Rethinking the new CFO Office

CFOs and their teams are working hard to help their organisations navigate the pandemic. Once this crisis is over, their roles will be just as crucial: they’ll be expected to help their companies thrive in the next normal. The next normal will be different, though. More than ever, digitisation and high-quality data will be quintessential for the CFO office. Here are four steps to help you get ready.

1. Learn from the crisis

Digital is here to stay

Even the most skeptical finance teams will have to admit it: the COVID-19 pandemic has shown that digital is now a basic requirement. Companies that were already working remotely and in the cloud moved smoothly from office to working from home. Those who hadn’t invested in digital collaboration tools yet struggled to get access to all the data remotely, and productivity dropped.

People don’t change their minds because they see the light, but because they feel the heat. That is what we’re seeing right now. The pandemic is a wakeup call: CFOs and the finance organisation understand that they have to accelerate the pace of digital transformation. It is not easy, of course, to adopt a transformation mindset while you’re leading your organisation through a crisis, cutting expenses, assessing liquidity, conserving cash and developing scenarios. But there’s no return to finance as usual. Technology is a must to work smarter and more efficiently.

2. Unveil the power of data

Finance has always been data driven, but data was mostly used for traditional responsibilities, like getting the books right, financial reporting, budgeting and a bit of forecasting. Moreover, the finance team uses structured data, which they can neatly insert into an Excel sheet. Yet today there is a massive amount of unstructured data available - from text, images and social media messages to sensor and geographical data. Armed with insights from this data, CFOs can help improve operational decision-making – and hence, the bottom line, by answering questions, such as, "which customer is the most profitable?" or "Which products will be in high demand next month?"

The volume and velocity of data from a number of diverse sources is increasing. There is more data than ever, more than enough computing power available. Technology today such as artificial intelligence (AI) and is ready to make connections between data and convert it into real-time decision support. Everything is there for the finance team to generate business value.

3. Break out of your silo

Finance is traditionally stuck in numbers and figures, validating and reconciling information. Business, sales and marketing remain distant, separate islands for many CFOs and their teams. An increasing number of CFOs are taking on more strategic roles, but it’s a difficult exercise for them to break out of their silos. Meanwhile, they are often expected to predict the future. 

CFOs should work together with CEOs, CIOs and other department heads to pinpoint opportunities for growth – based on the data and thus insights. Of course, they’ll still be taking care of reports and analysis, but on a different scale. That does require a mindset shift, though. CFOs should therefore expand their horizons and strengthen their teams with people that combine a nose for finance with good soft skills and an interest in technology.

4. Start small, but get started

Unsure where to start? Most of your peers already have, and you can’t risk falling behind. The transition to digital doesn’t need to be a big bang. Explore the new technologies available, team up with your most tech-savvy colleagues, choose a small pilot project and start experimenting. Go for the quick wins first, as these will help generate enthusiasm among the rest of the team. Step by step, you can then progress from digitising tasks to embracing the power of data to protect and later create value.

3 inspiring examples of what AI can do – from basic to advanced:

• By digitising the order-to-cash system (invoice scanning with intelligent recognition technology, automated booking and reporting) you’ll gain real-time insights into the cash position, as well as boost productivity. 
• Machine-learning algorithms can find correlations between customer behavior and the likelihood of fraud or late payments, helping you protect value.
• AI tools can predict the success of a merger or acquisition by identifying and analysing terms and clauses that point to risk in contracts. This is a clear example how a CFO adds clear value to the business.

Consclusion: make finance more fun

Finance teams that start experimenting with data and digital will soon experience that it’s fun to gain new insights, make forecasts and, in this way, help their organisations thrive. Finance will be much more interesting!