An invoice is overdue, no one followed up, reminders are sent late and replies get lost in the email inbox. In the sales meeting it is: “We have liquidity problems,” accounting reports rising effort, and the CFO asks for reliable figures for an investment in receivables management. This checklist helps you conduct a sales- or investment-oriented conversation: which cost drivers you should address, which KPIs to measure, which data protection arguments count and how Debentra scales across its three editions to improve costs and efficiency.
1. Briefly outline the everyday situation – entry into the conversation
Start with a concise example from your own company: for example, about ten percent of invoices are not allocated automatically, accounting needs 15–30 minutes per investigation, and payment reminders are often created manually. Such concrete cases create a basis for discussion and make the problems tangible.
2. Main cost drivers in dunning
- Manual allocation of payments: Missing or unclear references lead to time-consuming research.
- Delayed follow-up: No or too-late reminders extend payment terms and worsen liquidity.
- Fragmented data storage: Customer information, documents and correspondence are stored across multiple systems or email inboxes.
- Audit and documentation effort: Missing central history complicates internal audits and month-end closings.
- External compliance risks: Insecure storage of personal data can cause effort for data protection inquiries.
3. Which KPIs to measure and how
For a clear ROI pitch you should use focused, measurable metrics. Measure a baseline before the decision and compare it after implementation.
- Time per receivable (TPR): Average processing time in minutes for an open receivable (incl. research, follow-up, allocation). Formula: total processing hours / number of processed receivables.
- Number of manual allocations per month: Cases where payment transactions could not be matched automatically.
- Average days to first contact: Time span from due date to the first reminder action.
- Open receivables in days (DSO-like value): Average age of outstanding items – to illustrate the liquidity impact.
- Processor effort in person-days: Sum of hours for dunning divided by typical working days.
4. How to use KPIs in the pitch
Show current metrics, name realistic target values after implementation and briefly describe how Debentra can effect the change. Example: “If we reduce manual allocations from 150 to 30 per month, the research effort decreases by X hours.” Avoid exaggerated promises — instead provide a comprehensible calculation example (see point 6).
5. Data protection and data sovereignty: arguments for self‑hosting
Many CFOs value control over finance‑ and customer‑sensitive data. Self‑hosted solutions like Debentra offer clear advantages you can cite here:
- Own infrastructure, own policies: You determine storage location, backup strategy and access controls.
- GDPR integration: Documentation of accesses and change logs facilitates data protection requests.
- Minimization of external data access: Reduces requirements for third‑party data processing.
Important: Emphasize that self‑hosting does not automatically guarantee compliance, but it does create the prerequisites to strictly implement internal data protection and security policies.
6. Example calculation (hypothetical) – making ROI understandable
Use a simple, transparent example calculation in the pitch. Clearly mark it as an illustrative assumption.
Assumptions (example): 500 receivables/month, 150 manual allocations/month, average research time 20 minutes/case, accounting hourly rate incl. overheads 50 EUR.
Current effort per month: 150 cases × 20 minutes = 3,000 minutes = 50 hours → 50 h × 50 EUR = 2,500 EUR.
With Debentra (PRO) – conservative assumption: Manual allocations drop to 30 cases/month; research time remains 20 minutes.
30 cases × 20 minutes = 600 minutes = 10 hours → 10 h × 50 EUR = 500 EUR. Savings: 2,000 EUR/month.
Additional benefit: Faster follow‑up reduces average DSO; indirect liquidity gains can be calculated separately depending on the company’s receivables volume.
Note: This is an example to illustrate the method. Concrete values should be verified with your own KPIs.
7. Debentra editions: which version fits which need?
Present Debentra as a modular solution that scales to different company requirements — with a clear reference to the KPIs mentioned above.
- BASIS: Central overview of customers, invoices and open items on your own infrastructure. Suitable for companies that want data sovereignty and need a transparent overview. Advantages: quick integration, lower entry costs, basic reporting for KPIs such as DSO and number of open items.
- PRO: Additional automation to reduce manual allocations (e.g. intelligent matching rules, prefill rules), workflow control for tracking and approval of reminders. Suitable when time savings and process acceleration are the primary concerns. This is where the largest direct personnel cost savings can be achieved.
- PREMIUM: Supplementary functions for integrated accounting processes, extended reporting and compliance features as well as flexible installation and licensing models. Recommended for companies with high transaction volumes that require additional interfaces to financial accounting and expanded reporting. Important: Debentra does not become a full ERP or debt collection service – the focus remains on open items workflow and documentation.
Important to emphasize: Regardless of the level of automation, control remains with the user — in particular the approval of payment reminders and escalation steps continues to lie with the responsible team.
8. Checklist for your sales or investment discussion
- Bring concrete numbers: receivables volume, number of invoices/month, current DSO, manual allocations/month.
- Identify cost drivers and quantify them (see example calculation).
- State your company’s data protection and data sovereignty requirements and how self‑hosting creates added value here.
- Outline the desired edition (BASIS/PRO/PREMIUM) based on transaction volume and integration needs.
- Agree on measurable goals after implementation: target DSO, reduction of manual allocations, days until first contact.
- Plan a pilot phase with clear metrics for tracking and a timeframe for ROI evaluation.
9. Conclusion and next step
A CFO pitch gains weight when you present concrete cost drivers, transparent KPIs and a comprehensible calculation example. Focus on the two strongest levers in your organization: reduction of manual allocations (time savings) and securing data sovereignty (GDPR‑compliant self‑hosting strategy). Debentra offers a suitable edition for every need: BASIS for overview and control, PRO for noticeable time savings through automatic matching and workflow control, PREMIUM for extended reporting and accounting integration. Important: Automation relieves staff but does not remove the user’s approval authority.
Take action now: Make an informed choice based on your KPIs and start with a pilot phase. Choose an edition: https://debentra.de
Next step
Try Debentra yourself
Central overview and process control for open items and payments with full data sovereignty; reduces manual matching work (PRO) and enables integrated accounting (PREMIUM); selectable installation and licensing models.