Financial Management Best Practices

Financial Management Software on Salesforce

The world has undergone rapid and profound changes, driven by cloud platforms, mobile technologies, regulatory shifts, economic and political transformations, and the emergence of the Everything-as-a-Service (XaaS) economy. These trends have revolutionized the role of the CFO and financial operations, marking a departure from the traditional focus on compliance and financial tasks.

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Successful CFOs and finance professionals today extend their vision beyond day-to-day operations. They explore opportunities to expand their business footprint and capitalize on the XaaS revolution. While closing the books remains crucial, it is equally important to guide the organization in discovering new product innovations, revenue streams, and pathways to customer satisfaction. Below, we highlight key insights and best practices in financial management to support you on this transformative journey.

Certinia Financial Management: Connecting ERP to CRM

Certinia’s Financial Management solutions seamlessly integrate front and back-office functions, consolidating key financial operations on the Salesforce Platform. This includes general ledger, revenue recognition, fixed assets, invoicing, accounts payable, and accounts receivable. Certinia’s automation streamlines the entire opportunity-to-cash process, ensuring precise revenue management and providing flexibility to adapt to new business models in the evolving services economy. Implementation is straightforward, learning is easy, and maintenance is trouble-free.

Transforming Financial Management Best Practices with Certinia

  1. Diversify Beyond Single Products or Services

For CFOs in product-based companies without services, seizing opportunities to expand and build recurring revenue is paramount. In the XaaS economy, successful CFOs explore various paths to growth, turning products into services and vice versa. This could involve repackaging existing products and services creatively, fostering ongoing relationships with customers.

  1. Prioritize Customer Experience

In the service-centric economy, every business must prioritize customer experience, necessitating CFOs’ active engagement in customer satisfaction and retention. Close involvement in post-sales functions, such as onboarding, service delivery, support, and customer success, is crucial. A comprehensive view of the entire account, with insights into customer behavior, service quality, and product quality, enables informed decision-making to meet customer needs.

  1. Leverage Predictive Customer Data

Given the high cost of acquiring new customers, focusing on key customer success metrics is vital. Metrics such as time-to-value, product adoption rates, project status, usage rates, and service call patterns can predict future rates of renewal, churn, and expansion. Understanding customer lifetime value (CLV) and customer acquisition costs (CAC) allows immediate adjustments to optimize business outcomes.

  1. Harmonize Billing for Improved Retention

Billing errors can erode a company’s credibility built during the marketing and sales cycle. Flexible billing systems that support diverse revenue streams are essential to offer a seamless billing experience from opportunity closure to billing, payment, renewal, and revenue recognition.

  1. Identify Top-Performing Products

CFOs should discern the highest-margin products and understand why customers choose them. Defend and capitalize on successful products while dissecting them to replicate their success throughout the business. Respond to customer trends, such as global expansion, or address underutilized modules to enhance overall product and service offerings.

  1. Establish a Master Customer Record

Achieving a comprehensive view of the entire account requires connecting back-office functions (ERP) with the front office (CRM) to create a master customer record. This unified record streamlines customer acquisition, quoting, contracts, financial operations, and fulfillment. It empowers customer-facing staff to provide immediate, high-quality support and offers financial leaders valuable data for strategic decision-making.

  1. Turn Compliance into Opportunity

With regulations multiplying in complexity, turning compliance into an opportunity is crucial. A robust revenue recognition solution automates data gathering for various revenue models, producing clear audit trails and freeing up time for proactive business value creation.

  1. Utilize the Right Technology Stack

Modern CFOs require integrated front and back-office systems that unify data and manage diverse billing models. Connecting ERP and CRM establishes a single customer database, automating billing, revenue management, and core financial processes. This approach ensures a consistent view of critical customer data across departments, fostering efficiency and collaboration.

Transform your financial management practices with Certinia, aligning your processes with the demands of the evolving business landscape.

See how Certinia solutions transform and optimize operations.