You Need a Human Touch
AI is here — and it’s not going anywhere.
Its capabilities in the accounts receivable world are already impressive, and we’re only scratching the surface. Tools are getting smarter. Workflows are getting faster. Automation is changing the game.
But if we’re not careful, we might forget something important:
Just because you can automate something doesn’t mean you should.
🔧 The First Big Step
I still remember the first major automation tool I used in this space — a brand-new company at the time called Bectran.
They let us ditch paper credit applications.
They sent automatic notifications when a new customer submitted an app.
They followed up with trade references daily — automatically.
They even connected with our credit bureau of choice and generated a custom score using reference feedback, credit data, and algorithmic factors.
It was a game changer for me and for the company.
It saved an hour a day, sped up customer setup, and freed our team to focus on more complex work.
I’m proud to say I was one of Bectran’s first customers — and stepping into automation early on showed me just how powerful it could be.
🧠 But Automation Isn’t Everything
For all its benefits, automation has its limits.
Especially in A/R, where the process is full of nuance, emotion, and judgment calls.
Let’s look at just one area: new customer setups.
Even with automation, you still need someone to:
Follow up when customers don’t return credit apps
Review applications for missing information
Pull credit reports
Interpret those reports and trade references
Make smart decisions about credit terms
Manually input data into your ERP
Communicate terms and expectations clearly
That’s a long list — and it’s only one part of the process.
Add in billing, invoicing, payment processing, collections, and customer service, and it’s easy to see why companies are investing in automation.
No one likes tedious tasks. And let’s be honest — collections calls aren’t for the faint of heart.
But you still need people doing the work.
🙋 Three Customer-Facing Roles That Can’t Be Fully Automated
Sales
Customer Service
Accounts Receivable
These are human roles. They require real conversations, judgment, and emotional intelligence.
Yes, automation can help you send reminders.
Yes, AI can score accounts and recommend next steps.
But sometimes, the numbers don’t tell the full story.
The credit score might not reflect the customer’s true risk.
The payment portal might misapply a check and trigger the wrong balance.
The collection system might press too hard when a softer touch is needed.
This is where you come in.
🎯 The Human Side of A/R
There is an art and a science to credit and collections.
The science is in the data. It helps us move faster, minimize error, and make more informed decisions.
The art is in the human judgment — knowing when to take a risk, when to break from protocol, and when something just doesn’t feel right.
Automation should enhance that human capability — not replace it.
Done right, it clears your plate of the mundane so you can focus on the moments that actually move the needle:
Making strategic exceptions
Building customer trust
Catching what the system missed
Knowing when to escalate or show grace
📉 The Downside of Over-Automation
Yes, automation improves efficiency. But there's a catch: the more you automate, the fewer entry-level opportunities you create.
That means:
Fewer “starter” roles for new talent to enter the field
More pressure on hiring fully-trained pros
Higher turnover if other companies do offer those growth paths
Automation should support your team — not make it so lean that you lose the bench strength you need to grow.
🧠 Final Thought
AI and automation are absolutely the future of A/R — but they are not the end of it.
As long as businesses owe each other money, we’ll need real people to manage the relationship.
People who can read the room. People who know when to follow the numbers — and when to question them.
So yes, embrace automation.
But never forget: This business still needs a human touch.
