{"id":70036,"date":"2025-11-25T11:52:48","date_gmt":"2025-11-25T19:52:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/newed.any0.dpdns.org\/en-us\/industry\/microsoft-in-business\/?p=70036"},"modified":"2025-11-25T11:52:51","modified_gmt":"2025-11-25T19:52:51","slug":"the-actionable-ai-playbook-5-lessons-leaders-can-learn-from-transcards-virtual-cfo","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/newed.any0.dpdns.org\/en-us\/industry\/microsoft-in-business\/customer-story\/2025\/11\/25\/the-actionable-ai-playbook-5-lessons-leaders-can-learn-from-transcards-virtual-cfo\/","title":{"rendered":"The actionable AI playbook: 5 lessons leaders can learn from Transcard\u2019s Virtual CFO"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Finance teams operate in a high-stakes environment, with competing priorities, limited hours, and unforgiving risk.<\/strong> Transcard\u2019s answer wasn\u2019t another dashboard. It was a Virtual CFO: AI agents that act<\/a><\/strong>, not just advise.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cLeaders wear too many hats,\u201d highlights Jeff Kaufman, Executive Vice President (EVP) of AI and Data Insights at Transcard. \u201cThey manage fraud and risk. They make sure hundreds of suppliers are paid on time. They chase customer payments. Large firms have tools to help. But many smaller businesses still rely on spreadsheets. We knew AI could change that.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To take some of those hats off, Transcard built Virtual CFO \u2013 a secure, proactive AI agent that works around the clock, orchestrating multiple AI agents to watch for risks, flag opportunities and anticipate issues before they become problems. It levels the playing field by enabling 24\/7 financial automation, accelerating issue resolution and freeing up time to focus on growth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Quote<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

But the real breakthrough isn\u2019t just automation, it\u2019s re\u2011imagination. Virtual CFO is a clear example of the future of AI \u2013 a roadmap for businesses ready to move forward.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here are five important lessons from Transcard\u2019s journey worth remembering:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. Start with the most pressing challenges<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

For Transcard\u2019s customers, that meant cash flow anxiety, fraud risks and manual payments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What keeps your customers up at night?<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou need to listen to your customers directly,\u201d explains Jeff Kaufman. \u201cI call it the \u2018day in the life.\u2019 Spend time with them, watch what they do and understand their conflicting priorities. That\u2019s how you find the real pain.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And once you spot the issue, ask whether the process is worth improving.<\/p>\n\n\n

\"Two<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\u201cPlenty of leaders want AI to automate processes so employees are more efficient. But ask yourself: are you automating broken processes? That reflection matters,\u201d says David Samples, Chief Technology Officer (CTO) at Transcard.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The cycle of improvement only works when the foundation is strong. True transformation means stepping back to create future-ready ways of working, rather than just speeding up old routines.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2. Set non\u2011negotiables early<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Priorities define success. Without them, direction is lost.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Transcard established three essentials before writing a single line of code:<\/p>\n\n\n\n