

[00:10:22] [SPEAKER_00]: where a business has successfully transitioned

[00:10:25] [SPEAKER_00]: from traditional B2B payment options to something more streamlined

[00:10:29] [SPEAKER_00]: like those B2C experiences that we're talking about?

[00:10:32] [SPEAKER_01]: So I do have one example of a publicly referenceable case study

[00:10:37] [SPEAKER_01]: that I was able to pull.

[00:10:40] [SPEAKER_01]: You know, we have a customer, a company called Core Review

[00:10:44] [SPEAKER_01]: who was still receiving a lot of their payments via paper check

[00:10:49] [SPEAKER_01]: and it was really kind of slowing down their cash flow,

[00:10:53] [SPEAKER_01]: you know, fraud risk obviously is inherent with any kind of paper payment process

[00:10:58] [SPEAKER_01]: like that and they opted to leverage a service that we offer at QoD

[00:11:02] [SPEAKER_01]: and AR, this called the Digital Optimization Service

[00:11:05] [SPEAKER_01]: and it's essentially where we leverage our solution

[00:11:08] [SPEAKER_01]: to identify customers that are paying via check.

[00:11:11] [SPEAKER_01]: So anytime a customer pays via check

[00:11:14] [SPEAKER_01]: and that's identified within their core system,

[00:11:17] [SPEAKER_01]: our solution then will trigger a series of email campaigns

[00:11:20] [SPEAKER_01]: so that customer essentially outlining the benefits of paying electronically,

[00:11:26] [SPEAKER_01]: you know, providing the links so that the customer can click in

[00:11:28] [SPEAKER_01]: and pay that invoice via portal.

[00:11:31] [SPEAKER_01]: They then have the ability to set up auto payment

[00:11:34] [SPEAKER_01]: so you can just select sort of, hey, when my invoices do,

[00:11:38] [SPEAKER_01]: you know, just charge this credit card

[00:11:40] [SPEAKER_01]: or charge this bank account or direct debit obviously in the UK

[00:11:43] [SPEAKER_01]: and what they saw from that was massive improvements.

[00:11:47] [SPEAKER_01]: So not only were they able to reduce the number of paper checks

[00:11:52] [SPEAKER_01]: they were receiving by about 50%,

[00:11:54] [SPEAKER_01]: they also reduced their DSO by nine days.

[00:11:57] [SPEAKER_01]: So it really did sort of highlight the fact that when people send a check,

[00:12:01] [SPEAKER_01]: it just takes so long so they were able to reduce their DSO

[00:12:05] [SPEAKER_01]: obviously then without having those paper checks coming into an office

[00:12:08] [SPEAKER_01]: or into a bank account where they then had to be manually keyed,

[00:12:12] [SPEAKER_01]: they kind of reduced that manual process on their employees

[00:12:15] [SPEAKER_01]: and then reduce their workflow obviously

[00:12:17] [SPEAKER_01]: and probably their work experience as well.

[00:12:19] [SPEAKER_01]: And then of course, their customers were happy

[00:12:22] [SPEAKER_01]: right because that seamless experience was provided to them.

[00:12:26] [SPEAKER_01]: They had flexibility, they had self-service options.

[00:12:30] [SPEAKER_01]: So though that may not replicate a B2C experience entirely,

[00:12:34] [SPEAKER_01]: you can kind of see just the shift between that paper check

[00:12:38] [SPEAKER_01]: sort of activity now being moved into an electronic activity

[00:12:43] [SPEAKER_01]: and it really did improve that company in multiple ways.

[00:12:46] [SPEAKER_01]: And I think from here we can assume that then more improvements

[00:12:50] [SPEAKER_01]: will likely have the same effect.

[00:12:52] [SPEAKER_00]: And another area that I often hear talked about

[00:12:55] [SPEAKER_00]: is the lack of visibility in the payment landscape,

[00:12:58] [SPEAKER_00]: especially in B2B transactions.

[00:13:00] [SPEAKER_00]: I mean, how can organizations improve transparency?

[00:13:04] [SPEAKER_00]: Should they? What benefits would that bring?

[00:13:07] [SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, I mean, absolutely.

[00:13:08] [SPEAKER_01]: When we a lot of times when we'll talk to a prospective client,

[00:13:11] [SPEAKER_01]: it's unbelievable to me the number of organizations,

[00:13:15] [SPEAKER_01]: even larger organizations that people you wouldn't expect

[00:13:18] [SPEAKER_01]: are still doing things very manually.

[00:13:21] [SPEAKER_01]: We hear a lot of times like, you know,

[00:13:23] [SPEAKER_01]: spreadsheets are being used to track things.

[00:13:26] [SPEAKER_01]: We've got, you know, data in different systems

[00:13:30] [SPEAKER_01]: that it's hard to sort of bring together

[00:13:31] [SPEAKER_01]: in a cohesive sort of view of what's going on.

[00:13:35] [SPEAKER_01]: And it is really hard for those companies

[00:13:37] [SPEAKER_01]: and there are obviously the folks

[00:13:38] [SPEAKER_01]: that work in the accounts receivable department

[00:13:40] [SPEAKER_01]: to really understand what's going on with their customers

[00:13:42] [SPEAKER_01]: and really understand where the risk is.

[00:13:45] [SPEAKER_01]: And that can be a huge problem, right?

[00:13:47] [SPEAKER_01]: Especially when it comes to things like audits,

[00:13:50] [SPEAKER_01]: you know, or anything like that

[00:13:51] [SPEAKER_01]: where they could actually be at financial risk.

[00:13:53] [SPEAKER_01]: They just don't even have insight into that.

[00:13:56] [SPEAKER_01]: So so, you know, being able to leverage that

[00:13:59] [SPEAKER_01]: can really help in terms of improving transparency.

[00:14:03] [SPEAKER_00]: So as businesses look to digitally transform

[00:14:06] [SPEAKER_00]: their payment processes,

[00:14:07] [SPEAKER_00]: maybe remove some of those manual processes as well.

[00:14:09] [SPEAKER_00]: Are there any key considerations

[00:14:11] [SPEAKER_00]: that they should be keeping in mind

[00:14:13] [SPEAKER_00]: just to ensure a successful transition

[00:14:16] [SPEAKER_00]: and avoid some of those mistakes

[00:14:18] [SPEAKER_00]: that they may have seen others make?

[00:14:20] [SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, I mean, I think it's always important

[00:14:22] [SPEAKER_01]: to kind of ease into change,

[00:14:26] [SPEAKER_01]: especially when it's sort of an established pattern

[00:14:29] [SPEAKER_01]: that you already have with your customers.

[00:14:31] [SPEAKER_01]: So, you know, I think it's kind of important

[00:14:33] [SPEAKER_01]: that you still sort of offer the sort of old school options

[00:14:37] [SPEAKER_01]: and kind of bring in those newer options

[00:14:40] [SPEAKER_01]: kind of slowly, you know, obviously monitor that

[00:14:44] [SPEAKER_01]: to see, you know, are your customers adopting that?

[00:14:47] [SPEAKER_01]: Are there things that we could do better?

[00:14:50] [SPEAKER_01]: You know, so I would say just don't sort of flip the light switch, right?

[00:14:54] [SPEAKER_01]: They OK, we're no longer doing this. We're going to do that.

[00:14:57] [SPEAKER_01]: And I think obviously again, we can kind of like hear

[00:14:59] [SPEAKER_01]: that the use of AI would give you some insights

[00:15:02] [SPEAKER_01]: and see that sort of adoption rate, right?

[00:15:04] [SPEAKER_01]: You will kind of see, you know, as I mentioned in that case study,

[00:15:07] [SPEAKER_01]: we were able to see that 50% reduction.

[00:15:10] [SPEAKER_01]: So they were able to see immediately that, you know,

[00:15:13] [SPEAKER_01]: by making that shift, a lot of their customers had adopted that

[00:15:16] [SPEAKER_01]: and were happy with it.

[00:15:17] [SPEAKER_01]: So they knew they could continue down that path.

[00:15:19] [SPEAKER_01]: So I would just say, you know, really weigh your options

[00:15:22] [SPEAKER_01]: in terms of what you want to offer your customer

[00:15:24] [SPEAKER_01]: and then kind of have a little bit of the lead time

[00:15:26] [SPEAKER_01]: to let people adjust and understand the benefit

[00:15:28] [SPEAKER_01]: or then sort of slowly, slowly phase out

[00:15:31] [SPEAKER_01]: those older, more traditional methods.

[00:15:33] [SPEAKER_00]: And as we said at the very beginning of our conversation,

[00:15:36] [SPEAKER_00]: the role of tech's impact in the sun

[00:15:39] [SPEAKER_00]: and causing everything to evolve is happening in real time.

[00:15:42] [SPEAKER_00]: And looking to the future, you know, what trends or innovations

[00:15:45] [SPEAKER_00]: do you see in this landscape?

[00:15:47] [SPEAKER_00]: And how do you see it further shaping

[00:15:50] [SPEAKER_00]: how businesses handle transactions and accounts receivable?

[00:15:53] [SPEAKER_00]: I appreciate it.

[00:15:54] [SPEAKER_00]: I'm asking you to look in a virtual crystal ball here,

[00:15:56] [SPEAKER_00]: but are you getting any hints of how it's unfolding?

[00:16:00] [SPEAKER_01]: So it's interesting because I really do feel

[00:16:03] [SPEAKER_01]: like the sky is the limit.

[00:16:04] [SPEAKER_01]: I think there are going to be changes

[00:16:06] [SPEAKER_01]: that we don't even consider today

[00:16:09] [SPEAKER_01]: and in the very near future.

[00:16:11] [SPEAKER_01]: One of the things that I kind of have an inkling

[00:16:15] [SPEAKER_01]: will probably happen is I think we'll start

[00:16:17] [SPEAKER_01]: to leverage artificial intelligence

[00:16:20] [SPEAKER_01]: to really do a lot of the transactional work.

[00:16:23] [SPEAKER_01]: So I'm just, you know, spitballing here,

[00:16:26] [SPEAKER_01]: but I think what we'll see is organizations,

[00:16:30] [SPEAKER_01]: you know, an invoice will be issued to another system

[00:16:35] [SPEAKER_01]: and then there will be artificial intelligence

[00:16:38] [SPEAKER_01]: that will communicate back and forth.

[00:16:40] [SPEAKER_01]: Right?

[00:16:41] [SPEAKER_01]: So a lot of the sort of functionality

[00:16:42] [SPEAKER_01]: that we do today as a person, you know,

[00:16:45] [SPEAKER_01]: perhaps that invoice gets received

[00:16:47] [SPEAKER_01]: and there's something wrong with it.

[00:16:48] [SPEAKER_01]: And I really believe that AI will be able to identify that,

[00:16:51] [SPEAKER_01]: send a communication back and say,

[00:16:53] [SPEAKER_01]: hey, I'm not sure what this line item is.

[00:16:55] [SPEAKER_01]: And I really believe there will be conversation

[00:16:57] [SPEAKER_01]: between, you know, different systems via AI

[00:17:01] [SPEAKER_01]: to resolve invoice payment.

[00:17:04] [SPEAKER_01]: Like I think the whole process is going to end up

[00:17:06] [SPEAKER_01]: being automated, like everything from sort of

[00:17:08] [SPEAKER_01]: the initial inwards delivery dispute management,

[00:17:12] [SPEAKER_01]: you know, maybe the, you know, the receiver says,

[00:17:15] [SPEAKER_01]: hey, I need a PO on this and it'll go back.

[00:17:18] [SPEAKER_01]: You know, I really think that process

[00:17:20] [SPEAKER_01]: is going to end up being fully automated

[00:17:22] [SPEAKER_01]: and we're going to see a real jump.

[00:17:25] [SPEAKER_01]: I think that's kind of the next step.

[00:17:26] [SPEAKER_01]: Like we've got the AI in place now to do a lot of those things,

[00:17:29] [SPEAKER_01]: but there's still this sort of manual function involved

[00:17:31] [SPEAKER_01]: when there's exceptions.

[00:17:33] [SPEAKER_01]: And I think what we're going to see is a lot of that

[00:17:35] [SPEAKER_01]: become automated through intelligent AI.

[00:17:38] [SPEAKER_00]: Well, thank you so much for sharing your insights

[00:17:40] [SPEAKER_00]: on everything you're seeing in the business

[00:17:42] [SPEAKER_00]: to business payment landscape.

[00:17:44] [SPEAKER_00]: But on behalf of other business leaders listening

[00:17:46] [SPEAKER_00]: that might be struggling with that pressure

[00:17:48] [SPEAKER_00]: of being in a state of continuous learning,

[00:17:51] [SPEAKER_00]: I've got to ask, where or how do you self-educate?

[00:17:54] [SPEAKER_00]: How do you keep up to speed with everything?

[00:17:56] [SPEAKER_01]: From a business perspective,

[00:17:58] [SPEAKER_01]: I attend a lot of conferences.

[00:18:01] [SPEAKER_01]: Obviously speak at a lot of them,

[00:18:04] [SPEAKER_01]: attend a lot of the sessions when I'm there.

[00:18:06] [SPEAKER_01]: I stay up to date on my reading.

[00:18:09] [SPEAKER_01]: So always sort of looking on LinkedIn

[00:18:11] [SPEAKER_01]: and reading other companies articles

[00:18:14] [SPEAKER_01]: on where things are going and what they're seeing.

[00:18:17] [SPEAKER_01]: I think that's really important to just kind of

[00:18:20] [SPEAKER_01]: stay ahead of the trends.

[00:18:22] [SPEAKER_01]: But that's really my core source.

[00:18:24] [SPEAKER_01]: And also just learning from people that I talk to,

[00:18:27] [SPEAKER_01]: whether that's a prospective customer

[00:18:28] [SPEAKER_01]: and the challenges that they're facing

[00:18:31] [SPEAKER_01]: and then kind of understanding

[00:18:32] [SPEAKER_01]: how we consult those challenges.

[00:18:35] [SPEAKER_01]: And nine times out of 10,

[00:18:37] [SPEAKER_01]: they're looking to automate that.

[00:18:38] [SPEAKER_01]: So tying those two things together,

[00:18:40] [SPEAKER_01]: like what I'm hearing out on the market place,

[00:18:42] [SPEAKER_01]: what people are saying,

[00:18:43] [SPEAKER_01]: what other organizations are saying.

[00:18:46] [SPEAKER_01]: And then of course, what our customers

[00:18:47] [SPEAKER_01]: and our prospective customers are saying

[00:18:49] [SPEAKER_01]: and kind of pulling all the information together

[00:18:51] [SPEAKER_01]: and kind of looking to the future

[00:18:53] [SPEAKER_01]: through that date of information.

[00:18:55] [SPEAKER_00]: Love that.

[00:18:56] [SPEAKER_00]: Fantastic advice for everybody listening as well.

[00:19:00] [SPEAKER_00]: And I've got to ask,

[00:19:01] [SPEAKER_00]: where is the best place for listeners

[00:19:03] [SPEAKER_00]: to find you or your team online?

[00:19:05] [SPEAKER_00]: Maybe find out more about anything we talked about today.

[00:19:08] [SPEAKER_00]: Is there any way you'd like to point everyone?

[00:19:10] [SPEAKER_01]: So certainly my LinkedIn profile,

[00:19:13] [SPEAKER_01]: if you're looking for anything specific to me,

[00:19:15] [SPEAKER_01]: obviously post a lot of articles

[00:19:17] [SPEAKER_01]: on LinkedIn or share articles.

[00:19:20] [SPEAKER_01]: And then from a quite an AR perspective,

[00:19:23] [SPEAKER_01]: our website which is ar.oddiend.nth

[00:19:25] [SPEAKER_01]: they're interested in taking a look

[00:19:26] [SPEAKER_00]: at a deeper dive of our solution.

[00:19:29] [SPEAKER_00]: Awesome.

[00:19:30] [SPEAKER_00]: Well, I'll add links to everything

[00:19:31] [SPEAKER_00]: so people can find you and I easily.

[00:19:34] [SPEAKER_00]: And we covered so much in a short amount of time there

[00:19:36] [SPEAKER_00]: from discussing the shifting B2B payment

[00:19:39] [SPEAKER_00]: landscapers organizations around the world

[00:19:41] [SPEAKER_00]: to adapt this more seamless payment experience

[00:19:44] [SPEAKER_00]: to the best possible solution.

[00:19:45] [SPEAKER_00]: use our services aligning to closer

[00:19:46] [SPEAKER_00]: B2C payment processes like text to pay, for example.

[00:19:49] [SPEAKER_00]: But also how organizations can facilitate

[00:19:52] [SPEAKER_00]: that transition from B2B to B2C

[00:19:55] [SPEAKER_00]: and exploring things like AI, intelligent automation

[00:19:59] [SPEAKER_00]: but some golden advice hidden in their conversation

[00:20:01] [SPEAKER_00]: as you don't have to go all in

[00:20:03] [SPEAKER_00]: and just flick that switch straight away.

[00:20:05] [SPEAKER_00]: In fact, that's probably the worst thing you could do.

[00:20:07] [SPEAKER_00]: So thank you so much for sharing your invaluable advice today.

[00:20:10] [SPEAKER_00]: Really appreciate it.

[00:20:11] [SPEAKER_00]: Absolutely.

[00:20:12] [SPEAKER_00]: Thanks so much for having me on, Neil.

[00:20:13] [SPEAKER_00]: After our discussion there,

[00:20:14] [SPEAKER_00]: he's really got me thinking about the future of B2B payments

[00:20:18] [SPEAKER_00]: and how companies can harness technology

[00:20:20] [SPEAKER_00]: to better streamline their financial operations.

[00:20:25] [SPEAKER_00]: And as we navigate this digital transformation of finance,

[00:20:29] [SPEAKER_00]: what steps can your organization take

[00:20:31] [SPEAKER_00]: to enhance your payment processes?

[00:20:34] [SPEAKER_00]: Think about how these changes might impact your business

[00:20:37] [SPEAKER_00]: and also feel free to share your thoughts with me

[00:20:40] [SPEAKER_00]: by emailing me techblogwriteroutlook.com

[00:20:43] [SPEAKER_00]: or Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, just at Neil C Hughes.

[00:20:47] [SPEAKER_00]: I hope you learned as much from Sarah Jane

[00:20:49] [SPEAKER_00]: and her wealth of insights today as I did

[00:20:51] [SPEAKER_00]: and I hope it sparks further conversations

[00:20:54] [SPEAKER_00]: amongst everyone listening

[00:20:55] [SPEAKER_00]: and wherever you are in the world in your workplace.

[00:20:58] [SPEAKER_00]: And again, what part of today's discussion as a whole resonated with you most?

[00:21:04] [SPEAKER_00]: Share your views, join the conversation

[00:21:05] [SPEAKER_00]: and we will continue exploring

[00:21:07] [SPEAKER_00]: how technology is reshaping our business landscapes together.

[00:21:11] [SPEAKER_00]: But that's it for today, so thank you for listening as always

[00:21:14] [SPEAKER_00]: and until next time, don't be a stranger.