The CFO'S Perspective

How do The Best CFOs Use Machine Learning?

With all the buzz around generative AI in business, many finance professionals are eagerly waiting to see what the future will hold for AI usage in accounting and finance. Overall, the sentiment seems to be positive, although many are taking a more cautious approach as they wait to see where and how it will be utilized. But while AI integration is still in its early days for most small to mid-sized businesses, companies of all sizes across all industries have been benefiting from Machine Learning (ML) for decades and can largely credit their success to doing so.

Topics: Automation Technology Artificial Intelligence

Implementing Paperless Accounting Processes (including getting the money)

Three years after, we all went remote. What do we keep? What are the workarounds that we are living with but need to have a more sustainable solution for?

Situation:  We went remote without warning and put in coping measures. This accelerated the adoption of paperless/electronic workflows earlier than previously imagined. The return-to-the-office has happened in fits and starts, delayed by new variants and (frankly) resistance from staff who have embraced the opportunity to telework.

And even if your office IS returning to full-time in-person operations, it is doubtful that you will be returning to the "old way" or doing things. And perhaps you shouldn't. On this 3rd anniversary, it is time to reassess your systems and processes and evaluate what we can keep and perhaps improve and what needs to be left behind.

Topics: Financial Process Technology

The Biggest Financial Shifts of 2023

As companies continue to battle unexpectedly high inflation and economic uncertainty, understanding this year’s prevailing trends across financial forecasting, fintech stacks, procurement, and customer attribution can help them to increase revenue and market share. Our ongoing research and conversations with other c-suite professionals in the industry have revealed several key shifts in these areas that can affect not only how a CFO does their job but also how their organizations develop and execute on strategic plans.

Topics: CFO Responsibilities Change Management Strategy Supply Chain Technology

Can ChatGPT Help or Hurt as You Pursue a Job as a CFO?

 

If you are reading this and don't know what ChatGPT is, you better Google the phrase and learn about what is starting to transform many aspects of society and business. It is an AI tool developed by Open AI, a company that Microsoft has recently announced it has invested billions in and is incorporating into its Edge browser. TikTok has run amok on the topic, and it was TikTok that helped create a million ChatGPT users in less than a week from launch in late 2022.

To give a very high-level summary, one aspect of ChatGPT is you will never have to start a writing project staring at a blank piece of paper. State what you want to write about in ChatGPT, and voila – a few paragraphs or much longer will quickly appear. Stories are being told of people using this tool for term papers, copywriting, and cover letters; you name it, even a judge in Colombia recently used it to write a legal opinion.

My focus is in the context of a person working on getting their first CFO job or a CFO making a change. I should issue a warning: if you have not used ChatGPT before, after reading this article, you may find yourself acting like Alice going down the rabbit hole – your family, co-workers, and friends may not see you for a while as you use the easy-to-use AI app.

Topics: Search Services Technology

Combating Inflation in the Tech Industry

With the US inflation rate still over 6% it continues to dominate business news headlines. And after a recent press release in which the Fed announced they were raising their longstanding inflation rate target from 2% to a range of 4.5-4.75% speculation continues to ensue over what may be coming next. US monetary policy is likely poised to shape these inflationary trends, but the timing and success of such efforts are yet to be determined.

What we do know is that the effects of inflation are being widely felt – both by consumers and by businesses. And while high inflation has affected every industry to some degree, data shows that it is taking a disproportionately heavy toll on the tech sector. Public and private tech companies alike are bearing the burden of soaring inflation that does not show any signs of slowing in the near future.

So, what can the technology industry do to strategically combat high inflation? The following 7 actions are essential for tech companies to weather high inflation:

Topics: Technology

How Nonprofits are Using Technology to Grow in a New Age

As in any industry these days, technology utilization in nonprofit organizations is on the rise. Nonprofits are using technology to shape everything from how they communicate to how they fulfill their missions with greater efficiency and effectiveness than ever before.

In a Harvard Business Review article on the smart tech transformation occurring in nonprofits, Allison Fine and Beth Kanter summarize,

“The use of smart tech by social service agencies and other nonprofits exploded during the pandemic. For example, food banks deployed robots to pack meals; homeless services agencies used chatbots to give legal and mental health advice; and fundraising departments turned to AI-powered software to identify potential donors. At many nonprofits, smart tech is becoming integrated into internal workflows, fundraising, communications, finance operations, and service delivery efforts, freeing up staff to focus on deeper societal changes that need to be made — such as addressing the root causes of homelessness in addition to serving homeless people. While smart tech helped scores of nonprofits to pivot to suddenly remote and digital delivery of programs and services at the start of the pandemic, it may also enable them to turn the page on an era of frantic busyness and scarcity mindsets to one in which nonprofit organizations have the time to think and plan — and even dream.”

Topics: Non Profit Organizations Trends Technology