Mario Lombardo Associate Consultant, Future of Workspace

Jacqui Hendriks Associate Research Director, European Print Vendor Transformation Strategies

InfoBrief, sponsored by Rossum | July 2025

From Bottleneck to Powerhouse: Unlocking Strategic Value in Accounts Payable Through AI

InfoBrief, sponsored by Rossum July 2025 | IDC #EUR153574525

2

From Bottleneck to Powerhouse: Unlocking Strategic Value in Accounts Payable Through AI

From Reporter to Strategic Architect: The New Mandate for Finance Leaders In today’s environment of economic turbulence, interest rate uncertainty, inflation concerns, geopolitical tensions, and unpredictable market dynamics, CFOs are under intense pressure to guide their teams via decisive, strategic leadership. As a result, the CFO role is increasingly expanding beyond that of financial reporter to strategic architect, driving transformation across the enterprise in areas such as ESG, workforce strategy, digital transformation, risk and cybersecurity, and investor relations.

TRADITIONAL TASKS NEW TASKS

In IDC’s CFO Tech Agenda Survey, 2024,

57% of respondents stated that their CFOs have non-financial areas reporting to them.

Respondents stated that the primary objective for their finance organization over the next 12 months is learning other areas of responsibility outside of finance (business operations, HR, or others).

Sources: Market Analysis Perspective: Worldwide CFO Tech Agenda, 2024 (IDC #US52432523); What Are the Primary Objectives for the CFO in the Next 12 Months? (IDC #US53157823); CFOs Are Expanding Their Responsibilities Beyond Finance: The Impact on Technology Vendors (IDC #US53104623).

Procurement and supply

chain

Corporate social

responsibility

Business development

& investor relations

HR

Training and development

Administration & facilities

Legal

IT Financial

operations

Accounting

Financial supplier

management

Business operations

FP&AContracts

Treasury

IT Finance

Estimating and pricing

Audit

InfoBrief, sponsored by Rossum July 2025 | IDC #EUR153574525

3

From Bottleneck to Powerhouse: Unlocking Strategic Value in Accounts Payable Through AI

A Modern Strategy Needs Agile Finance: CFOs Must Adopt New Tools.

A strong corporate strategy is essential for long-term success as it aligns vision, resources, and decision-making across the organization while enabling adaptability and innovation in a changing market.

But strategy without precise execution leads to misalignment and stalled growth. CFOs must now take ownership of financial oversight and drive strategic execution, ensuring capital, data, and operations are tightly aligned with corporate goals.

To achieve this, the CFO must be equipped with tools to drive measurable outcomes. AI-powered automation plays a critical role here — intelligent agents that can capture, validate, and transform documents, request approvals, and write to enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems, eliminating manual barriers to speed and precision.

This is the future-ready CFO office: automated, insight-rich, and actively delivering enterprise value.

Risk management

Capital allocation

Performance measurement

Investor relations

Compliance & governance

Cost management

Financial planning & budgeting

Cashflow management

Strategic investments

Sustainable growth

Financial reporting & transparency

Resource allocation

Source: Corporate Strategy: Keys to Success from the Office of the CFO (IDC #US51906323)

CFO

InfoBrief, sponsored by Rossum July 2025 | IDC #EUR153574525

4

From Bottleneck to Powerhouse: Unlocking Strategic Value in Accounts Payable Through AI

Why CFOs Struggle: Time, Lack of Automation, and Talent Wars

Top 3 Challenges in the CFO Role

CFOs need automation to overcome time, data, and talent constraints. The right tools do not just streamline workflows; they help finance teams do more with less, meet strategic goals, and stay competitive in attracting next-generation talent.

Working on digital transformation and still performing job duties

The high number of meetings and not enough

time to do “real work”

Obtaining real-time information/data

Additionally, organizations are struggling with ongoing “talent wars.” Some

30% of respondents identify staffing/labor shortages as a top risk factor, with younger professionals showing declining interest in repetitive manual tasks.

Source: Top Challenges for the Roles in the Office of the CFO (IDC #US51923423); Market Analysis Perspective: Worldwide Talent Acquisition and Strategy, 2024 (IDC #US52694224)

31% 25% 24%

1 2 3

With expanded responsibilities and a greater focus on corporate strategy, today’s CFOs are navigating new complexities at work that demand greater accuracy, efficiency, and speed, making automation and purpose-built tools essential for streamlining processes and supporting smarter data-driven decisions.

InfoBrief, sponsored by Rossum July 2025 | IDC #EUR153574525

5

From Bottleneck to Powerhouse: Unlocking Strategic Value in Accounts Payable Through AI

The AI Advantage: Automation Provides Strategic Value.

In the context of modern finance teams, AI is rapidly becoming an essential tool in automating manual processes and delivering validated data, supporting faster and more accurate financial decision-making.

In which of the following process areas has your finance

organization implemented artificial intelligence?

By automating manual processes and delivering decision-ready validated data, CFOs can lead with clarity and speed.

Sources: AI in Finance: Where It’s Being Used and Is It Delivering Value? (IDC #US53206723); What Types of AI Are the Most Popular in Corporate Finance, and Where Has Finance Implemented AI? (IDC #US53238823); The Global Economic Impact of AI — April 2025 Update (IDC #EUR153307125); Breaking Down AI for Usage for the Office of the CFO (IDC #US52188423)

96.6% of respondents currently use

or are piloting AI in the finance function, with record/close to report, order/offer to cash, and financial procure to pay being top priorities.

AI is a powerful transformative force and is reshaping the global economic landscape. By 2030, every new dollar spent worldwide on AI solutions and services by AI adopters will generate an additional $4.90.

11%

12%

14%

16%

20%

25%

28%

27%

26%

Record/Close to report

Order/Offer to cash

Financial procure to pay

Plan to perform

Financial governance risk and compliance (GRC)

Financial acquire to retire

Corporate risk to treasury management

M&A activities

Tax

InfoBrief, sponsored by Rossum July 2025 | IDC #EUR153574525

6

From Bottleneck to Powerhouse: Unlocking Strategic Value in Accounts Payable Through AI

AI in Finance Will Not Work Without Trust. Here is How to Build it.

What is the biggest barrier to implementing AI in corporate finance?

By providing a trusted third-party perspective, consultancy partners help bridge the credibility gap, ensuring AI adoption aligns with financial accountability and long-term strategic goals. In this way, CFOs can close the trust gap, implementing solutions that enhance compliance, improve transparency, and deliver real financial impact.

Source: What Is the Biggest Barrier to Implementing AI in Corporate Finance? (IDC #US53238723 )

21%

54% 61%

Not sure where to start Concerns regarding financial compliance

Too many unknowns/ Lack of control

Despite AI’s potential, many CFOs remain cautious. This is due to concerns around data governance, auditability, and regulatory compliance, with 61% of respondents in an IDC survey noting “too many unknowns/lack of control” as the biggest barrier to implementing AI. In this context, involving an independent consultancy is recommended, not only to test AI performance but also to validate outcomes, interpret risk, and articulate ROI.

61%

InfoBrief, sponsored by Rossum July 2025 | IDC #EUR153574525

7

From Bottleneck to Powerhouse: Unlocking Strategic Value in Accounts Payable Through AI

You Cannot Scale What is Broken. Transform Before You Automate.

AI elevates, not eliminates, human expertise. A recent IDC report* notes that, as routine tasks are automated, finance professionals’ focus is shifting to higher-value work, such as data analysis, strategic insight, and business advisory. Organizations that invest in AI training and workforce transformation will be best positioned to ensure that their finance teams remain valuable in an increasingly AI-powered future.

Outdated or inflexible financial policies can obstruct process improvements, automation, and system upgrades, limiting the agility and efficiency needed.

Noncompliance

Inaccurate financial reporting

Increased financial risk

Inefficiency

Reputational damage

Regularly revisiting and modernizing financial policies is essential for reducing risk, supporting growth, and enabling CFOs to drive strategic value.

Writing detailed financial policies is a balancing act, so it can be useful to involve consultants to ensure clarity and intent are met and to include a designated contact for questions and clarifications.

Sources: Leading Through Change: Preparing Corporate Finance for the Agentic AI Era* (IDC #US53306023); Finance Transformation: Company Financial Policy Will Need to Be Revamped (IDC #US51906423)

Failing to keep financial policies up to date can lead to:

True transformation means more than just automating broken processes; it demands rebuilding the financial core.

InfoBrief, sponsored by Rossum July 2025 | IDC #EUR153574525

8

From Bottleneck to Powerhouse: Unlocking Strategic Value in Accounts Payable Through AI

How to Build a Finance Architecture to Power the Enterprise

Modernizing business architecture is a core component of financial transformation. It provides the opportunity to streamline operations, standardize processes, and automate repetitive manual tasks, freeing up resources for strategic analysis and decision-making.

To be effective, this transformation must follow a phased and holistic approach aligned with broader organizational goals, supported by expert consultancy to avoid short-term fixes and ensure lasting impact. Applying and performing business architecture for finance (and the business) involves the following steps:

Source: What Is Business Architecture, and Why Is It Valuable with Finance Transformation? (IDC #US53104523)

Defining the strategic role

Mapping finance

capabilities

Designing value

streams

Optimizing processes and

technology

Developing a target operating

model

Monitoring and evolving

transformation

Measure performance.

Adapt to change.

Structure the finance organization.

Outsource or automate processes.

Foster agility.

Streamlines processes.

Leverage technology.

Ensure data integrity.

Catalog financial capabilities.

Assess maturity. Align with

business needs.

Catalog financial capabilities.

Assess maturity. Align with

business needs.

Identify objectives.

Set priorities.

InfoBrief, sponsored by Rossum July 2025 | IDC #EUR153574525

9

From Bottleneck to Powerhouse: Unlocking Strategic Value in Accounts Payable Through AI

Accounts Payable is the First Domino in Financial Transformation.

Accounts payable (AP) sits at the heart of financial operations and is a key target for refinement. IDC research reveals that the area of “financial procure to pay (supplier management and accounts payable)” is a top 4 factor for improvement. It is a high-volume and data-heavy function that touches everything from cashflow to forecasting. Yet traditional AP processes are still manual, fragmented, and expensive, costing organizations time, accuracy, and insight.

In today’s finance and operational landscape, AP plays a strategic role beyond invoice processing. It supports:

Despite AP’s strategic value, manual processes persist and often limit speed, visibility, and efficiency. Without AI-driven solutions to streamline workflows, validate data, and reduce manual touchpoints, AP teams face costly inefficiencies that slow down operations, signaling a clear opportunity for automation to drive impact.

Source: What Areas Need Process Improvement in the Office of the CFO? (IDC #US52771924)

Accounts Payable

Ad-hoc

reporting

Data

gathering

Information

management

Forecasts,

calendars, and

models

InfoBrief, sponsored by Rossum July 2025 | IDC #EUR153574525

10

From Bottleneck to Powerhouse: Unlocking Strategic Value in Accounts Payable Through AI

AI is Already Transforming AP. Here is What it Looks Like.

Accounts payable, given its high volume of data-heavy repetitive tasks, is an ideal use case for AI-driven process improvement.

Robotic process automation (RPA) is an example of AI that the finance community has embraced. Software applications streamline invoice processing by automatically extracting data, validating it against purchase orders and receipts, and posting transactions to accounting systems. This reduces manual effort in data entry, matching, and reconciliation, thus enhancing accuracy, accelerating processing times, and cutting operational costs.

Adopting AI and machine learning within AP allows organizations to go beyond manual workflows, improving precision & processing

and elevating AP from a transactional function to a driver of strategic value.

Real-time monitoring:

Digital AP tools equip businesses with the capability to track activities, collate

data, and develop highly detailed analyses and forecasts.

Integrated flow:

Cloud-based AP solutions offer flexibility, scalability, and seamless integration with

accounts receivable, procurement, and expense management.

Source: Breaking Down AI for Usage for the Office of the CFO (IDC #US52188423); Market Analysis Perspective: Worldwide Accounts Payable Applications, 2024 (IDC #US51659824)

Automation:

This substantially reduces manual tasks through invoice sorting and payment processing.

Reviews lines with similar descriptions and groups into one line for PO matching

Understands the location (e.g., London) of invoices and allocates them to the right entity

Identify invoice type (e.g., lease, subsidiary, or purchasing entity) and derives spending category and general ledger (GL) code.

InfoBrief, sponsored by Rossum July 2025 | IDC #EUR153574525

11

From Bottleneck to Powerhouse: Unlocking Strategic Value in Accounts Payable Through AI

Modern AP, Modern Metrics: How AI Transforms What You Track

By mid-2026, 60% of the G2000 organizations will have new KPIs to align AI-infused processes and employee workflows,

driving a 45% overall improvement in operational efficiency and employee productivity.

For CFOs, optimizing working capital is a core priority, and AI-enabled AP can play a direct role. Automation, however, is not the end goal; it is an enabler. Organizations should focus on defining their business objectives through new KPIs and let AI help them get there faster, smarter, and more efficiently.

AI and automation streamline the procure- to-pay (P2P) process, which is often bogged down by repetitive manual tasks. These changes directly impact the KPIs that matter most to CFOs:

Efficiency: By accelerating approval times and improving accuracy, automation directly impacts key KPIs, such as PO match rates and the capture of early payment discounts, leading to immediate positive financial outcomes. Automated workflows reduce payroll costs and protect EBITDA, a key metric for private equity-backed firms.

Effectiveness: AI helps align AP operations with broader business goals, from optimizing working capital to improving forecasting accuracy. It enhances financial control and decision-making, making AP a contributor to enterprise- wide value, not just cost containment.

Experience: Automation transforms the day-to-day experience of finance teams and suppliers. It reduces manual workloads, minimizes exceptions, and improves visibility, resulting in faster payments, fewer disputes, and stronger supplier relationships.

Source: KPIs and Metrics that Need to Be Assessed During Finance Transformation (IDC #US52083423); AI-Enabled Applications Can Improve Your KPIs (IDC #US53236025)

Inventory optimization and

accuracy

Right credit extensions and overdue receivables

flagged

Possible early payment discounts

enabled

Improved accounts receivable collection

Improved invoice

processing

Inventory holding costs

minimized

InfoBrief, sponsored by Rossum July 2025 | IDC #EUR153574525

12

From Bottleneck to Powerhouse: Unlocking Strategic Value in Accounts Payable Through AI

Vendor Variability is Inevitable. Manual Headaches and Extra Costs Are Not. According to the IOFM, in around 25% of organizations, more than 10% of transactions require correction. AI-powered document

processing software can standardize and structure documents, so AP teams can work with clean, reliable data.

Organizations cannot always control the formats and behavior of documents received for processing. Advanced AI can read through errors, normalize different layouts, and extract accurate data across supplier systems. Reducing manual exception handling is critical to improving key metrics such as PO match rate, cycle time, and supplier satisfaction, while standardizing unstructured data aids accuracy and efficiency.

Sources: IDC ProductScape: Worldwide Intelligent Document Processing Software, 2025 — Technology Supplier Solution Functionality (IDC #US53124625); IDC MarketScape: Worldwide Intelligent Document Processing Software 2023–2024 Vendor Assessment (IDC #US49988723) Next-Generation Accounts Payable with AI-Led Automation, IOFM (https://www.iofm.com/ap/webinars/next-generation-accounts-payable-with-ai-led-automation)

AI-POWERED DOCUMENT

PROCESSING PLATFORM

UNSTRUCTURED INPUT STANDARDIZED OUTPUT

Duplicate entries automatically

detected

Fields mapped to your system,

regardless of source

Clean PO and vendor

info

Consistent formatting (dates, currency, and

line items)

Duplicate invoices

Handwritten annotations

Regional tax formats (e.g., GST vs. VAT)

Missing or incorrect PO

numbers

Inconsistent layouts

Varying date formats

Different date formats

Currency formatting

inconsistencies

Multiple file types

Typos and spelling errors

Ready for ERP or workflow integration

Exceptions flagged for review

Accurate totals and tax fields

Clean, structured, and ready-to- process data

InfoBrief, sponsored by Rossum July 2025 | IDC #EUR153574525

13

From Bottleneck to Powerhouse: Unlocking Strategic Value in Accounts Payable Through AI

Checklist: The Non-Negotiables for Modern AP Automation

Not all automation platforms are created equal. Best-in-class AI solution providers combine powerful technology with strategic consultancy, helping finance teams automate today while planning for tomorrow.

Selecting a platform is not just about ticking boxes or chasing KPIs. It is important to partner with a provider that understands the challenges and can help define success, design scalable processes, and evolve the finance function with confidence.

Source: IDC ProductScape: Worldwide Intelligent Document Processing Software, 2025 — Technology Supplier Solution Functionality (IDC #US53124625); IDC MarketScape: Worldwide Intelligent Document Processing Software 2023–2024 Vendor Assessment (IDC #US49988723)

BEST-IN-CLASS PLATFORMS OFFER:

Full end-to-

end workflow

integration,

including ERP

and finance

systems

Adaptability

to various

supplier

formats and

portals

Transparent

AI (Avoid

black-box

AI!)

High-volume,

accurate data

extraction

that supports

all document

types

Cloud-native,

scalable, and

trusted across

different

industries and

company sizes

Human-centric

self-learning

AI designed

to elevate

humans

Private large

language

models (LLMs)

to avoid

data leakage

and ensure

compliance

A holistic

consultancy-

led approach

focused on

outcomes, not

quick fixes

InfoBrief, sponsored by Rossum July 2025 | IDC #EUR153574525

14

From Bottleneck to Powerhouse: Unlocking Strategic Value in Accounts Payable Through AI

About Sponsor

CrossCountry Consulting and Rossum: Accelerating AP Transformation

CrossCountry Consulting and Rossum partner to help enterprise finance teams unlock end-to-end efficiency across the procure-to-pay life cycle. Combining CrossCountry’s deep Coupa Software implementation expertise, built on 800+ global deployments using Rossum’s intelligent document processing platform, this collaboration brings together two leaders in finance transformation to eliminate friction, reduce risk, and drive real-time insights from transactional documents.

Whether modernizing invoice processing, improving compliance, or accelerating time to value, CrossCountry and Rossum deliver tailored automation strategies aligned with each client’s unique finance and operations goals. Together, we help Coupa customers supercharge the value of their P2P investments with AI-powered document automation that scales across regions, entities, and use cases, without compromising control or accuracy.

Ready to maximize the impact of your P2P automation? Our experts can help.

Find out more on Technology enabled transformation

https://rossum.ai/form/demo/?utm_source=cta-report&utm_medium=referral&utm_term=en&utm_content=landing-page&utm_campaign=idc-crosscountry-report https://www.crosscountry-consulting.com/ https://rossum.ai/?utm_source=cta-report&utm_medium=referral&utm_term=en&utm_content=landing-page&utm_campaign=idc-crosscountry-report https://www.crosscountry-consulting.com/solution/technology-enabled-transformation/ai-strategy-transformation/?utm_medium=referral&utm_source=rossum&utm_campaign=coupa&utm_content=IDC

This publication was produced by IDC Custom Solutions. As a premier global provider of market intelligence, advisory services, and events for the information technology, telecommunications, and consumer technology markets, IDC’s Custom Solutions group helps clients plan, market, sell, and succeed in the global marketplace. We create actionable market intelligence and influential content marketing programs that yield measurable results.

International Data Corporation (IDC) is the premier global provider of market intelligence, advisory services, and events for the information technology, telecommunications, and consumer technology markets.

With more than 1,300 analysts worldwide, IDC offers global, regional, and local expertise on technology and industry opportunities and trends in over 110 countries. IDC’s analysis and insight help IT professionals, business executives, and the investment community to make fact-based technology decisions and to achieve their key business objectives.

Founded in 1964, IDC is a wholly owned subsidiary of International Data Group (IDG, Inc.), the world’s leading tech media, data, and marketing services company.

About IDC

IDC UK

1st floor, Whitfield Street, London, W1T 2RE, United Kingdom T 44.208.987.7100

© 2025 IDC Research, Inc. IDC materials are licensed for external use, and in no way does the use or publication of IDC research indicate IDC’s endorsement of the sponsor’s or licensee’s products or strategies.

Privacy Policy | CCPA

idc.com @idc @idc

https://www.idc.com/about/termsofuse https://www.idc.com/about/privacy https://www.idc.com/about/ccpa https://www.idc.com/ https://www.linkedin.com/company/idc https://twitter.com/IDC