Why the human touch still makes the difference in invoice-to-cash

Together, they explore perhaps the most fundamental commandment of them all:

"Thou shalt never lose sight of the human touch."

It's a timely topic as organizations continue to invest heavily in digitalization, automation, and artificial intelligence. While technology enables faster, more efficient processes, it also raises an important question: how do you ensure customers never feel like just another number?

Throughout the conversation, Luc shares his perspective on empathy in credit management, generational differences in communication, the impact of automation, and the opportunities AI creates for more personalized customer interactions.

One message resonates throughout the episode: behind every invoice is a person.

And that is precisely why, even in an increasingly digital world, the human touch remains a critical success factor for high-performing invoice-to-cash processes.

Every outstanding invoice has a story behind it

According to Luc, many organizations still assume that late payments are primarily the result of unwillingness to pay. In reality, the situation is often far more nuanced.

Customers forget invoices, make administrative mistakes, or face unexpected life events that temporarily affect their financial situation. Illness, temporary unemployment, or unforeseen expenses can all influence payment behavior — circumstances that no one deliberately chooses.

"People are people. We forget things. We make mistakes. Sometimes life throws challenges at us that we never asked for."

That doesn't mean businesses should simply ignore overdue payments. It does mean that understanding the situation before applying pressure is often the more effective first step. By taking the time to understand the reason behind a payment delay, organizations create more room for constructive solutions while strengthening customer relationships at the same time.

Luc also makes an important distinction between customers who can't pay and those who won't pay. These are fundamentally different situations that require very different approaches.

Why a one-size-fits-all approach no longer works

Another key topic in the episode is how companies communicate with customers about outstanding invoices.

Where standardized communication used to be sufficient, today's customers expect interactions that better reflect their personal preferences and circumstances.

This shift is further reinforced by the presence of multiple generations in today's workforce and society. Every generation has its own communication style, expectations, and preferences. Younger generations, for example, process information and digital communication differently from older generations, influencing how organizations should engage with them.

As Luc explains:

"We started with a one-size-fits-all approach to credit management. Then we moved to segmentation, followed by personalization, and today we're evolving towards hyper-personalization."

For organizations, this means thinking much more deliberately about what message to send, through which channel, and at what moment. What works for one customer may not work for another.

A personalized approach not only improves the customer experience but also increases the likelihood that communication is actually read, understood, and acted upon.

Automation should create more room for human interaction

Automation has become an integral part of modern invoice-to-cash processes. Yet, according to Luc, it's still too often viewed purely as a way to increase efficiency or reduce costs, creating the false impression that automation and human interaction are mutually exclusive.

In reality, the opposite is true.

"Automation means standardizing the things that can be standardized, allowing people to spend more time where human interaction truly matters."

By automating repetitive tasks, employees gain more time to focus on situations where personal contact makes the biggest difference — whether that's helping customers understand an invoice, supporting someone facing temporary financial difficulties, or resolving issues caused by misunderstandings or missing information.

Human intervention should therefore never be seen as a failure of automation, but as an essential part of a well-designed process.

The real challenge lies in finding the right balance between operational efficiency and personal attention.

Most people want to pay

During the conversation, Luc also refers to Rutger Bregman's bestselling book Humankind: A Hopeful History.

Its central idea — that most people are fundamentally well-intentioned — closely aligns with how organizations should view their debtors. The vast majority of customers genuinely intend to pay. Sometimes, however, something simply goes wrong along the way.

This insight has important implications for how credit management processes should be designed. When a payment is overdue, the first step should always be understanding the underlying cause. Is it a temporary financial setback? An administrative error? A misunderstanding? Or is there genuine fraud?

According to Luc, organizations should consciously distinguish between these different situations.

Customers who cannot pay require guidance, communication, and understanding. Customers who never intended to pay require a completely different strategy. Treating both groups the same means missing opportunities to improve both customer relationships and collection outcomes.

AI creates opportunities for more personal communication

While AI is often associated with automation and scalability, Luc sees even greater potential in its ability to make customer communication more relevant and personalized.

Artificial intelligence can help organizations identify patterns more quickly, detect risks earlier, and better understand individual customer situations. This enables communication that is more tailored to each customer's specific needs.

At the same time, Luc warns against placing blind trust in technology. AI models are only as reliable as the data they're trained on. Biased or inaccurate datasets can lead to poor decisions or unintended discrimination.

His message is therefore clear: technology offers enormous opportunities, but human oversight and common sense remain indispensable.

AI should never replace human expertise — it should empower it.

Why empathy delivers better results than pressure

According to Luc, empathy remains an underrated success factor in credit management.

When customers feel heard and understood, they're much more willing to engage in constructive conversations and work together towards a solution. This not only improves the customer experience but often leads to better payment outcomes as well.

In situations where customers have multiple outstanding invoices, an empathetic approach can even influence which supplier gets paid first.

Empathy doesn't come at the expense of clarity or consistency. On the contrary, a human approach can perfectly coexist with a structured, professional follow-up process.

Technology supports. People make the difference.

Perhaps the most important takeaway from this first episode of the POMcast is that successful invoice-to-cash processes are never driven by technology, processes, or KPIs alone.

The greatest impact is achieved when organizations successfully balance people, processes, and technology. Automate where you can. Personalize where it matters. And never lose sight of the person behind the invoice.

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🎙️ Curious to hear the full conversation with Luc Verstraete?

Listen to the first episode of the POMcast (in Dutch) on YouTube, Spotify or Apple Podcasts.