Challenging the norm in outbound payments market - interview with TIS

It often seems that companies are focused primarily on inbound payments. Can you briefly describe the situation from your point of view?

Companies have invested heavily to improve their inbound payments process to accelerate cash inflows. There is an overabundance of products that cater to the inbound payments market based on account-to-account or card transactions. The attention on inbound customer remittances, however, has led to a lack of focus on outbound payments. As organisations place ever more emphasis on real-time information, they will need to focus on their outbound payments process. This focus will need to go beyond the department or local entity level and include the company world-wide! The only way that an enterprise can effectively and efficiently manage liquidity and cash flow, is with full visibility. Focusing on inbound payments is just the beginning.

How does TIS plan to challenge that norm?

Global companies have a high level of complexity and need the right tools to achieve a 360-degree view of their business. They also need the ability to streamline and standardise processes without reducing flexibility for the relevant organisational stakeholders. To do this, TIS developed the Enterprise Payment Optimization (EPO) platform to help entities close their outbound payment execution gaps. The EPO platform serves as a global payments hub, allowing the needed visibility for people, processes, and the data behind these processes. Information critical to confirm the adherence to policies and for the analysis of product gaps or roadblocks, provides the foundation for a continuous improvement loop. But the EPO platform goes beyond providing information, it also gives clients access to community data and best-of-breed solutions. While helping corporates to manage their outbound payments and inbound information processes, the EPO platform increases functionality while lowering risk.

How can companies take advantage of a continuous improvement loop when it comes to outbound payments?

Every organisation is at a different stage of maturity. However, it is important for all enterprises to effectively connect, collaborate, analyse, and improve in order to optimise the outbound payments process. We help clients in this area by using the TIS Capability Model, a matrix, which underlines the value and power of focusing on EPO. The matrix is plotted to show at what stage a client is at, in relation to the core capabilities mentioned. The model is a consultative tool based on data from over 10 years of experience in dealing with our large- and medium-sized customer base of over 180 clients. The process for treasury or accounting or even finance of moving from being isolated and disconnected from the rest of the organisation to enabling integration and ultimately achieving agility, is a journey.

As enterprises grow in maturity, they will see an increase in efficiency, innovation and importantly profitability. We provide guidance to analyse and close the gaps that companies face. In addition, TIS helps clients and prospects to benchmark themselves against peers while identifying best practices.

What are the challenges faced by global enterprises when trying to optimise their outbound payments and how can they be solved?

As organisations move towards real-time cash flow management and information, they will need to break down organisational silos and optimise their information inflows and outbound payments. EPO literally becomes the orchestration layer supporting successful collaboration across an entire organisation. Access to data for people and systems, regardless of their location or business line, becomes possible. Finance can be a true business partner and positive change-agent supporting the strategy of the entire company. Rather than optimising a department or local entity it is now possible to achieve truly global results. The CFO will also be able to improve performance by eliminating siloed data and enhancing collaboration. Doing this will impact the company’s bottom line making the CFO a much more valuable partner to the CEO and the entire board.

Given the issues in the payment execution process, how can TIS help?

As mentioned, EPO is the orchestration layer that supports successful collaboration across an entire organisation. It can also reduce much of the cost and risk, that is a result of trapped information. EPO is a game changer, taking payments to the next level through data and systems’ alignment as well as standardisation of processes. Each of the issues that our clients face in their payments execution process can be improved by implementing an Enterprise Payment Optimization layer which is, in turn, is supported by the TIS EPO platform. The platform also supports cooperation with other enterprises who are part of the TIS ecosystem. Sharing the collective experience of many entities in the community supports the prevention of fraud. Entities can also use providers, who partner with TIS, for solutions that exactly meet their needs e.g., in the area of cash flow forecasting or FX hedging.

What is TIS’ vision for the future of payments processes?

Enterprise Payment Optimization (EPO) has become a trend, a phenomenon that we feel will revolutionise the payments market. To imagine the EPO layer, think of a world-class orchestra, the London Philharmonic. The whole is greater than the sum of its individual parts i.e., its players. When all the musicians are playing as a group, we experience a gorgeous sound. As each member of the orchestra plays the result is a collaboration of all the players. This is the case, regardless of their instrument or their contribution to the melody or harmony. Just imagine that all the musicians were isolated in separate rooms, and they could no longer harmonise or support the group. Just like the London Philharmonic, it is the EPO layer, the orchestration layer, that is the key to an organisation’s success. EPO is a continuous process because the organisations of our clients are dynamic and ever-changing. The TIS Enterprise Payment Optimization platform is future proof. It will grow and develop over time with the solutions necessary to meet the changing needs of our clients, not only today but going forward.

About Jörg Wiemer