As if the global marketplace wasn’t volatile enough, factors like the COVID-19 pandemic and a technical skills shortage are making it even more difficult for companies to make ends meet each month. 

As we discuss elsewhere, productivity is a big issue for today’s resource-constrained teams. This is especially the case with distractions brought about by the “new normal” of widespread work from home (WFH). Some employees are contending with getting their jobs done while also caring for family members and keeping households running smoothly (here's a list of 32 tips for working from home). As a result, more lean organizations around the world are finding it increasingly challenging to accomplish the many administrative tasks that consume so many hours of their days such as inputting contract details, setting billing schedules, sending reminders, and so on. Carving out time in the day to focus on strategic activities that can actually grow the business is an afterthought for upwards of 50% of an employee's time.

We love it when we get to witness the performance economy in action. Why? We believe that, now and in the future, sustainable business success is dependent on delivering greater value with every transaction. But, not just any value... it must be demonstrable to the customer. 

This demonstrability—or “transparency,” as the model calls it—is woven through every fiber of the modern-day performance economy, especially in the way that businesses measure and optimize success for their customers. And digital technology is a key tool in making that transparency possible.

This next performance economy spotlight features a company—Indigo Agriculture—that’s using technology to embed value in every level of their business. What’s more, they’re working to support the environment while doing so.

I’m excited to join Ordway as head of Sales because in my 30 year career I’ve often been hampered in my ability to serve the needs of my customers, chiefly because the Finance team couldn’t support an ideal commercial relationship. 

Following on previous spotlights on businesses that are using automation and other digital innovations to deliver greater customer value, we’re excited to feature M32 Connect—an AdTech and analytics company that helps publishers maximize the revenue they get from their digital ad assets using a proprietary, machine learning–driven SaaS platform.

Tiered pricing can be a real boon for companies that are looking to generate new revenue, particularly in ultra-competitive or crowded sectors. Yet, flexible pricing often introduces a level of complexity that can slow you down come month- and quarter-end. The solution: Utilize a unified SaaS automation solution that’s capable of streamlining all types of billing plans.

Financial services may be a bit slower to the automation game than other sectors, but many organizations are now recognizing significant advantages from the integration of billing, revenue, and subscription management software into their IT systems.

More organizations of all types, sizes, and sectors are investing in digital transformation—including enlisting finance automation SaaS platforms— to solve business challenges.  An early result of the COVID-19 pandemic is that the newly volatile global economy requires companies to bridge gaps in financial, human, and other resources to continue to operate with some semblance of normalcy. 

The last couple of months continuing to build our business during the COVID-19 crisis have seemed like years — for us, and for many of our customers. We’re all adapting to new ways of interacting with each other and with our customers. 

At this moment, everyone is doing what they can to meet customers "where they are" and grow efficiently. Here are six ways our customers are using the flexibility of the Ordway billing and revenue automation platform to stabilize their business, and to better serve their customers during this challenging period.

In this post, we're not revealing names of the companies involved to protect their internal process and relationships with their customers.

Finding it hard to accomplish the ‘W’ in your company’s WFH protocols? We feel your pain. If you’re struggling to get down to business during these uncertain times, put one of these productivity hacks to work. 

We had the pleasure of visiting with CompStak just before the COVID-19 social distancing efforts took hold in both New York City where CompStak is headquartered, and Ordway HQ in Washington, D.C.

CompStak, a scaling startup with around 100 employees, is the leading crowdsourced platform for commercial real estate data. Growing quickly with a fairly complex business model, CompStak realized that they needed to replatform parts of their finance stack to keep up with their growth. During this transformation, they knew they wanted to stay on QuickBooks as their general ledger if they could. Their adoption of the Ordway billing and revenue automation platform meant they could continue to use QuickBooks and also “say yes” to complex Enterprise deals with unique pricing and terms.