O R D E R T O C A S H A U T O M AT I O N F O R S A P

Order to Cash Automation for SAP

Raise financial performance to a new level
Sales Order Processing I eInvoicing I Credit Control I Cash Allocation

www.macro4.com

O R D E R T O C A S H A U T O M AT I O N F O R S A P

Streamline your Finance Operation with Order to Cash Automation

Turning customer orders into allocated cash as quickly as possible is a
critical activity for any business. Yet it is hampered by manual, paper based
processes that are slow and error prone, impacting cash flow and efficiency.
Our order to cash software suite works with your SAP SD (sales and distribution)
and financial applications to reduce manual effort. We help you use electronic documents
to drive down costs, raise service levels and improve performance against key
measures such as days sales outstanding (DSO), aged debt and unallocated cash.

1 Sales Order Processing

2 eInvoicing

Key Challenges

Key Challenges

We cant process customer orders quickly enough at busy times.

Printing and mailing invoices is costly and environmentally unfriendly.

Customers are receiving the wrong goods due to order entry errors.

Slow postal delivery and lost invoices are causing payment delays.

Surely we shouldnt need such a big sales order processing team?

Customers are defecting to competitors offering electronic invoicing.

Printing problems at the warehouse are delaying shipments.

We want to start eInvoicing but cant easily adapt our finance systems.

The Solution

The Solution

Minimize human error and eliminate order processing bottlenecks:

Make a fast, cost-effective transition to electronic invoicing

without changing your SAP applications:

u Remove the need for manual data entry by automatically

extracting key information from all orders received, including

u Sign up customers via a secure web portal and let them choose
email, online and/or paper invoices

scanned documents, faxes, emails and other eFormats

u Automatically create sales orders in your SD module and use

u Customize invoices and statements for eDelivery and add

promotional messages to increase sales

SAP workflow to swiftly authorize discounts and promotions

u Reliably print delivery documentation and picking lists - and

u Offer customers the added convenience of receiving detailed

invoice data online, for easy upload into their financial applications

reroute documents automatically in the event of a printer failure

- to prevent shipping delays

u Monitor online activity and send automated reminders if invoices

are not viewed, to encourage faster payment

u Provide online access to orders and signed proof of delivery

(POD) documents, for faster resolution of customer queries

u Comply with international eInvoicing standards, such as digital

signatures

and copy document requests

Benefits

Benefits

Build customer loyalty and minimize product returns by

fulfilling orders faster, with fewer errors

Reduce costs and environmental impact by producing

fewer paper documents

Reduce the volume of customer disputes to be handled by

Retain customers by meeting demand for eInvoicing

the accounts receivable team, and improve cash flow

Eliminate the lost in the post excuse for non-payment of

Process more orders with fewer people, at lower cost

invoices and reduce DSO

O R D E R T O C A S H A U T O M AT I O N F O R S A P

Macro 4 Order to Cash Solutions

Order
1 Sales
Processing

3 Credit Control

eInvoicing

4 Cash
Allocation

3 Credit Control

4 Cash Allocation

Key Challenges

Key Challenges

Sorting out paper documents before calling customers wastes time.

Matching payments to invoices is a manually intensive black art.

Customers dispute payments because they cant find the signed POD.

At month end we reach crisis point and have to bring in extra staff.

Sending copy documents to customers and calling back adds delays.

Delays allocating cash distort our DSO and aged debt figures.

Our offices cant share workload because paper files are in one place.

We end up chasing, and annoying, customers who have already paid.

The Solution

The Solution

Increase the ease and speed of debt recovery:

Automate even the most complex cash allocation processes,

u Provide swift online access, directly from your SAP system,

often within just a few weeks:

to all documents needed for credit control and dispute

resolution, including signed PODs scanned from paper or
uploaded from handheld devices
u Email or fax exact copies of misplaced documents to customers
directly from the credit controllers screen, while on the phone
u Eliminate many payment queries entirely by giving customers
online access to their own invoices and signed PODs
u Integrate with your financial applications so that all information
relevant to credit control can be viewed on one screen
u Trigger proactive follow-up calls to customers who have not

u Eliminate manual effort by auto-interpreting key data from

payment files and scanned cheques and remittance advices
u Using matching rules, automatically allocate over 90 per cent of
customer payments by the start of the day
u Match the few remaining payments in minutes, using a smart
one-click exception system that lists suggested matches
u Apply any selected matches automatically next time round,
so the number of exceptions declines rapidly
u Upload payments into your FI (finance) module automatically,
for a 'clean' ledger

yet accessed their invoices

Benefits

Benefits

Reduce DSO and increase cash flow by settling invoice

disputes faster

Perform the credit control task with fewer people,

unallocated payments

at lower cost

Increase your flexibility to manage workload peaks as

PODs can be viewed online from any location

Reduce your bad debt provision by lowering the value of

Reduce manual effort by over 70 per cent and focus activity
on collections rather than administration

Boost customer satisfaction, efficiency and cash flow by

chasing only genuinely unpaid invoices

O R D E R T O C A S H A U T O M AT I O N F O R S A P

Order to Cash Automation in Action

Industry Sector: Construction

Industry Sector: Recruitment

Before

Before

The company regularly missed its three day close target at month

Invoices were often dispatched several weeks late because too

end due to problems handling paper remittance advices.

long was spent manually collating supporting documentation

Unallocated cash was peaking at 20m, despite taking on

additional staff.

such as timesheets.
Further delays were caused by a lengthy process creating copy

It was often impossible to determine how cash should be allocated

invoices in response to customer requests.

correctly among 70 different companies within the group.

Debtor days increased as a result.

After

After

95 per cent of customer payments are now allocated automatically

Invoicing delays have been eliminated as timesheets are now

every morning.

automatically attached to invoices.

Staff numbers needed for cash allocation have significantly

Payment queries and copy invoice requests are now turned

reduced and the team is working more proactively.

around much faster, as all invoices are available online and can

Unallocated cash was reduced by 12m within three months and

be printed by credit controllers with a single click.

credit controllers can now focus their efforts on those invoices

Debtor days are at their lowest level ever, and the credit control team

that are genuinely unpaid.

has started receiving bonuses for exceeding targets.

Why Macro 4?
Macro 4 has over fifteen years experience of implementing technology to automate the order to
cash process for a wide range of organization profiles and industry sectors. We are one of the few
companies to deliver an integrated software suite for sales order processing, eInvoicing, credit
control and cash allocation. Macro 4 solutions are quick to implement and typically deliver financial
savings within a few weeks or months. Our software integrates seamlessly with your SAP applications
and its modular design allows you to extend the scope of your solution easily over time.
For more information on Macro 4 products and services visit www.macro4.com.
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