Still using spreadsheets to close your accounts?
On average, one-third of financial processes remain manual, leading to inefficiencies and increases the risk of errors. And with the ongoing challenges finance teams are faced with, like tight deadlines, compliance issues and scattered data to name a few things, technology is here to be your saviour. More specifically, Aqilla.
Here are 5 challenges finance teams tackle daily – and the ways in which modern technology like ours helps them to stay on the front foot and hit their goals.
Reliance on manual data entry is costing time and accuracy
Would you believe us if we told you that in 2025, thousands of people working in the finance sector are still manually entering their data? Not only is this putting your employee’ time and efforts at a loss, but it is also impacting the accuracy of your data and reports.
Thanks to platforms like Aqilla, these processes can be automated. Intelligent data-capture, seamless integration with other systems, and built-in workflows reduce the need for rekeying – further allowing data to flow effortlessly. Finance professionals can spend less time chasing numbers, and more time interpreting them.
Our clients over at Dart Marina Hotel found that they now have “Modern, compliant and streamlined processes” after they switched from Sage to Aqilla.
Lack of real-time reporting is impacting critical business processes
More finance teams than we’d like to state are still reliant on static reports pulled from legacy systems and spreadsheets – which are often day, even weeks, out of date by the time they are circulated. Considering this has always been the procedure, you may wonder why fix something if it isn’t broke? But the reality is, if technology now offers the means to speed up these processes and improve accuracy simultaneously, why wouldn’t you want to?
Modern finance solutions like ours are designed for real-time data visibility. With live dashboards, configurable reports and multi-dimensional analysis tools, finance teams can now deliver accurate, up-to-the-second insight to stakeholders across the business without manual workarounds.
Parnall Group switched to Aqilla due to its advanced reporting capabilities, their Finance Manager Jonathon Powell said “We created the reporting very easily with the help of Aqilla’s support team which makes the consolidation process very simple.”
A slow month-end is holding your team back
Month-end should bring clarity, but for many finance teams it brings stress instead. Closing the books is still a manual process regardless of today’s technology, filled with data-gathering, reconciliations and a whole lot of back-and-forth to track down missing information. If your workflows aren’t streamlined and your systems aren’t connected, each close becomes a race against time. As we know, this can also impact leadership teams who will then be operating without a clear financial picture, stalling planning, decision making and growth initiatives.
Cloud systems like Aqilla help speed up the close by automating routine tasks, centralising data, and supporting real-time collaboration. With automated journals, approval workflows and multi-entity consolidation built in, finance teams can now work efficiently and reduce the month-end scramble. We enable faster, more accurate closes which free up time for your team to focus on analysis rather than administrative tasks.
Publish What You Pay is one of Aqilla’s trusted customers, and their Director of Finance and Operations, Rami Hassouna stated that “The switch from Sage 50 to Aqilla has also reduced month-end reporting time by 50%.”
Data silos are limiting collaboration and informed decision-making
When finance teams rely on a number of disconnected systems, data gets trapped in silos which makes it hard for departments to collaborate. Information tends to be fragmented across systems, requiring manual efforts to consolidate, leading to delays and inaccuracies.Without a unified view of financial data, finance teams are left spending more time tracking down information than using it to drive value for the business.
By integrating disconnected systems into a single, connected environment, technology like Aqilla breaks down these silos and creates order across the organisation. With data stored in one central location which is accessible in real-time, finance teams as well as other departments can work together more effectively – sharing insights and making decisions based on a complete and accurate picture of the business.
Genny Wu, Finance Manager from Octopus Energy, explains this perfectly from a customer perspective “The best thing about Aqilla is its flexibility. The business is growing and there are a lot of demands and requirements on the reporting-side.The system is flexible enough that I can quickly adapt the reports to my current needs and generate the data I need.”
Compliance challenges are increasing risk and administrative burden
Keeping up with evolving business regulations like tax, audit, data security or financial reporting is an ongoing challenge for finance teams. In the UK alone, changes like Making Tax Digital, updates to VAT rules and evolving reporting standards require finance to stay constantly alert and adaptable. Using outdated systems can seriously increase administrative burdens which can increase the risk of errors and ultimately makes audits more stressful.
Finance automation software like Aqilla is curated with compliance in mind. They support automatic audit trails, secure access controls and real-time reporting that aligns with HMRC requirements and other frameworks. Built-in checks and automated processes help to reduce the risk of non-compliance whilst also saving time and effort. Aqilla enables finance teams to confidently stay compliant and focus on more pressing activities without having to give it a second thought.
It is so important that potential clients, and clients alike, can trust that Aqilla is fully automated and compliant with business regulations. Gemma Hutton, CFO at Argonaut, says “The issue of data storage is a big one for us! We wanted the benefits of a cloud solution but needed to be confident that it wouldn’t risk a breach of conduct.” Once they finished looking at other software providers on the market and found that Aqilla worked for them, they were up and running in just one month and have been loyal customers since.
Conclusion: Turning finance challenges into opportunities
Today’s finance teams face more complexity than ever before, but with the right technology in place, these challenges become opportunities to elevate the role of finance across the organisation.
Solutions like Aqilla are helping teams to move beyond manual tasks and outdated systems as an absolute priority – enabling real-time reporting, improving collaboration and reducing risk through automation and integration. In a fast-moving world, finance teams that embrace digital tools aren’t just keeping up – they’re leading the way forward.
