Working capital is the lifeblood of any business.
It determines whether a company can fund growth, withstand shocks, or seize opportunities. Yet for many NetSuite users, cash is often trapped in slow, manual accounts receivable (AR) and accounts payable (AP) processes. Payments get delayed, invoices sit in queues, and reconciliation chews up staff time.
That’s why end-to-end AR/AP automation and embedded banking inside NetSuite are moving from “nice-to-have” to urgent priorities. Leaders see them not only as efficiency drivers but as strategic tools to unlock working capital and reduce cost per invoice or payment.
The working capital challenge
Executives often ask: Why is so much cash tied up in AR and AP?
- On the AR side, invoices may take days to be issued, payments come in multiple formats, and staff spend hours chasing late accounts.
- On the AP side, paper invoices, multi-level approvals, and manual payment runs extend cycle times and risk missing supplier discounts.
- Across both functions, siloed banking relationships force teams to switch between NetSuite and external portals, slowing visibility into real-time cash positions.
The result is predictable: slower cash conversion, higher transaction costs, and less liquidity available for strategic investment.
How NetSuite addresses the problem
NetSuite has built AR/AP automation and embedded banking directly into its ERP, allowing companies to:
- Automate invoice capture and approval: AI-driven bill capture reduces manual entry and routes approvals dynamically.
- Streamline collections and cash application: Payments are matched automatically to invoices, and overdue accounts trigger personalized reminders.
- Schedule and execute payments inside NetSuite: Embedded banking integrations let treasury teams pay vendors directly via ACH, check, or virtual card.
- Improve visibility into cash flow: Predictive analytics highlight risks, optimize payment timing, and provide real-time dashboards of cash positions.
Instead of chasing bottlenecks, leaders can focus on optimizing working capital strategy.
Anderson Frank provides NetSuite talent who specialize in finance automation, helping businesses configure AR/AP workflows to accelerate collections, reduce processing costs, and increase liquidity.
A closer look at AR/AP automation in action
Imagine a mid-market manufacturer processing 5,000 invoices per month. Traditionally, it could take:
- 10+ days for vendor invoices to be approved and scheduled for payment.
- 5+ hours per week of AR staff time to match payments with invoices.
- Multiple spreadsheets to reconcile bank balances across accounts.
By adopting AR/AP automation inside NetSuite, the same company could:
- Capture and approve invoices in under 48 hours.
- Apply payments automatically, reducing staff time by 70%.
- Reconcile cash positions instantly with embedded bank feeds.
This doesn’t just save effort, it frees up hundreds of thousands of dollars in working capital each quarter.
Executive-level benefits
For CFOs and finance leaders, the strategic value is clear:
- Liquidity unlocked: Faster collections and optimized payables keep cash in the business longer.
- Lower processing costs: Automated AR/AP reduces labor cost per transaction.
- Risk management: Real-time cash visibility helps mitigate shortfalls before they become crises.
- Vendor and customer trust: On-time payments and accurate invoicing strengthen relationships.
- Scalability: Finance teams handle growth without ballooning headcount.
When AR and AP processes are automated, finance stops being reactive and starts acting as a proactive steward of capital.
Anderson Frank offers NetSuite specialists who can configure SuiteBanking and AR/AP automation to fit your business model, whether that means capturing discounts, improving DSO, or managing global vendor payments.
Why now?
Global market conditions are tightening, borrowing costs remain elevated, and investors expect efficiency. Leaders who unlock working capital internally have a strategic advantage over those who rely on external financing.
NetSuite’s embedded AR/AP automation and banking tools make this possible today, without the complexity of bolt-on systems. The technology is here, adoption is accelerating, and the gains are immediate.
