Account reconciliation is one of the most important components of the  financial close, but it’s often supported by the least scalable tools. Spreadsheets, shared drives, and email approvals can get the job done, yet they introduce unnecessary manual work, limited visibility, and avoidable risk.

BlackLine’s Account Reconciliation solution replaces that patchwork with a structured, automated, and fully auditable process. For finance teams, the impact is practical and immediate: fewer hours spent on low-value tasks, earlier insight into issues, and a faster, more predictable close without relying on overtime.

This article serves as a practical guide for accountants, controllers, and finance leaders looking to understand how BlackLine simplifies account reconciliation in real-world close environments, what’s changed recently in the product, and where AI—specifically Verity™—fits into the picture.

How BlackLine Automates and Streamlines Account Reconciliations

What Is Account Reconciliation in BlackLine?

In a manual environment, preparing a reconciliation usually starts with gathering numbers. Someone exports balances from the ERP, pastes them into a file, attaches support, updates a checklist, and emails it for review. Multiply that by hundreds of accounts and the process becomes a monthly grind.

BlackLine changes the starting point. At its core, BlackLine account reconciliation software replaces spreadsheet-based reconciliations with a centralized, automated, and auditable process.

Balances are loaded directly from the source system, so reconciliations begin with trusted, system-of-record data. Supporting documentation lives with the reconciliation itself rather than in separate folders. Every action is timestamped and attributed to a user.

That shift alone removes a surprising amount of effort. Teams stop re-keying data and start evaluating differences. Reviewers no longer wonder which version of a file they’re looking at. Auditors don’t have to ask where the support is stored.

The work becomes less about assembling evidence and more about analyzing what the numbers mean.

Standardized Reconciliation Templates Improve Quality

BlackLine provides purpose-built reconciliation formats for common account types such as bank accounts, accruals, subledger matches, and prepaids. Instead of a blank spreadsheet, preparers are guided through a defined structure with required fields and consistent logic.

Over time, this has a subtle but important effect on quality. Rollforwards and unexplained plugs become harder to justify when the template expects a clear tie-out and documented reconciling items. Reviews are faster because each reconciliation follows a defined structure. New team members ramp up quickly because the process is embedded in the tool.

Standardization also strengthens internal controls. Required approvals, segregation of duties, and due dates are enforced by workflow rather than by memory or manual checklists.

Auto-Certification Rules: A Key Accelerator for the Financial Close

What Is Auto-Certification in BlackLine?

Not every account deserves the same level of manual attention every month. Many are predictable and low risk. For example:

• Zero-balance accounts
• Subledger balances that perfectly match the GL
• Accounts within defined tolerance thresholds

BlackLine’s auto-certification rules allow you to define objective criteria for these accounts. When those conditions are met, the system automatically marks the reconciliation complete and approved, records the audit trail, and removes it from the preparer and reviewer queue for that period.

This isn’t skipping controls; it’s applying them consistently and automatically. If a rule is not met, the account simply flows into the normal preparation and review process.

Why Auto-Certification Improves Both Speed and Control

The practical benefit is a reallocation of effort. Instead of touching every account every month, the team’s time shifts toward exceptions, aging reconciling items, and high-judgment balances. Quality improves because attention is focused where risk actually exists.

Organizations commonly find that 40-65% of their reconciliations can be auto-certified once rules are tuned to their policies. That translates directly into hours saved and a smoother close.

Real-Time Visibility Into Reconciliation Status

In many finance teams, understanding close status requires meetings, status emails, or manually maintained trackers. BlackLine replaces that with live dashboards.

Controllers and managers can see, at a glance, which reconciliations are open, in review, overdue, or complete across every entity and team. Bottlenecks become obvious. Issues are surfaced earlier in the month instead of at the end.

This visibility has a behavioral impact as well. When progress is transparent, ownership improves and last-minute surprises decrease. Teams can begin work earlier and spread effort more evenly across the period instead of compressing everything into the final days.

Audit-Ready Account Reconciliations by Design

Every reconciliation in BlackLine carries its own history: who prepared it, who reviewed it, what changed, and which documents support the balance. Nothing needs to be reconstructed later.

Auditors can be granted secure, read-only access to reconciliations and support, eliminating the scramble to assemble binders or pull files from multiple locations. Because the workflow is standardized, auditors see a consistent control process applied across all accounts and periods.

This reduces disruption during audits and reinforces confidence in balance sheet integrity throughout the year, not just at year end.

AI in Account Reconciliation: How Verity Supports Finance Teams

What Is BlackLine Verity™?

Verity is BlackLine’s purpose-built AI framework designed specifically for finance and accounting—not generic AI layered onto financial data

In the context of account reconciliation, this shows up in practical ways:

Verity can analyze reconciliation data to highlight unusual balances, aging items, or patterns that merit attention. It can assist with drafting explanations for variances and reconciling items, helping preparers document their work more quickly and consistently. Natural language search capabilities make it easier to ask questions of your close data, such as identifying high-risk or overdue reconciliations without building custom reports.

Importantly, these capabilities are grounded in governed, auditable data rather than opaque models. That makes AI assistance usable in controlled financial processes, not just exploratory analysis.

For teams, this means less time writing repetitive explanations and more time validating and interpreting results.

Recent BlackLine Product Updates That Impact Account Reconciliation

Recent platform updates have focused on making reconciliations more continuous and less period-bound.

Real-time or near-real-time ERP integrations allow balances to refresh throughout the month. Instead of waiting for period close, teams can start reconciling earlier, identify issues sooner, and avoid end-of-month pileups.

Workflow and notification improvements have reduced reliance on manual follow-ups. Automated reminders and escalations keep work moving without someone having to chase updates.

Enhancements to dashboards and reporting provide more flexible views of reconciliation status by entity, account type, or risk, giving leadership clearer insight into where attention is needed.

Together, these changes push reconciliations from a once-a-month activity to an ongoing control that runs in parallel with daily operations.

Case Study: Modernizing Account Reconciliation at Davey Tree

When The Davey Tree Expert Company modernized its month-end close, the immediate goal was to remove manual work and strengthen controls without disrupting a busy accounting team.

Before BlackLine, reconciliations and checklists were Excel-based, data was loaded manually from SAP, and visibility into close progress was limited. That created extra effort and the risk of working with incomplete or outdated balances.

Through a phased implementation of BlackLine Account Reconciliation and Task Management with real-time SAP integration, Davey Tree replaced spreadsheets with standardized, system-driven processes.

Within the first quarter after go-live:

• 15% of reconciliations were fully automated using auto-certification rules
• More than 45 hours were saved per month by eliminating manual data loads and low-risk manual reconciliations
• Teams began reconciling earlier in the month using real-time SAP balances
• Dashboards provided instant visibility into close status across the organization
  
  

Beyond the time savings, accuracy and compliance improved because every reconciliation followed the same controlled workflow and used up-to-date data. Issues could be caught and corrected earlier instead of surfacing at the end of the close.

For Davey Tree, this established a scalable foundation for continued improvement rather than a one-time efficiency gain.

What This Means for Practitioners and Stakeholders

For preparers, BlackLine reduces repetitive mechanics and centralizes everything needed to complete a reconciliation. For reviewers, it provides consistent formats and clear audit trails. For controllers and CFOs, it delivers real-time insight into the health of the close and the integrity of the balance sheet.

The combination of standardized templates, automated data feeds, auto-certification for low-risk accounts, and AI-assisted analysis changes the nature of reconciliation work. It becomes less about proving that routine accounts tie out and more about understanding and resolving real exceptions.

The end result is a faster, more controlled close, lower audit friction, and finance teams that spend more of their time on analysis instead of administration.

Key Takeaways: Why Finance Teams Use BlackLine for Account Reconciliation

• BlackLine replaces spreadsheet-based reconciliations with a centralized, automated, and auditable process
• Automated balance loads and ERP integration reduce manual work and errors
• Standardized reconciliation templates improve consistency and review quality
• Auto-certification rules allow low-risk accounts to close themselves
• Real-time dashboards provide visibility into reconciliation and close status
• Built-in audit trails simplify compliance and reduce audit effort
• Verity™ AI enhances analysis and documentation without sacrificing control
• Recent platform updates support continuous, proactive reconciliation
• Real teams are experiencing real impact: Davey Tree automated 15% of their reconciliations the first month after implementation with auto-certification rules; most teams reach 40-65% auto-certification of their accounts each month

The post Account Reconciliation in BlackLine: How Finance Teams Close Faster with Less Risk appeared first on SandPoint Consulting.

If there’s one thing Beyond the Black 2025 made clear, it’s that the future of finance is being reshaped by AI, connected platforms, and smarter ways of working. Our team was on the ground last week, and the energy, announcements, and ideas made for an unforgettable experience.

Themes to Watch: The Big Picture for Finance Transformation

One of the biggest reveals was Verity AI, BlackLine’s new AI engine built to handle complex work and surface insights across the platform. It’s not just about efficiency—it’s about giving finance teams smarter tools to solve problems faster.

Studio360: The Power Behind the Platform

Another theme threaded throughout the week was Studio360, the connected foundation that underpins everything BlackLine offers. By bringing solutions together on one platform, Studio360 gives finance teams a more seamless, reliable way to work.

Learning From Experts and Innovators

The breakout sessions delivered real value, with deep dives into:

• How AI is reshaping finance automation
• BlackLine’s 2026 roadmap
• Advanced techniques for implementation and everyday use

On the main stage, BlackLine leaders were joined by consumer trends expert Matt Britton and Emmy-winning tech personality Katie Linendoll—each offering a unique lens on what’s next.

Partner Forum: Staying Ahead for Our Clients

We also joined the Partner Forum, a dedicated space where BlackLine shares upcoming product updates and strategic insights with partners. For us, this is more than just a preview—it’s how our consultants stay ahead of the curve. By understanding what’s coming before it’s released, we’re able to guide our clients with confidence and help them prepare for new capabilities as soon as they become available.

BlackLine added some extra fun with the Partner Alliances Training Challenge, encouraging partners to complete advanced training ahead of the event. 

Innovation Hub: Hands-On Access to What’s Next

At the Innovation Hub, we had the chance to connect directly with BlackLine product specialists. Seeing the new updates up close—and hearing what’s on the horizon—was a real highlight.

BlackLine Bash

Of course, conferences aren’t just about learning. The BlackLine Bash at Brooklyn Bowl delivered with bowling, great food, and dueling DJs. To top it off, our team capped the week with a trip to The Wizard of Oz immersive show at The Sphere—an experience we won’t forget anytime soon.

Looking Ahead

Beyond the Black left us energized and excited about what’s next. From Verity AI to Studio360 and everything on the roadmap, it’s clear BlackLine is raising the bar for finance automation. We can’t wait to bring these insights back to our clients and help them take advantage of what’s coming.

The post Highlights from Beyond the Black 2025 appeared first on SandPoint Consulting.

BeyondTheBlack 2025 takes place September 8-10 in Las Vegas, bringing together BlackLine customers, partners, and product experts for three days of learning, networking, and strategic insight. The agenda is now live, and registration is open through late August.

Whether you’re early in your BlackLine journey or looking to optimize an existing environment, this year’s event offers deep value across both business strategy and technical enablement.

No matter your title–Controller, Accountant, Admin, CFO–BeyondTheBlack offers practical sessions, peer stories, and product deep dives that speak to your role and challenges.

Themes to Watch: The Big Picture for Finance Transformation

Several key topics stand out across this year’s sessions, signaling where BlackLine and its customer base are headed next.

1. AI as part of the platform, not a side project

Agentic AI is now part of the day-to-day toolkit, embedded in workflows like journal analysis, variance detection, and cash forecasting. Sessions such as “Driving Outcomes with Agentic AI” and “Journal Risk Analysis” will show how teams are applying AI to improve speed, accuracy, and audit readiness–not in the future, but now.

2. ERP timing matters more than ever

With SAP ECC and Oracle R12 nearing end-of-life, the pressure to migrate is real. But the smartest teams aren’t rushing—they’re sequencing. BlackLine is positioning itself as a critical first step to stabilize accounting operations before ERP upheaval begins. For practical guidance, look to “BlackLine First: The Key to Successful ERP Transitions” and “Jumpstart Your Move to S/4.”

3. Intercompany is getting proactive attention

Historically treated as a back-end fix, intercompany is now being approached with strategic intent. More and more, we are emphasizing upstream governance, process automation, and better alignment between entities. If intercompany pain points still drag down your close, sessions like “Simplifying Intercompany Processes” and the “Intercompany Customer Panel” may be especially relevant.

4. Consolidation isn’t just a close issue anymore

It’s a strategy issue. With multi-entity organizations under pressure to report faster and more accurately, finance teams are rethinking how consolidation fits into the bigger picture of enterprise data flow. Expect sessions like “Consolidation Done Right” to tackle everything from data trust to reporting transparency.

5. Finance and IT as collaborators

This year’s agenda includes more sessions that bring finance and IT to the same table, with practical advice on building shared roadmaps, translating requirements, and keeping initiatives moving. “F&A and Finance Systems: Partners in Digital Success” is a must for any team struggling to align.

Make Time for the Fun Stuff

Yes, it’s a finance conference. But BeyondTheBlack is known for doing things differently—including giving attendees actual time to breathe, connect, and enjoy themselves. Here are a few can’t-miss experiences worth building into your agenda:

Stop by the Puppy Petting Station

A fan favorite at past events, the puppy lounge offers a much-needed mental break. If it returns this year (fingers crossed), don’t miss your chance to decompress with a few four-legged friends.

Attend the BlackLine Bash at Brooklyn Bowl

Get hands-on with new features, explore demos, and talk one-on-one with BlackLine product experts. The Hub includes:

• The Sandbox for trying out features in real time
• Customer Corner for feedback, raffles, and adoption support
• Meet the Expert sessions for personalized guidance

Talk to Someone You Don’t Know

Between sessions, in the halls, or at lunch–some of the most valuable conversations happen outside the breakout rooms. Make time to connect with other attendees, share lessons learned, or ask a follow-up question from a session. It’s a small move that can lead to lasting impact. Try Braindates for a chance to engage in peer-to-peer learning and “birds of a feather” group conversations on topics you want to share knowledge and learn about,

BeyondTheBlack is a chance to reset your vision, deepen your product knowledge, and connect with a community that’s solving the same challenges you are. Whether you’re attending to shape strategy, sharpen technical skills, or explore what’s next, this year’s event is packed with opportunities to learn, connect, and take action. We hope to see you there.

The post What to Look Forward to at BeyondTheBlack 2025 appeared first on SandPoint Consulting.

When finance teams look to modernize, we hear one question over and over:

“Why do we need another system if our ERP already handles accounting?”

It’s a fair question. After all, major ERPs like SAP, Oracle, and NetSuite are built to manage core financial processes–posting transactions, maintaining the general ledger, and producing financial statements.

But here’s the difference:

ERPs are built to record the numbers. They’re not built to manage the work behind them.

That means the team still completes tasks like assigning responsibilities, tracking deadlines, and ensuring reconciliations on time outside the ERP—using spreadsheets, email, and shared folders. 

BlackLine fills the gap. It provides a structured way to manage accounting workflows and automate time-consuming tasks, while improving visibility, control, and consistency.

This article looks at how ERPs and specialized tools like BlackLine work together and where each one shines.

Note: ERP stands for Enterprise Resource Planning. The software is designed to manage core financial processes, such as posting transactions, maintaining the general ledger, and producing financial statements.

ERP and BlackLine: What’s the difference?

Here’s a simple way to think about it:

• Your ERP is where the data lives. It records journal entries, manages ledgers, and generates reports.
• BlackLine is where the accounting team gets work done. It organizes the month-end close, automates reconciliations, tracks ownership and deadlines, and enforces approvals.

While ERPs focus on storing and processing data, BlackLine helps accounting teams manage and control the processes around that data.

ERP vs. BlackLine: A Functional Comparison

Function	ERP	BlackLine
General Ledger Management	✓ Core function	✗ Relies on ERP as system of record
Journal Entry Storage	✓ Stores entries	✓ Stores entries with workflow, approval, and audit trail
Account Reconciliation	⚠ Manual (usually outside ERP)	✓ Centralized, rule-based, and automated
Transaction Matching	⚠ Possible in some modules, often custom	✓ Purpose-built, high-volume automation
Close Task Tracking	✗ Typically tracked in spreadsheets	✓ Real-time task visibility, ownership, deadlines
Audit Trail	⚠ Basic, limited to entries	✓ Comprehensive logs of user actions and approvals
Real-Time Close Visibility	⚠ Financial data may be live, but task status and progress are not tracked	✓ Dashboards show status of all close activities
Automation Rules	✗ Minimal or requires customization	✓ Built-in automation for recurring tasks

Bottom line: Your ERP is a system of record. BlackLine is a system to manage the work behind the numbers.

What BlackLine Adds to the Tech Stack

BlackLine is purpose-built for accounting operations. It standardizes processes, automates manual work, and strengthens controls–without replacing your ERP.

Here’s what BlackLine adds:

1. Account Reconciliation Automation

BlackLine tracks every account in one place with a designated owner, reviewer, due date, and status. Rules-based auto-certification reduces time spent on low-risk accounts.

2. Automated Transaction Matching

BlackLine can match transactions using rules you define–for example, for cash, credit cards, intercompany, or clearing accounts. The system now completes what used to take days in minutes

3. Close Task Management

With BlackLine, your month-end checklist becomes a living workspace. Assign tasks, set deadlines, and track progress across the team in real time. This visibility helps teams stay aligned and avoid last-minute surprises.

4. Journal Entry Workflow

BlackLine provides a structured journal entry process. Teams can prepare entries, route them for approval, and post them to the ERP after review. Templates help standardize recurring entries, and a full audit trail ensures transparency.

5. Compliance and Audit Support

BlackLine logs every action, providing a clear audit trail. Supporting documents can be attached directly to reconciliations or journal entries, so there’s no need to dig through folders during an audit. Review steps and approvals are visible and easy to verify.

Think of BlackLine as the layer that helps finance teams operate with control, visibility, and speed, especially during high-pressure periods like month-end close.

When Is the Right Time to Add BlackLine?

Certain patterns often signal that it’s time to move beyond manual close processes. Some common signs include:

• Close timelines are slipping, or teams are working overtime to meet deadlines
• The number of accounts and reconciliations is growing
• Excel and email are being used to track tasks, approvals, and deadlines
• Audit prep takes weeks, and supporting documents are scattered
• New hires struggle to get up to speed without standardized processes
• Close checklists live in Excel or SharePoint, and no one knows what’s done
• Reconciliations are tracked manually across dozens or hundreds of accounts
• Errors are caught late–often by auditors

Many teams wait until these problems become too big to ignore. But putting the right structure in place earlier can help prevent delays, reduce errors, and improve morale.

Without structure, even the best ERP can’t prevent delays, missed steps, or compliance risks.

How BlackLine Works with Your Existing Tech Stack

BlackLine connects with your ERP to create a seamless accounting workflow. The integration process is designed to be low-impact on IT and easy to maintain.

Here’s how it typically works:

• Financial data flows from the ERP into BlackLine automatically, either through secure flat files, APIs, or pre-built connectors
• Reconciliations, journals, and close tasks are completed in BlackLine, using data from your ERP
• Users can post completed journal entries back to the ERP, keeping everything aligned
• BlackLine can also connect to other systems, such as bank platforms, subledgers, and reporting tools

This setup allows teams to work more efficiently without re-entering data or jumping between disconnected tools. Everything remains tied to your ERP as the system of record, but the work becomes structured, visible, and auditable.

BlackLine and ERP: Better Together

BlackLine complements your ERP by bringing automation, accountability, and visibility to your accounting processes. It pulls in financial data and provides a place for your team to manage the work around the numbers. When the two systems work together, teams can close faster, reduce risk, and focus more energy on analysis and strategy.

Final Thoughts: It’s Not ERP vs. BlackLine–It’s ERP + BlackLine

For accounting teams buried in spreadsheets and deadlines, BlackLine offers a smarter way to work—without overhauling your entire tech stack. It helps accounting teams reduce manual work, enforce controls, and gain real-time visibility into the close. It’s not about choosing between your ERP and a specialized tool. It’s about using the right tool for the right job.

If your close process is becoming harder to manage, now may be the right time to explore how tools like BlackLine can help your team work smarter. Our team has helped leading organizations, like Kraft, transform their accounting operations with BlackLine. Get started today. 

The post BlackLine vs. ERP: Filling the Gaps in Your Finance Tech Stack appeared first on SandPoint Consulting.

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What Is a BlackLine Implementation Partner?

In the context of implementing BlackLine, a partner is a certified and BlackLine-supported consulting organization. Partners have experience with a vast number of implementations, spanning multiple clients across various industries. They consistently work well with the internal BlackLine consulting team to get the job done — successfully and efficiently. BlackLine requires its partners to be certified on the modules every year, along with staying informed of changes and updates to the BlackLine solution. There are many aspects of the implementation and process improvement in which partners can prove their usefulness.

Be the Intermediary

Implementing BlackLine requires back-and-forth work between the organization implementing the software and BlackLine themselves. The level of interaction depends on the module you are implementing, but each module requires work from both parties. Having a partner can relieve the project team of some of the burden related to the heavier technical discussions and decisions with BlackLine. 

For example, in the Account Reconciliation and Task modules, there are critical settings that the partner and company will discuss, but only BlackLine can enable. Partners can discuss their vision for the software with the customer and convert that into the language and requests that BlackLine requires for setting up the application appropriately. 

This is also common while setting up the connection between the customer ERP system and BlackLine. There may be several questions the BlackLine team has for the customer that require the project team to do research or go to their internal IT team to get answers. The partner, in this scenario, can be the intermediary and provide some of the answers based on their own experiences, eliminating the need for the project team to research an answer. 
The partner’s responsibility is to keep the project team (BlackLine consultants and customer) aware of what is happening on the BlackLine side — the customer should never be in the dark about the project status. 

The Heavy Lifting: Data Integration, Tie-Out, and Organization

When implementing BlackLine, the most time-consuming step for any customer is collecting and organizing the data to load into the software. For instance, in the Reconciliation module, you must gather information about the entity structure, users and their roles, account balances, account assignments (i.e., who prepares and approves what accounts), frequency of reconciliation, etc. In the Task module, you must organize the tasks for completion, identify of who signs off on the tasks, and how determine the frequency. 
One of our experiences with a customer included approximately 70 BlackLine users, close to 1,000 reconciliations, and about 700 tasks. It took nearly 60 hours nearly 60 hours collecting, organizing, and formatting the data for the BlackLine import. Allowing a partner to handle the majority of this data organization and efficiently load your data into the solution will maximize your team’s time and budget.

A Trusted Extension of Your Team

A partner will act as an extension of your project and accounting team during the implementation. They will also provide post-go-live support and assistance. This support is imperative to fall back on when needed. Your partner will represent your accounting team in meetings regarding the implementation with internal stakeholders (e.g., IT) and BlackLine. A trusted partner will understand the project team’s goals and be able to communicate how to accomplish them without needing the project team to hold their hand. 

A partner can represent your project team when speaking with other BlackLine users who didn’t participate in the planning or development of the solution. The partner should be able to train, inform, and assist these users based on their knowledge of current and future practices and processes developed by the organization.

Years of Experience and Expertise

When adding external resources to your project team, not only should you ensure that those partners are BlackLine certified, but they should also have several years of experience implementing the system across a variety of clients. Using an experienced BlackLine implementation partner allows the organization to rely on them for information and details that may otherwise require a great deal of research and investigation. From simple to complex questions and issues, an experienced partner has likely seen it or has multiple resources available to identify the proper solution. 

Along with the technical side of implementing the system, a partner should be able to provide real-world expertise from time spent working in the accounting field. This expertise should cover a wide range of accounting practices including SOX controls, involvement with audits, and experience completing or approving reconciliations. For many organizations, implementing BlackLine not only focuses on the use of a new solution, but also on improving month-end processes and procedures. A partner who has BlackLine expertise and experience with the month-end close process can help enhance current procedures with advice, information, and training. Any potential BlackLine partner will provide you with references to prove a successful track record with other clients.

Real-World Examples From a Certified BlackLine Implementation Partner

1. About seven years ago, a mid-sized company implemented BlackLine — to save a little money, they opted not to use a partner. The company never fully integrated the BlackLine solution into its month-end processes – it used the system more as a repository of information that added limited value. Fast forward seven years: looking for ways to improve usage, the company reached out for a review of their system. By using an experienced partner for this review, the company hopes to take the items noted during the process and get BlackLine performing as originally intended.
   
2. Another example involves a small accounting team within a large company. The team implemented the Reconciliations module without the assistance of a partner and years later says, “We didn’t know what we didn’t know.” There were many aspects of the system that they would have opted for initially had they used a partner who could explain all intricacies of the application before go-live. It took them a few years to get the Reconciliations module to a much more useful state as they learned things along the way. This team went on to implement the Matching module with a certified partner and shares that this experience went much smoother — the Matching module was a solidified part of their month-end process much faster than Reconciliations were.
   
3. Lastly, a client contacted us to implement an additional BlackLine module after initially starting down the path with a non-certified consulting firm. The non-certified firm had experience in implementing ERP systems, but not BlackLine. Eventually, they got to a point where the ERP consultant could not help with the details of BlackLine as they initially thought. To ensure the successful implementation of their BlackLine solution, they had to reach out to a certified partner to complete the implementation.

Find the Right BlackLine Implementation Partner

For many organizations, the value of utilizing a trusted partner is immeasurable. Whether your team is short on resources, you need someone with other ideas and expertise, or someone to take charge and fully lead the project, a partner is there to provide this for you. Finding the right fit for your organization can take some time but selecting a partner with a proven track record of being helpful, efficient, and experienced is well worth the effort. While it may seem like you are paying more to utilize a partner, the ROI is much higher with increased success rates, along with better knowledge transfer and training.

The post Why You Need a BlackLine Implementation Partner appeared first on SandPoint Consulting.

1. Keep BlackLine up-to-date and in use

Ensure that your team is using and continues to use your BlackLine instance as it was originally designed and intended. The main goal is to avoid falling back into former, manual and inefficient habits that BlackLine has been implemented to transform. As a system admin or executive, take the time to review your monthly close process progress of all modules making sure the system is in use while also pinpointing where improvements can be made. 

Ask a few questions: 

• Are certain users not completing items assigned to them?
• Are due dates not being adhered to as they had been in the past?
• Are templates not being efficiently utilized?

There are many questions that can be answered with a high-level monthly or quarterly review of the system. From the review, what improvements can be made and how should these improvements be accomplished? The answer to this could include additional training for end users and/or system administrators, step-by-step user training guides (if your organization does not currently have them), a review of dashboards for all roles, etc.

2. Employ system administrators

Most of us have experienced situations in which certain people within an organization get promoted or take other opportunities. Sometimes, this person has been the subject matter expert in charge of running certain applications for the organization, including BlackLine. This is just one example of where a company might need system administrator help – there are many others. You want to make sure that you have the proper number of fully trained system administrators for the size of your organization. Even small accounting teams should have two administrators. Having two or more fully trained administrators will allow for individuals to take vacation, leave, sick time, etc. as necessary without there being a gap in BlackLine admin coverage.

By having numerous admins, you could assign certain tasks to each which could allow more time for those individuals to focus on other value-added assignments for your organization. As a result, the full weight of maintaining BlackLine would not fall on one individual.

3. Support end users

Make sure your end users feel supported by getting them answers to any specific questions regarding their reconciliations, journals, variances, or any of your other modules. If your end user is attempting to set up a tricky reconciliation, for example, there may be questions concerning best practices for those reconciliations. What is the best reconciliation template to use? What is the proper import template to use? How should this reconciliation be documented in the system? 

Another example would be if your end user is interested in setting up a recurring journal but has never done it before. Help them by getting answers as quickly and efficiently as possible. Answers can be obtained from the BlackLine Community by entering support tickets, via implementation partners, etc. As a system administrator or executive, your end users will look to you for help – there are many options at your fingertips to dig out answers.

4. Develop reports

Is your management team looking for better information regarding the status of month-end close given the remote environment we are now all working in? Good month-end close status reporting is a necessity, even in standard working environments. Take the time to review your current reports being used and decide if you need to design/build fresh reports to highlight timeliness, workload, or any other information that would help the comfort level of the management team. With the BlackLine application, good data in means good data out. Make sure your team prioritizes good data going into the system, then you can utilize additional reports that include items such as the amounts of required adjustments, aging of reconciling items, and even what team member is responsible for these items. Reporting is sometimes an underused module within BlackLine – focus on customization and usefulness for your team and leaders.

5. Review settings and configuration

As a system administrator, take the time to review your current system settings and monitor your configuration to ensure you are getting the most out of your BlackLine instance. There is a lot of information available to you through the BlackLine Community regarding settings and how they operate within your system. If a significant  amount of time has passed since implementation, there may even be new settings available that your team has not considered using. There are many settings you can change on your own – those changes are immediate within the application. There are a handful of settings that you are not able to change as a system administrator and would require a support ticket to be logged with BlackLine.

6. Explore new modules

Has it been a while since your BlackLine instance was implemented and you are now curious about the other modules in the system that you are not yet using? The BlackLine Community and even Google searches and YouTube can provide you with information on modules within BlackLine. Once you are comfortable with the module(s) that you originally implemented, it is worthwhile to research what else the system can do for you and your accounting team. While you are researching, keep in mind that some modules take considerably longer to implement than others. They also can be implemented one at a time.

Whether your team implemented BlackLine last year or five years ago, it is always the right time to review your system and make sure you are getting the most out of it. Don’t let the uncertainty of our current unusual circumstances and virtual working situations allow your team to fall back to old manual practices. Make sure your BlackLine usage is as engaging as ever – for your team, your executives, and all of those who depend on us as accountants!

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Technology offers tremendous potential to improve the efficiency, transparency, and security of general accounting and the month-end close process. The automation and real- time tracking tool is embedded in the latest accounting platforms help teams make faster, more informed decisions and free up time for more strategic work.

In June 2019, APQC spoke with Liz Feltman, Blackline Practice Lead at SandPoint Consulting, about how organizations can advance their accounting processes, the ways technology can improve speed and quality in closing, and how organizations can successfully deploy automation in accounting. SandPoint Consulting helps organizations implement solutions for optimizing budgeting, planning, forecasting, and close processes.

Click here to download the full article.

ABOUT FELTMAN AND SANDPOINT CONSULTING

APQC: Tell us about yourself and your experience with general accounting.

Feltman: I currently lead the BlackLine Practice for SandPoint Consulting. I started my career in public accounting with a Big Four firm in the auditing area. This exposed me to a variety of industries, company sizes, and processes for closing the books. After I left public accounting, I went to an agricultural company working in internal audit, business analysis, and accounting manager roles. After that, I went to a global manufacturing company where I started as a technical accounting manager and ended up as the corporate controller for North America, overseeing the entire month-end close and reporting process.

I joined SandPoint Consulting in 2017 as a BlackLine implementation consultant, and since then have progressed to leading the BlackLine practice. (BlackLine is a cloud-based tool for automating and controlling the close process.)

Before we implemented automation at the manufacturing company, I would accumulate hundreds of paper-based reconciliations that needed to be approved at month-end. It would take hours to go through every reconciliation, so I’d have to plan meetings and trips around it. Then, at audit time, the amount of paper created a lot of confusion and rework, and in some years, extra audit fees. The complications of doing everything manually was overwhelming, such as the lack of consistency from person to person, errors in spreadsheets, lack of communication, and we always had problems due to “I thought somebody else was doing it” reasoning. With the cloud-based tool, all the information I needed was at the touch of a button, and that was game-changing.

Moving to SandPoint gave me the opportunity to help companies improve their close process. SandPoint is a boutique consulting firm focused on improving accounting processes such as month-end close, management reporting and budgeting, and forecasting and planning. Our consultants have real-world experience in the general accounting, month-end, reporting, and audit processes, so we can provide best practice advice and guidance to people on the other side of the table.

IMPROVING GENERAL ACCOUNTING

APQC: What are the critical success factors for effective and efficient general accounting and close-the-books processes? 

Feltman: Communication is probably the biggest thing, and it’s an area where most organizations are lacking. There’s an assumption that accounting doesn’t need to know about everything that’s happening, and that the close process is just a routine. But at the end of close—or even shortly after close—issues arise that we wish we had known about earlier. Communication is huge. 

You also need an overall understanding of your accounting process, including the timing, roles, and the endgame. Everyone involved needs to be on the same page, and that ties back to communication. If you expect everyone just to do the same thing over and over and not understand why they’re doing it, you’re setting yourself up for wasted time and headaches. 

APQC: What are some of the tools that you use to ensure a structured accounting process? 

Feltman: You need to have a checklist to ensure every task is completed. The more detailed, the better. You need the pre-close activities, closing dates, post-close, all the way through to issuing financials. 

If you can automate that checklist with technology, visibility becomes a lot clearer. You won’t have to track people down when the CFO has a question about who did what and when— instead, you can just run a report and look at the results. You can see how everything relates to each other, so you don’t jump ten steps ahead without completing the nine before. 

APQC: What role do people play in ensuring effective accounting? 

Feltman: Your people are critical. Whether your accounting is automated or manual, you have to treat your people like people. You can’t assume that they know what to do and why. You have to communicate that and make sure they know their responsibilities. 

It may seem like overkill, but you have to make sure nobody feels left out. That’s something I learned both in my experience as a manager and as the person doing the detailed work. You have to be engaged with your team during the close process and not take your team for
granted, so spend time with them communicating and getting them on board. 

APQC: How do you manage change and help people get on board? 

Feltman: We see successful change when senior management supports the initiative. Their support is critical to the success of the project and they should be part of the ongoing communication. Once we have management buy-in, we have to communicate early and often. Make sure everyone feels they have a voice and that they understand the reasoning behind the change.Set up a time to talk to people individually or have a roundtable where people can come and ask questions. Whether it’s the month-end process or implementing one of these new tools, make them feel part of the process. Go further than you think you need to and maintain an open-door policy.Remember that someone who never speaks up may have great ideas—they just don’t feel comfortable sharing them. Help them feel as comfortable as possible. People who are involved in the process at a detailed level may have a better idea than you do at the fifty-thousand-foot level.

THE BENEFITS OF ACCOUNTING TECHNOLOGY

APQC: What are the key benefits of technology for general accounting?

Feltman: Manual accounting takes a lot of time. Technology makes everything faster and gives better transparency into the whole process. The document retention aspect of these technologies is also incredible. Instead of having to go look through file drawers and piece together what happened, everything is right there in the tool.

This technology also reduces the potential for error. A lot of these tools are meant to replace spreadsheets and the manual re-keying of data; they have built-in capabilities to handle things like an amortization or accrual schedule and do calculations within the reconciliation itself. If you’re doing everything in Excel, it only takes one error in one cell to mess everything up. The technology gives you a template to follow and calculates it for you. Working in one closed system like this reduces the potential for errors to multiply.

APQC: How do you make the business case for investing in accounting software? 

Feltman: Usually, when we see successful ROI, it’s related to the ability to access information faster and have greater transparency into whether all the controls are complete, on time, and of quality. It’s really about the accessibility of real-time information, which reduces time spent tracking things down and cleaning up the books. 

Headcount reduction shouldn’t be the sole motive for implementing automation in accounting. It might look good on paper, but it’s not the direction most companies want to go. Focus on the time and cost savings potential and the ability to identify and resolve issues faster.

PREPARING TO IMPLEMENT ACCOUNTING TECHNOLOGY

APQC: What are the most important focus areas for preparing to implement accounting technology? 

Feltman: Start by evaluating the current state to identify what works and what doesn’t, then develop an ideal future-state process. Any technology change is an opportunity to improve processes. Find those pain points and identify ways to improve them. It’s important to focus on how you can use the technology to make every accountant’s life better in the organization. 

APQC: What process and people steps do you need to take to prepare for implementation? 

Feltman: In my work as a consultant, that always starts with the client, their culture, and their current state. Conversations about preparedness and the appetite for automation start early in the sales process, and then escalate to a higher-level stakeholder group of people during the engagement. These are the people who are going to make decisions about purchasing tools. We get a high-level vision of what these executives want, then we talk with the accounting team. 

If the accounting team is large and global, we’ll have multiple small group conversations and talk to individuals that touch the close process; we won’t assume that one person or group has all the knowledge of the whole process. Getting feedback from the entire close team will improve the outcome of the implementation. As a consultant, I always pay attention to who is not saying anything and who isn’t engaged so I can follow up with them later. Sometimes these people have something important to say but don’t want to speak out in front of the whole group. 

People are often afraid that automation is going to work them out of a job, and you have to address that very early on. Explain that automation is going to help them be more effective and save time. Most accountants work overtime during the close process, so a good way to frame this conversation is, “I don’t want you to work overtime just as much as you don’t want to work overtime.” 

Then beyond that, it’s “I would rather have you be doing something that’s actually adding value to the business.” There’s probably a project they’ve expressed interest in working on, but they just don’t have time. These tools free up time for them to do other things that will help them add value to their company.

You have to have these conversations very early on, and if individuals are really hesitant, that conversation needs to be one-on-one. You have to help them understand that the goal of the project is not to take away their job.

IMPLEMENTING ACCOUNTING TECHNOLOGY

APQC: What are the key steps in implementing accounting technology? 

Feltman: SandPoint has a proven methodology for implementing accounting software that starts with understanding your project goals and being able to clearly identify the current state and desired future state. Alongside the client, we work our way through the configuration and setup of the product. That includes gathering the data needed to establish the system, testing it, and training users. This can be an iterative process to ensure that the client is receiving the system they want in the end along with all of the supporting documentation to maintain and improve the system in the future. 

After go-live, we’ll have a hyper-care phase. Just because people are in the system doesn’t mean that the project is over. As people start actually using it, they’re going to have more questions. The hyper-care or post-go-live phase is probably the most critical point of any implementation, because people are starting to really understand what the technology does and how it can benefit them. You want to be there to support those users, answer their questions, and help them feel comfortable with the new technology. After this phase it is important to evaluate the project as far as what went right, what went wrong, and any future steps to take. 

APQC: What is the typical cycle time for implementation? 

Feltman: It depends on the scope of the project, the type of technology, and the size of the organization. For a basic implementation at a smaller organization, it could be as fast as three to four weeks. But for a large global company, it may sense to do the rollout over a longer period across different locations. 

APQC: How much time is needed for hyper-care/post-go-live support? 

Feltman: It’s usually between six and eight weeks, but it’s not full-time on the consulting side for that entire period. Right after go-live is when all of the questions come up and there’s a lot of support needed. After about a month, things start to come together, and users and administrators begin to understand the system and support questions tend to drop off. 

APQC: What are the biggest mistakes organizations make when implementing accounting technology?

Feltman: One of the biggest mistakes is going live just to make a deadline regardless of what stage the project is in. Make sure everything is absolutely correct before you press go. The consequences of starting before you’re ready will be worse than missing the deadline. Sometimes there are legitimate reasons to delay a project, but most people are so afraid of missing deadlines that they’ll just forge ahead without understanding the consequences. If you’re not ready, don’t do it.

AUTOMATION AND THE FUTURE OF GENERAL ACCOUNTING

APQC: What can we expect to see in the future for general accounting? 

Feltman: The move toward automation is not going to slow down any time soon. In fact, I’m getting more and more questions about what this technology can do. It’s not a passing fad. I expect to see more automation and AI coming into play. The future is now, so it’s time to start evaluating how these technologies can help your organization.

TAKEAWAYS AND LESSONS LEARNED

APQC: What advice would you give to companies implementing accounting technology? 

Feltman: Make sure that you’re not closing off the conversation about automation just because it’s scary or new. Investigate, research, and talk to other companies about their journey. There are so many vendors out there, and they all have references. Don’t just talk to the salespeople; talk to other companies. Learning about their real-life experiences will make the conversation a little less scary.

The post Using BlackLine: Automation to Improve Your General Accounting appeared first on SandPoint Consulting.

If you’ve heard the name BlackLine batted around in accounting circles, but weren’t sure what it is, you’re not alone. Many CPAs that we’ve spoken with haven’t heard of this product before or have heard the name but that’s it.  Here is a brief summary of what BlackLine is, and more importantly why you should consider using it.

What is BlackLine?

BlackLine is software as a service (SaaS) platform that provides a system for performing multiple month-end accounting processes in one place. Current offerings include modules for account reconciliations, variance analysis, consolidation validation, task completion, two different journal entry processes and transaction matching.  In addition, BlackLine recently introduced options for simplifying intercompany transactions and compliance testing and documentation. In a nutshell, BlackLine replaces the common practices of spreadsheet documentation and manual procedures for many key accounting processes.

As mentioned above, BlackLine solutions contain various products, with the most common being account reconciliation and journal entry documentation.  Through these products information is uploaded into BlackLine from the underlying general ledger system where users are then assigned the responsibility of providing support.

As way of comparison, the following diagram compares the typical account reconciliation process in the traditional method to the typical process in a BlackLine instance.

Why should you consider BlackLine?

As you can see in the example above, BlackLine improves the account reconciliation process by automating the load of account balances from the source ledger, notifying supervisors that reconciliations are complete and ready for their review, storing support in a single location, providing evidence of review and approval, and incorporating segregation of duties controls necessary to ensure the integrity of the reconciliations process. This type of streamlined process is consistent with all of BlackLine’s modules.

While a strong reconciliation process is important for all entities, private or public, public entities (or entities subject to annual audits) can leverage BlackLine as a repository for reconciliation and journal entry support.  External and internal auditors may be granted access and are able to review support that has been completed and made available for inspection.

Because BlackLine is a SaaS offering, the client hardware requirements do not extend past having appropriate workstations for employees with internet access.  This, combined with the BlackLine standardized implementation procedures, results in minimal involvement from the IT department.  A typical implementation of the BlackLine Account Reconciliations may be completed in as little as two months.  BlackLine can be managed with a minimal amount of administrative time and is typically handled by the accounting group.

Few products offer as much return with a nominal investment. For more information regarding any of the BlackLine products or our service offerings related to BlackLine, please email us at info@sandpointc.com.

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