How AR Automation Leads to More Sustainable Printing

There is no better time than now for B2B commercial printers to seek more sustainable printing practices. Bain and Company reports 36% of buyers would change suppliers if their sustainability requirements weren’t being met, and half would pay a premium of 5% or more just to work with environmentally responsible vendors. 

Many printers have made strides toward sustainability by embracing digital workflows and using Forest Stewardship Council (FSC)-certified paper that comes from responsibly managed forests. The next step is automating their AR (accounts receivable) process. 

Automation isn’t foreign to printers, who have embraced it quicker than others. This blog explains how applying it to their AR process can help commercial printers grow more sustainable and make themselves more attractive to buyers.

Less paper, less waste

A manual AR process is detrimental to a business looking to enhance sustainability. Think of how many wastebaskets you fill each year with paper invoices, receipts, envelopes, and checks. Worse, think of how many wastebaskets you make your customers fill each year. 

Accounting automation from Bill360 removes paper from your AR process. Our payment-ready electronic invoices or e-invoices are customizable and don’t require paper, envelopes, or stamps. They’re emailed to customers as soon as the project is complete. Once paid, invoices are automatically reconciled to payment and stored in a secure, digital platform that’s easy to access. It’s more organized and environmentally responsible than filing cabinets packed with folders and receipts. 

Bill360 enables your customers to access their own portal and set up and manage digital payment wallets. Rather than stuffing paper checks in paper envelopes, customers use their wallets to make digital payments via credit card or through ACH. These methods are speedier, sustainable, and far more secure than paying by check. 

Eliminates errors, scales your business 

Mistakes happen to anyone at any time. They can be costly when they happen inside your AR process. Sending customers duplicate or incorrect invoices, for example, creates more waste and weakens your reputation and relationships. 

AR automation eliminates human error, ensuring invoices are prepared, shipped, and reconciled to payment correctly. This keeps your finances accurate, maintains your good standing with customers, and prevents you from wasting paper on mistakes.  

Because AR automation scales with your business, you won’t have to worry about purchasing more paper, ink toner, or other materials required to ramp up your AR process as you grow. The software adapts to your growing client base and keeps your process flowing efficiently and responsibly.

More time, more ideas 

Achieving sustainability is a team effort requiring input and participation from every department. However, it’s difficult for your employees to commit to sustainability-related projects if they’re spending hours on accounts receivable. 

AR handles time-consuming accounting tasks, freeing your staff to help your company achieve a higher grade of sustainability. Bill360 provides e-invoicing, auto reconciliation, and payment processing, saving your team up to 15 hours a week they can use toward making your firm more sustainable. 

You can also create workflows that automatically send payment alerts and reminders to customers, saving the time and trouble that comes with making uncomfortable phone calls. Doing so gets you paid faster and eliminates the 14 hours a week that 65% of small-to-medium-sized companies spend dealing with late invoices. 

Enhance sustainability with Bill360 

The only accounting automation platform created exclusively for B2B companies like yours, Bill360 helps champion sustainable printing practices by eliminating paper and friction from your AR process. 

Our end-to-end automation combines e-invoicing, auto reconciliation, and payment processing into a secure, digital platform that not only gets you paid an average of 36% faster than your current process but enables you to run a more environmentally responsible business. 

Bill360 saves time, eliminates waste, and gives your customers access to a self-service portal where they can make fast, digital payments through credit cards and ACH. Your commercial printing firm gets paid faster and saves you and your customers from having to purchase and discard large amounts of envelopes, invoices, and receipts. 

FAQ 

How does accounting automation increase sustainability? 

Accounting automation digitizes your entire AR process, eliminating the need for paper invoices, stamps, envelopes, and checks. 

Will accounting automation disrupt my process? 

No. Bill360 enhances it. Not only do does our platform increase sustainability while getting you paid 36% faster, but it syncs seamlessly and enhances existing accounting software like QuickBooks® and Xero®. 

How can accounting automation help my customers grow more sustainable? 

Accounting automation sends invoices digitally and enables your customers to make payments via their wallet, AutoPay, and “pay now” links embedded invoices in emails. They no longer have to stock up on envelopes, stamps, or checks. And because Bill360 provides them with up to 18 months of invoice and buying history, your customers will no longer need paper receipts.