Accounting automation software leader BlackLine, Inc. expanded its accounts receivable (AR) automation offering in October, unveiling the next generation of its full-functionality AR automation suite. According to the company, this marks the industry's first unified platform for end-to-end cash flow optimization, including cash application and collection, credit and risk management, and dispute resolution. BlackLine's AI-powered unified AR automation platform uses intelligent automation to help customers release cash from debtors faster, unleash working capital, and accelerate their journeys to modern accounting and financial operations excellence.

The roles of the CFO and controller are ever-changing, with balance sheet optimization and the ability to quickly turn receivables into cash becoming more important than ever. In fact, a PWC Working Capital Report highlights that more than $1.3 trillion is being held hostage on global balance sheets. As companies emerge from the pandemic, there is a renewed focus on how they manage cash in the business and on improving working capital and debt collection capabilities. BlackLine is committed to helping its customers in what is estimated to be a $10 billion+ global market opportunity for AR automation.  

"Cash is the lifeblood of every business and having working capital on hand is essential to ensure business resilience," according to Kevin Kimber, Managing Director of BlackLine's global AR automation business unit. "Those companies that deploy intelligent automation across their finance and accounting organizations will be best positioned to accelerate, thrive, and rise above the competition." 

Many of the world's leading companies already use BlackLine to automate key AR processes. In the first three quarters of 2021 alone, more than $170 billion worth of payments were applied globally via BlackLine AR Automation solutions. BlackLine's unified applications for end-to-end AR automation are all built on the same multi-tenant platform and include a variety of solutions, including BlackLine Cash Application, BlackLine Credit & Risk, and BlackLine AR Intelligence. 

BlackLine Cash Application intelligently applies customer payments to invoices automatically, reducing manual effort by up to 85%, freeing up lines of credit instantly and allowing AR professionals to focus on managing risk and collecting cash with full visibility and control, not chasing customers for remittances or rework. BlackLine Credit & Risk Management drives profitability by managing the balance between sales and the risk of non-payment by orchestrating collection strategies, recovery sequences, and prioritization of team tasks with a complete understanding of customer payment behaviors. BlackLine AR Intelligence automatically analyzes AR processes, customer behaviors, sales trends and payment outcomes to drive decisions on credit limits, risk policies, collection strategies and more.

Additional solutions include BlackLine Collections Management, which provides automated escalating recovery sequences and dynamic collections strategies to fit each customer's profile to unlock cash while strengthening customer relationships; BlackLine Disputes & Deductions, which accelerates dispute resolution to maintain customer relationships and collect debt faster by highlighting where issues may arise and which actions are required to ensure cash collection; and BlackLine Team & Task Management, which focuses AR teams' time with data-driven task prioritization based on business impacts. By bringing together all these key processes on one platform, BlackLine's AR automation solutions empower companies to maximize working capital by collecting cash faster and providing a better understanding of cash flow. 

BlackLine's cloud-based solutions and market-leading customer service help companies move to modern accounting by unifying their data and processes, automating repetitive work, and driving accountability through visibility. Based in Los Angeles, BlackLine opened its office at Hacienda in 2019. It also has regional headquarters in London, Singapore, and Sydney. 

For more information, please visit www.blackline.com.