In Chapter Three of the survey results ebook "2023 State of Automation in the Finance Report: Full Throttle for Finance Automation,” we explore the challenges faced by finance professionals when dealing with shared inboxes and the benefits of embracing automation for smoother communication processes.
The Shared Inbox Challenge
Finance teams often find themselves dealing with a high volume of emails in their shared inboxes. According to the 2023 State of Automation Report, 35.6% of respondents receive anywhere from 100-500 weekly emails, and nearly one in five respondents receive 500-1000 weekly emails. This inbox overload slows down response times and hinders productivity.
With a shared inbox, organizing and categorizing incoming data becomes a daunting task. Without a systematic approach, locating specific documents, tracking the status of requests, and prioritizing tasks become challenging, leading to inefficiencies and potential errors in managing financial processes.
Visibility and accountability also suffer, as team members struggle to track the progress of specific items, resulting in delays and potential miscommunication. Managing mailboxes manually makes it harder to ensure tasks are completed within the required timelines.
Without a systematic approach, locating specific documents, tracking the status of requests, and prioritizing tasks become challenging, leading to inefficiencies and potential errors in managing financial processes.
Challenges in Response Time
Survey findings reveal that 43.4% of respondents take up to 24 hours to respond to emails in shared inboxes, while 20.7% indicated that it could take up to 48 hours to respond. Prioritizing tasks and determining which requests require immediate attention becomes difficult without a clear system in place. As a result, resources are not allocated effectively, leading to delayed responses that may result in missed opportunities and frustrated stakeholders.
Ambiguity regarding task ownership also leads to response delays, as team members may assume someone else will handle the task. Without clear ownership, there may be confusion about the status or progress of requests, further impacting response times and potentially duplicating efforts.
Time-Consuming Requests
Handling requests from shared finance inboxes is time-consuming, with 27.2% of respondents stating it takes approximately 6-15 minutes on average, and 18.3% stating it takes between 16-30 minutes. This diverts valuable resources and attention from other critical tasks.
Disparate systems and data sources further prolong response times as team members spend time finding and collecting the necessary data. Streamlining communication processes and connected systems is essential for efficient corporate finance operations.
Security and Privacy Protection
Shared finance inboxes may contain sensitive financial information, making security and privacy protection crucial. Manual processes are prone to breaches and unauthorized access, putting confidential data at risk. Implementing automated systems with advanced security measures enhances protection by providing better audit trails, access controls, and data encryption.
Manual processes are prone to breaches and unauthorized access, putting confidential data at risk.
Accelerating Productivity with Automation
To navigate the communication highway effectively, finance teams should implement email management systems that handle high volumes of incoming messages. Automation solutions help triage and prioritize emails, ensuring urgent matters are promptly addressed.
By reducing response times and streamlining request handling, finance professionals accelerate productivity and keep their operations running smoothly.
Automated systems enhance security by safeguarding sensitive financial data with advanced technology, ensuring messages reach the correct recipients promptly and safely.
In the race to success, streamlined communication and heightened security are essential. Finance teams must embrace automation to optimize response times, improve productivity, and enhance security. By adopting innovative solutions, finance professionals leave congestion and gridlock behind, driving towards a more agile, secure, and effective corporate finance department.
With automation as their engine, finance teams accelerate productivity, leaving behind the slow lanes of shared inboxes and embracing the fast lane of efficiency and success.
Read more in our 2023 State of Automation in the Finance Office report: Full Throttle for Finance.