Choosing the Right Tech to Transform Your Order-to-Cash (O2C) Process

Order-to-cash, revenue, and cash management have been the dominant tech themes at GrowCFO this quarter. Kevin Appleby wrapped up the quarter’s activities by inviting several leading vendors to showcase their solutions—highlighting how AI is breaking down operational barriers and opening up new possibilities for finance teams.

The order-to-cash (O2C) process is the lifeblood of every organisation’s working capital engine. Yet for many finance teams, it remains bogged down by delays, data silos, manual handoffs, and lost revenue. As finance leaders face mounting pressure to improve cash flow, reduce DSO, and enhance customer experiences, technology is no longer just helpful—it’s essential.

During the Tech Showcase, attendees saw impressive demonstrations of AI agents managing dunning processes, placing phone calls to customers with overdue accounts, preventing revenue leakage, and generating more accurate cash forecasts. One standout moment included an AI agent making a real-time call to a customer to discuss overdue invoices—a live interaction that amazed the audience.

While there’s an abundance of clever tech out there, choosing the right solution remains a critical challenge. Vendors such as Stuut, Zenskar, Agicap, and Revving showcased outstanding products, but the best fit depends on a business’s specific needs and context.

To help finance teams navigate the crowded O2C technology landscape, here’s a practical guide to making confident, strategic decisions that support long-term growth:

Understand the Full O2C Landscape

The O2C process includes several tightly connected stages:

• Order management
• Credit and risk management
• Invoicing and billing
• Collections and dunning
• Cash application
• Dispute and deductions management
• Reporting and forecasting

Start by identifying the weakest links in the current O2C cycle. A point solution might optimise collections, but if invoicing or cash application processes are broken, the full value won’t be realised.

The GrowCFO Tech Innovation Report offers detailed insights into common pain points and how modern tools are solving them.

Start with Pain Points and Priorities

Finance leaders should map their current-state processes and ask:

• Where are the delays?
• What’s still manual that could be automated?
• Where are errors and revenue leakage occurring?
• Is our DSO improving—or deteriorating?

Prioritise the most pressing challenges and consider the company’s growth stage. A scaling SaaS company might need automated usage-based billing (e.g., Zenskar), while more traditional businesses could benefit from AI-driven collections (e.g., Stuut), cash application automation (e.g., Agicap), or end-to-end ERP integration.

Look for These Key Capabilities

When evaluating O2C solutions, consider platforms that:

🔹 Seamlessly integrate with ERP, CRM, and billing systems
🔹 Use AI/ML to predict risk, prioritise collections, and automate payment matching
🔹 Enable collaboration between AR, sales, service, and customers
🔹 Provide real-time dashboards and forecasting tools
🔹 Scale with business complexity through modular design

And importantly—ensure the tech is user-friendly. The best solution is one your team will actually use.

Avoid the “Shiny Object” Trap

With AI, embedded payments, and intelligent workflows dominating the market, it’s easy to get distracted by buzzwords. But effective tech solves real business problems.

Ask vendors the tough questions:
“How will this reduce our DSO?”
“Do you have a case study for a business like ours?”
“What’s the year-one ROI?”
“What is your AI roadmap?”

Involve the Right People

Successful implementations require cross-functional alignment. Bring finance, operations, IT, and customer service stakeholders into the process early. They’ll help uncover risks, flag interdependencies, and ensure the solution supports the entire O2C journey—not just one department.

Proof-of-Value Over PowerPoint

Before making a full commitment, run a pilot. Most SaaS vendors will support proof-of-concept trials. Testing with real data helps validate whether the tool reduces manual work and delivers meaningful insights. If it doesn’t show value within a few weeks, it may not be the right fit.

Final Thought: It’s Not Just a Tool—It’s a Transformation

Selecting an O2C solution isn’t about plugging in another platform. It’s about transforming how finance delivers value to the business. The right technology can accelerate cash flow, empower teams to focus on strategic goals, and strengthen customer relationships.

If you missed yesterday’s Tech Showcase demos, recordings are now available in the members’ area for both free and premium GrowCFO members. Don’t miss the chance to see these technologies in action.