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Optimize Order-to-Cash Cycles with Microsoft Dynamics and Atlas

insightsoftware -
November 18, 2019

insightsoftware is a global provider of reporting, analytics, and performance management solutions, empowering organizations to unlock business data and transform the way finance and data teams operate.

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The order-to-cash cycle is the difference between a business idea and an actual business. It’s the skeleton of the organization, the structure that supports everything else. It’s also the centerpiece of enterprise performance, the metric that matters more than any other.

Successful organizations fine-tune their order-to-cash cycle to be as efficient and consistent as possible. For most, however, perfecting the process isn’t easy, and the effort may not be effective. The reasons why vary, but they all relate back to the fact that order-to-cash cycles are large, complex, and dynamic objects that are fundamentally hard to manage, let alone streamline.

Technologies like Microsoft Dynamics aid in the effort by bringing more of the processes and data involved with the order-to-cash cycle onto the same platform. But bringing things together is not the same as making them integrated. For many users, processes like performance reporting are still far from perfect. The order-to-cash cycle remains a challenge because Microsoft Dynamics is only part of a complete solution.

Atlas for Dynamics from insightsoftware integrates with Microsoft Dynamics AX and Microsoft Dynamics 365 for Finance and Operations, and works within Excel. It’s designed to be the complete reporting solution companies need to turn their ERP data into an asset they can leverage to improve everything, including all aspects of the order-to-cash cycle. Consider some of the things you can do with a combination of Microsoft Dynamics and Atlas.

Understand Performance In-Depth

Atlas turns reporting into a relatively fast and easy process so that decision-makers always have insights into the performance of the order-to-cash cycle. Reports deliver an accurate overview of one metric or aspect of the cycle, and they allow users to drill into the data to explore further. Having all this information in one highly-accessible format helps identify bottlenecks, inefficiencies, and opportunities for improvement throughout the cycle.

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Minimize Data Errors

Reporting in Microsoft Dynamics involves extensive manual entries that can lead to data errors and a distorted understanding of cycle performance. Atlas automates most aspects of data management, eliminating the risk of errors and elevating the reliability of reporting. Whenever decision-makers must make consequential decisions about the order-to-cash cycle, they know they’re basing those decisions on the best information available.

Access Up-to-Date Insights

The automation within Atlas is so efficient that it can pull data directly out of Microsoft Dynamics and distribute them directly into dynamic reports and dashboards. Having access to real-time data makes it clear what’s happening right now, not a week, a month, or a quarter in the past.

Empower All Stakeholders

The Excel-based tools inside Atlas are intuitive and accessible enough for users of any skill level, both inside and outside finance, to build their own reports from the ground up. Atlas can also automate where, when, and how completed reports get distributed. Thanks to accessibility and automation, anyone with the ability to improve the order-to-cash cycle has access to the insights and information they require.

Prioritize Analysis and Action

One of the biggest reasons that tasks associated with the order-to-cash cycle struggle to improve is because stakeholders spend too much time studying the problem. Atlas automates that work, giving members of the finance team or C-suite more resources to analyze and explore the performance insights that come out of the reporting process. Instead of trying to understand the problem, they can use their resources to apply a solution.

Everyone who uses Microsoft Dynamics should do an honest assessment of their order-to-cash cycle. Could things be improved? What are the risks if things don’t improve? If you’re a Microsoft Dynamics user and upgrades are in order, Atlas is the clear choice. Request a free demo now.