Digitalization: An obvious step toward greater efficiency
For Laura Delmas, digitalization has become an essential pillar of modern Credit Management.
It’s the key
, she states unequivocally.
Digital tools are no longer just supports for organization or reporting, they are drivers of collective performance, enabling smooth and instant information flow between all stakeholders involved in the Order to Cash process.
Digitalization allows us to gain efficiency, but more importantly, it enables us to share information with the key players involved in every aspect of Credit Management.
In an environment where commercial flows are intensifying and the number of invoices and clients is growing, the speed and reliability of information have become vital. Digital tools ensure this essential link between departments, allowing Credit Managers to act in real time with a comprehensive view of both risk and cash.
Tools serving intelligence
But Laura Delmas doesn’t believe in technology for technology’s sake. For her, a good tool must above all be intelligent that is, capable of transforming raw data into useful, actionable insights.
There are countless tools available, but only a few truly meet companies’ real needs. Today, the demand is for an intelligent tool that brings real intelligence to managing all aspects of Credit Management.
This digital intelligence should allow teams to focus their efforts on decision-making rather than information gathering. The goal is not to replace humans but to give them more perspective and reactivity.
We talk about artificial intelligence, but the real idea is to have intelligence embedded in all activities related to risk management, decision sharing, and cash flow.
The importance of simplicity and usability
In the transformation projects she leads with ACM Experts, Laura Delmas emphasizes one often underestimated factor: ease of use.
A tool must be simple to use and configure. That’s crucial and often a decisive selection criterion for companies.
A clear and intuitive interface determines how well users will adopt the solution.
The more ergonomic a tool is, the more naturally it integrates into the daily work of sales, customer service, or finance teams. Conversely, a tool that’s too complex quickly becomes a barrier to collaboration.
Companies are therefore seeking platforms capable of seamlessly integrating various data streams: credit insurance, scoring, financial information, dunning, and reporting.
All of this must happen smoothly and automatically. That’s what distinguishes an effective tool from one that complicates people’s work.
Managing risk through data
Mastering information is at the very heart of the profession. Information providers such as Coface, Altares, Ellisphere, or CreditSafe offer valuable data on solvency, compliance, and customers’ payment behavior but only if that data is properly leveraged.
The limitation of these providers often lies in getting the right information at the right time. Data must be reliable, up-to-date, and responsive.
Laura Delmas also highlights the need to manage credit insurance proactively not merely as passive protection.
The goal is to manage credit insurance and provide transparent information to the insurer, in order to be supported effectively.
This is where digitalization truly adds value: it centralizes financial data, compliance information, export indicators, and risk alerts within a single environment.
The challenge is to manage all these elements from one unified tool. That’s where digitalization brings real value.
A naturally collaborative function
Credit Management is inherently a cross-functional discipline. To fully play its role, information must circulate freely among all relevant departments: finance, accounting, sales, customer service, and top management through reporting tools that ensure a shared, up-to-date view of performance.
Digital tools strengthen this interconnection It’s essential to give access to all the actors involved in the Order to Cash process. Exchanges must be smooth and automated.
When a customer risk is detected, the sales team must be immediately alerted and equipped with the information needed to respond.
Likewise, a broken payment promise or an unresolved dispute must be visible to the finance department without delay. This reactivity, enabled by digitalization, fosters a shared risk culture across the organization.
Technology serving people
For Laura Delmas, the success of a digital transformation depends not only on technology but also and above all on people.
Implementing digital processes and tools increases efficiency and promotes a shared vision of risk within the company.
But she reminds us that tools must remain at the service of employees.
Digitalization only makes sense if it frees up time for high-value tasks negotiation, customer follow-up, and risk analysis. It is in this balance between data and relationships, technology and human intelligence, that Credit Management reveals its full strength.
In the next episode
The Credit Manager of Tomorrow: Human, connected, and strategic.
Laura Delmas will share the key skills for the future of the profession, explain why communication has become essential, and show how Credit Management is emerging as a true driver of performance and leadership.