DSO Reduction and Billing Automation Sprint (10-14 days)
A fixed-scope engagement that rebuilds an agency client's time-to-cash path so tracked hours become collected revenue with fewer manual touches. The offer targets days sales outstanding (DSO) rather than software selection, which keeps the work tied to cash flow instead of a tool migration. Time: 10-14 days.
By InnovaAI ResearchPublished
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DSO Reduction and Billing Automation Sprint (10-14 days)
A fixed-scope engagement that rebuilds an agency client's time-to-cash path so tracked hours become collected revenue with fewer manual touches. The offer targets days sales outstanding (DSO) rather than software selection, which keeps the work tied to cash flow instead of a tool migration.
- Client grants read access to at least 90 days of invoice, payment, and time-tracking history A named finance or operations owner on the client side who can approve reminder cadence and payment terms Written inventory of every billing system currently in use, including spreadsheets and manual handoffs Agreement on the target DSO figure and the baseline it will be measured against Written confirmation of which client accounts are in scope for the sprint
- 1.Pull 90 days of invoice and payment history and calculate the current DSO baseline
- 2.Map every handoff between time capture, invoice generation, and payment collection
- 3.Flag accounts where billing lags delivery by more than 14 days
- 1.Interview the delivery lead and the finance owner separately to surface workarounds
- 2.Document the manual steps that exist only because two systems do not talk to each other
- 3.Rank bottlenecks by hours lost per month and by revenue delayed
- 1.Draft the target billing workflow from time entry through payment reconciliation
- 2.Specify reminder timing, escalation thresholds, and who owns each step
- 3.Confirm the workflow against the client's existing payment terms and contract language
- 1.Configure the chosen platform's invoice templates, numbering, and tax fields
- 2.Set up recurring invoice schedules for retainer clients
- 3.Connect the payment gateway and test a live transaction end to end
- 1.Build the automated reminder sequence at 7, 14, and 30 days past due
- 2.Write reminder copy that preserves the client relationship rather than escalating tone
- 3.Route overdue accounts above a set threshold to a human owner
- 1.Import historical open invoices so aging data lives in one place
- 2.Reconcile imported balances against the accounting ledger and resolve mismatches
- 3.Tag each open invoice with its owner and expected close date
- 1.Run a parallel billing cycle on the new workflow without sending anything
- 2.Compare generated invoices against the manual versions for accuracy
- 3.Correct template or tax errors before the first live send
- 1.Train the delivery team on time entry discipline and approval deadlines
- 2.Train the finance owner on the reminder dashboard and escalation queue
- 3.Publish a one-page reference for what to do when a payment fails
- 1.Send the first live invoice batch through the automated path
- 2.Monitor delivery, open, and payment events in real time
- 3.Log every manual intervention required and why it was needed
- 1.Review the first live cycle against the baseline and quantify time saved
- 2.Tune reminder timing based on actual open and click behavior
- 3.Fix any integration gaps surfaced during the live run
- 1.Build a weekly cash position report the client can read without help
- 2.Document the escalation path for disputed invoices
- 3.Hand over credentials, configuration notes, and the workflow diagram
- 1.Present the 30-day DSO projection and the assumptions behind it
- 2.Agree on the retainer scope for ongoing monitoring and tuning
- 3.Schedule the 60-day review to confirm the DSO movement held
Agencies can charge setup fees here because the deliverable is a measurable cash metric, not a software configuration. When a client with $80,000 in monthly billable revenue cuts DSO by 12 days, that releases roughly $32,000 of working capital, which makes a $6,000 setup fee easy to justify against the alternative of another quarter of late payments. The retainer persists because reminder cadence and payment terms need tuning as client mix changes, and that tuning is recurring work rather than a one-time install.
- A documented time-to-cash workflow with named owners at each stage Configured invoice templates, recurring schedules, and a live payment gateway connection An automated reminder sequence with escalation thresholds and approved copy A weekly cash position report and a 30-day DSO projection with stated assumptions A handover pack containing credentials, configuration notes, and the workflow diagram
The client has completed one full billing cycle through the automated workflow with zero manual invoice creation, and the measured DSO baseline plus a 30-day projection are documented and signed off by the client's finance owner.