Transcript

Barbara Carpenter:
I’m Barbara Carpenter, and I’m with Craft Hinds Invoice-to-Cash (credit collections, deductions, and cash application). Our largest piece is the deductions portion. I started four years ago—remote—with about 350 analysts (all outsourced to a third party). Today we’re down to around 250 analysts managing that account, thanks to automation, transformation, and change management.

I’ve led multiple AR software implementations at four different companies, so I’m passionate about automation and change management. I know it can be scary—people worry, “Will I lose my job?”—especially in AR and AP roles where folks have been doing the same tasks for years.

My first implementation had issues because team members held back information. Since then, I’ve evolved my approach: I involve the team early, learn from other departments (even AP), and remember that automation applies across functions (supply chain, order management, etc.), not just AR.

What is automation?
Using technology to perform tasks with minimal human intervention. AI is related but distinct—it can be the next step after you’ve automated your manual processes.

Key points:

• People still matter. If the automation breaks, you need staff to troubleshoot, apply cash, or post invoices.
• Shift focus. Free your team from busy work so they can add value—analytics, customer-behavior projects, proactive collections.
• Address fears. Common concerns: “It’s too complex,” “I won’t have the skills,” “I’ll lose my creativity.” In reality, automation gives you more time to innovate.
• ROI and cost. Many solutions cost millions to implement. Build a business case around ROI, but start small with a pilot you know will succeed.
• Continuous improvement. After automating one process, ask “What’s next?” Keep the momentum going.

Attendee 1 (Accounts Payable Manager, Amir’s Bank):
Thank you, Barbara. I’ve been at Amir’s Bank for five years, and we have very little automation—definitely no AI yet. When I arrived, our AP team of 11 handled 50,000 invoices a year with no compliance controls or procedures. I had to rebuild the department from scratch.

Within three months, I reduced headcount from 11 to four by hiring the right talent and clarifying roles: one person focuses on vendor maintenance, another on invoice processing, and so on. We’ve also created an internal robotics division to build bots for tasks like vacation-scheduling. Now I’m working with them to build a bot to handle turnover notifications—and learning that I can maintain it myself once it’s up and running.

Moderator:
So, for the group: Barbara described team members withholding information on her first go-live. What can you do to create an environment where people feel safe sharing those critical details—“Hey Barbara, here’s something you need to know”—without fear of punishment?

Attendee 2:
Great question. A lot of your presentation resonated with me as we’re mid-journey on automation, transformation, and productivity. It starts with change management and tone-from-the-top. At our company, the CEO regularly says, “Every role should ask, ‘How can I do my job better, faster, stronger?’” It’s plastered everywhere—town halls, internal communications—so it’s embedded in our culture.

We hold “roundtables” instead of traditional team meetings, where everyone shares what’s working, what isn’t, and ideas to fix it. We even have a performance-management process that rewards leaving your job “better than you found it.” That transparency and expectation make it easier for people to speak up.

Attendee 3:
I like that—it’s great. In my organization, performance reviews focus as much on “how” you do your work as “what” you accomplish. We rotate salaried employees every 18 months (hourly every 12 months) to keep skills fresh and encourage cross-pollination. When people know they can develop new skills—and possibly move on—it reduces their fear of automation.

Building trust is critical. Be transparent about what automation will—and won’t—do for them. Tie it back to reducing their stress, giving them more meaningful work, and developing skills that are future-proof. I also tell my team: “I make mistakes, I’ll make more—let’s try things together.” That vulnerability fosters a safe space for innovation.