Introduction and challenges
The order to cash (O2C) cycle is the interface between the enterprise and its customers, which means it has a direct impact on business volume, cash flow and customer satisfaction, which are all critical to financial performance.
As with all organisation and process optimisation projects, fluidity and efficiency are key objectives for the O2C cycle. Rationalising costs is critical but the main goal is to facilitate customer relations and create the conditions which maximise revenue and cash.
It is important to consider the markets in which a enterprise operates (including competitive practices) to define the service levels to be achieved. Being perceived as “hard to do business with” is for example less prohibitive if the enterprise’s products or services are not perceived as substitutable or if competition is played out on a different dimension (technical advances, price competitiveness) or if the customer is not the prescriber (B2B2C).
Finally, being aware of the diversity of stakeholders of the O2C cycle is key to a successful transformation. This is because the cultural biases and function objectives are differ strongly between the sales teams, sales administration function, supply chain and accounting teams, to name but a few.
How we can help
Argon & Co mobilises experts from the sales teams, sales administration, downstream supply chain, and finance functions to support its clients in opportunity to cash cycle optimisation projects.
We advise on the following subjects
Optimisation of the opportunity to cash process
- Rationalise and streamline the process (business process improvement)
- Digitise the O2C process (multi-channel, automation)
- Value-added project ownership support in the context of ERP or CRM deployment
- Review roles and responsibilities and governance (particularly in the context of projects to optimise working capital requirements)
- Review internal control
Organisational redesign
- Review the organisational model for the O2C process (location, profiles, sizing)
- Set up or optimise service centres for business processes (telesales, sales force support, customer service centres)
- Set up or optimise service centres for financial processes (invoicing, customer accounting, collection)
- Supporting outsourcing processes
Specific studies
- Analyse contracts to identify billing leaks (“revenue leakage analysis”)
- Analyse COGS with a view to re-evaluating rates