337: Transform the Way You Work, with Esker

Today I'm joined by Esker, a long-standing software brand that is on a mission to build a foundation that promotes positive-sum growth, increased productivity, improved employee engagement, and greater trust between organizations. Esker is a global cloud platform built to unlock strategic value for finance and customer service professionals and strengthen collaboration between companies by automating the cash conversion cycle. By developing AI-driven technologies and automating the order-to-cash and procure-to-pay cycles, Esker frees up finance and customer service professionals from time-consuming tasks, helps them be more efficient, and enables them to develop new skills. Today Daniel Reeve, US Director of Sales and Business Development at Esker, joins me to chat all about the company and what they do; the power of positive-sum growth; bringing people and technology together in harmony; and why not all cloud platforms are created equal.   IN THIS EPISODE WE DISCUSS:   [07.02] An introduction to Esker – who they are, what they do and how they help their customers. "Folks are turning to us when they're trying to free up their staff to be rockstars!" [08.17] Esker's mission, what sets them apart from the competition and why they're 'more than just another cloud platform.' "We've often been seen as best-of-breed… but, increasingly, companies are realizing "wow, you guys are best of suite"… Companies are looking to put technology in place that leverages and enhances their ERP and improves the experience for the customers, suppliers and staff." [10.47] Esker's commitment to 'positive-sum growth,' and what that means for brands, their employees, customers, suppliers – and for the planet. "The concept is 'how do I put technology in, that brings efficiency and automation within my enterprise, without making it painful for my customers and suppliers?'" [15.14] Why digital transformation projects are often unsuccessful, and Esker's refreshing approach to providing close and ongoing customer support and training. "Technology promises great outcomes, great efficiencies, great savings, great visibility – but there's work involved to make that happen." [16.53] A closer look at Esker's Procure-To-Pay solution, named in the 2022 Gartner Magic Quadrant report for P2P suites. [19.29] Esker's Order-to-Cash solution, and how their technology facilitates collaboration and optimization to bring people and processes together and enhance customer experience. [26.54] What integration looks like with Esker. [29.24] Why Esker's range of technology includes robotic process automation, AI and mobile functionality, but also supports traditional tech like fax and Excel; and the importance of finding the balance between helping to drive innovation and digitization in the industry, and meeting customers where they are. "Quite often, when you put technology in, there's a dip… I don't think people are resistant to technology just because they're resistant. A lot of the time, they're so busy and everything is so pressured… you need to hold their hand and guide them and make it super easy for them to adapt that technology." [31.36] The ideal client for Esker. "If folks care about a user experience and a workflow that's easy... they will often choose Esker over others." [36.04] A case study detailing how Esker's technology helped a key client to reduce order entry time from 10 minutes to 10 seconds, which allowed them to free up their people to better serve customers and ultimately achieve high levels of growth. [39.04] The future for Esker.   Guest Bio:   Dan Reeve is a Sales Director, approaching 22 years with Esker. Dan works to help companies free up front-line troops to be finance and customer service rockstars through the application of machine learning and AI. Dan was fortunate to serve 10 years as a Combat Engineer in the British Army, then was attached to the Wisconsin Army National Guard. He traveled the world, served alongside Americans and many others, and learned everyone has a good idea, every Army unit thinks they are better, and what can you learn and apply so that you are indeed better prepared and more professional next time.   RESOURCES AND LINKS MENTIONED:   Head over to Esker's website now to find out more and discover how they could help you too. You can also connect with Esker and keep up to date with the latest over on LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram, Facebook or YouTube, or you can connect with Dan on LinkedIn. If you enjoyed this episode, why not listen to 257: Creating Supply Chain Stability with Dual Sourcing and S&OP or read The Three Biggest Challenges For Procurement – And What To Do About Them. Check out our other podcasts HERE.