Group CFO? Get the complete guide to multi-entity spend control (feat' top CFO insights)

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Group CFO? Get the complete guide to multi-entity spend control (feat' top CFO insights)

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Ebook
27 May 2025
10 mins

The CFO Checklist: Assess where AI & automation will save you time

This article has been brought to you by our spend management editorial team.Payhawk Editorial Team
AI and automation
Finance & business strategy
The ultimate automation checklist for finance teams
Quick summary

Is manual finance slowing you down? Take this short assessment to spot inefficiencies — and see how automation could give your team time back for real impact. Finance teams in 32+ countries have used it to cut month-end close in half and eliminate days of admin. Spend five minutes now to discover where you could save hours later.

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Introduction

Choosing a spend management platform isn’t just about ticking off features. It’s about driving real outcomes — faster processes, fewer errors, and time back for the work that actually moves the business forward.

This short assessment helps you pinpoint where your team is still stuck in manual mode, and where Payhawk could give you that time back. From processing invoices to reconciling transactions and managing spend across teams, small inefficiencies add up fast.

Our customers in over 32 countries have used this checklist to rethink their finance workflows, and the results speak for themselves. From cutting month-end close in half to eliminating entire days of admin, the gains aren’t just operational — they’re strategic.

So take five minutes, see where you stand, and get a glimpse of how AI and automation could change the way your team works and what they work on.

ASSESS YOUR SETUP

Drowning in manual work? See where you could save hours.

Why CFOs are investing in tech-powered growth

CFOs are investing in the right tech to support growth. Because let’s be honest, AI and automation are no longer nice-to-haves; they're your new finance co-pilot. With 41% looking to add spend management solutions to unify their spend in one platform, and take the pain out of budgeting and expenses. And the projected impact? They expect the investment to contribute to a 14% revenue increase, 16% growth in CAGR, and a 20% boost in operating cash flow.

Built to support busy CFOs and finance teams, Payhawk covers every critical area of spend control: Accounts payable, corporate cards, budgets, multi-entity management, expense management, PO & procurement, ERP integrations, and more.

It ticks a lot of boxes! But, will you? Complete the assessment at the link above to see where Payhawk could save you time

Image detailing top time-saving stats from Payhawk

Less admin, more action: Six customers share their stories

Six customers reveal their top savings since switching to Payhawk — from faster month-end closes to fewer errors. Hear their biggest wins, straight from the source..

  1. Astrid & Miyu is an omnichannel jewellery brand with e-commerce and stores stretching across the UK and Europe.

Since switching to Payhawk, they:

  • Cut processing time by 66%
  • Save 40+ hours/week
  • Close accounts payable ledgers 2 days faster
Head of Financial Control, Astrid & Miyu

“Since introducing Payhawk, expenses are no longer seen as a burden. It’s really boosted morale in the finance team, and the rest of the business, and we no longer dread the end of the month!” — Lucy Payne

  1. Chaos Group are an Oscar-winning, international provider of high-spec rendering solutions for artists and designers

Since switching to Payhawk, they:

  • Save five working days a month with smart AI and automation
  • Went from multiple-day bank-card issuance to instant virtual card setup
  • Get 100% more efficient receipt submission (eliminating endless back & forth)

Ivan Slavchev, System Administrator at Chaos Group:

The biggest benefits, in my opinion, are time saved and process simplification. I need to purchase and maintain a lot of software licenses and subscriptions. And using Payhawk saves me between approx’ five working days each month.

  1. Parkos is a fast-growing marketplace for airport parking, helping millions book parking spots across the globe.

Since switching to Payhawk, they:

  • Close their month 2X faster
  • Enhance control over budgets & visibility through custom approval workflows
  • Automate manual bookkeeping tasks via a seamless (instant) Exact Online integration

Steven Packer, Head of Finance at Parkos:

Payhawk and Parkos are growing together. We save more time and money with every feature Payhawk releases! And these savings together have helped us reduce our time to close the books from over 30 days to 14 days.

  1. Discordia is Bulgaria’s largest logistics company, with 1,500 trucks, 2,000+ drivers, and operations across 70+ countries.

Since switching to Payhawk, they:

  • Process over 25,000 monthly expense notes digitally and error-free
  • 4X’d productivity via automation and real-time processing
  • Eliminate 100% of manual ERP expense entry with seamless integration
  • Reduce FX fees with corporate cards, cutting unnecessary bank charges
CFO, Discordia

"We've boosted employee productivity by over four times! Payhawk's automation has cut processing time and reduced the errors that came with manual expense handling." — Tsvetomir Uzunov

  1. GDS Group is a global B2B events and research company, producing digital content for businesses in the US, UK, and beyond.

Since implementing Payhawk, they:

  • Save over 15 hours per month on reconciliation
  • Improve reporting accuracy and timeliness.
  • Enhance the collaboration between finance and other departments

Howard Thompson, Global Financial Controller at GDS:

Payhawk lets us be much more forward-facing. The person who used to chase receipts full-time now has a completely different role."

  1. The World Federation of Advertisers is the only global network for marketers, connecting the world's biggest brands and associations.
  • Since switching to Payhawk, they:
  • Save time and money on expense categorisation
  • Experience a smooth expense management process and zero data entry via our native integration with Exact Online
  • Got up and running fast (onboarding within one month, compared to four months with competitors)

Andrew Mowbray, Finance Manager at the World Federation of Advertisers:

What set Payhawk apart was the speed of onboarding. Spendesk told us it would take three to four months to get us up and running, but Payhawk was ready to go immediately.

Next step: Compare your scores

If you answered “yes” to three or more questions above, you’re spending too much time on manual tasks and missing out on AI and automation that could change the game for your finance team and business overall.

As our customer, Adrià Vázquez, CFO at the fast-growing burger chain, VICIO, puts it:

We were blind with the tool we used before; I didn't know where to make adjustments. Now, with Payhawk, we have complete visibility over spend, and the traceability empowers us to invest our cash where it will be most profitable!

They’re not alone. Companies like Chaos Group, GDS, and Astrid & Miyu are saving five days a month on expense management, cutting processing time by 66%, and closing the books twice as fast. This means less time on admin and more time for action.

So, what could your team achieve with time savings powered by AI and automation?

Take a Payhawk Product Tour to experience the platform for yourself and see how it can transform your business's finance function.