Home > Companies > Thought Leaders > BlackLine's Kevin Kimber says that offering superior customer experience is essential for long-term success

BlackLine's Kevin Kimber says that offering superior customer experience is essential for long-term success

offering superior customer
At the exciting launch of BlackLine's newest AR automation platform, we had the opportunity to explore the different credit risk management, payment, and customer segmentation solutions, among a host of others, in an interview with Kevin Kimber, Managing Director of Global AR at BlackLine. Read on to find out the different ways BlackLine automates financial closes for some of the world's most renowned companies.

Businesses that are yet to automate will continue to face challenges as we move away from completely remote and into hybrid working models.

MEDIA 7: Thank you for your time, Kevin. Could you please tell us a little bit about your experience of launching and scaling SaaS businesses?
KEVIN KIMBER: Over the last 20 years, I’ve had the opportunity to build a number of global businesses from scratch – two of which went public in New York. In each of these cases, there was a market that was ripe for disruption – either from a vendor perspective, where there was an opportunity to create something entirely new, or from a customer perspective, where companies were using legacy technology to fill a gap that could be addressed by something more efficient. It all comes down to fostering the right mindset and thinking, 'There has to be a better way.' It’s incredibly exciting to do something that disrupts an existing industry or creates a new one. I’ve certainly had a lot of fun along the way.

I’ve had the opportunity to do business all over the world, with lots of different types of companies – from small organizations that have scaled to become some of the world’s biggest, to some of the longest-standing strategic businesses in the world. I’ve also had the good fortune to consistently be part of really strong teams. This is so important. There are lots of examples of companies with good tech that didn’t reach their potential – it’s critical to have a close focus on the technology, but the quality of your team is really critical to successful execution. Experience has also taught me that lots of companies have a clear vision, but few have a clear mission that links to the vision. Knowing and communicating your mission – so employees, customers, and partners know what they are a part of – is the groundsheet to success.


M7: How does BlackLine’s cloud-based solutions help automate, centralize and streamline financial operations for your clients?
KK: BlackLine’s technology improves speed, accuracy and reliability in all areas of financial operations. Whether it’s standardizing and automating reconciliations, automating accounts receivable, managing the close process, or unifying accounting into an integrated intercompany process, our solutions are designed to accelerate operations and improve efficiency by eliminating labor-intensive and time-consuming tasks. Our platform enables large and mid-sized organizations to perform accounting work better, faster, and with more control, by unifying their data and processes, automating repetitive work, and driving accountability through visibility. Our goal is to help companies reduce detail-heavy, routine tasks that distract from higher-value work and enable organizations to shift resources from just 'getting the job done' to telling a complete story. Ultimately this helps them to focus on strategic decision making and work that matters most.

Read More: ANAGOG’s CEO Ofer Tziperman assures with Edge AI, ‘What happens on the phone, stays on the phone’


Knowing and communicating your mission – so employees, customers, and partners know what they are a part of – is the groundsheet to success.



M7: BlackLine is set to launch new AR automation solutions this year. What are some of the exciting features that we can expect from this launch?
KK: BlackLine has just unveiled the first unified AR automation platform, which is incredibly exciting. Our new Unified AR solutions comprise of cash application, credit and risk management, collections management, disputes and deductions, team and task management and AR intelligence. Applying and reconciling payments to sales invoices on customer accounts is the cornerstone of the AR department, and our intelligent automation removes manual resources by as much as 85%. Our algorithms are developed from learning from hundreds of customer deployments – as a result, deployment is quicker than industry expectations rather than building from new each time. A compelling new feature for credit and risk management is our dynamic customer segmentation which supports proactive debtor risk management while monitoring changes in customer attributes in real time. Our risk policies monitor changes in attributes and automate credit limit reviews in real time, removing the need for time-consuming report creation.

There is also the flexibility to create new policies as and when is required. When it comes to collections management, we provide multiple collection strategies to fit each customer’s sales ledger profile. The standard process (often referred to as Dunning) used by ERP solutions is more of a 'one size fits all,' approach and lacks the dynamic capability of our solution. Our collection strategies work with risk data and team/task management and we offer operational reporting that measures collection strategy success and aligns actions to results. Another differentiating feature of our AR automation solution is disputes and deductions management. Our automated workflow accelerates dispute resolution and maintains customer relationships, with reporting providing visibility and highlighting which actions are required to allow cash to be collectible. The reporting suite demonstrates how disputes are impacting key performance metrics and preventing optimum performance.

Additionally, the Team and Task management solution is a great feature that maximizes and optimizes time by focusing on data-driven priorities. It provides full visibility which allows management to assess productivity, success, and workload prioritization, and enables everyone to focus more time on actions that impact business outcomes. With the move to hybrid working, the need for this kind of solution has become mission-critical for organizations that need to be agile and pivot at any given moment. Finally, I would say AR intelligence is one of the most powerful features of our new AR solutions. Our technology is based on decision intelligence, which is about bringing together as much data as possible and placing it at the fingertips of users to improve decision-making. This intelligence also allows insight into customer behaviors on sales trends and payment performance and enables you to understand the predictability of customer payments. This knowledge is extremely valuable, with the data and reporting allowing you to build business partnering with other parts of the organization, such as treasury, commercial, and sales teams.


M7: What do you see as the most noticeable change right now happening in the workforce, encouraged by the rise of digital technologies?
KK: Hybrid working will have a big impact on where and how we do our work. To some extent this is stating the obvious but it is worth saying because hybrid is driving one of the biggest workforce changes we’ve seen in years. From a digital transformation perspective, hybrid working has really created an inflection point in the way companies view and consume technology. Hybrid and remote working have forced digital transformation up the agenda – even in companies that historically shied away from this, particularly for their back end processes. If we look at AR as an example, when businesses were forced to close their physical offices, we saw that our customers (who had already introduced automation to AR processes) experienced minimal disruption to their daily tasks. Prospective customers however, were focused to put projects on hold or deal with a severe drop in productivity, because they simply were not prepared for remote working.

This created a ‘them’ and ‘us’, or a ‘haves’ and ‘have nots’ situation from an AR automation perspective. Businesses that are yet to automate will continue to face challenges as we move away from completely remote and into hybrid working models. Productivity is comparatively easy if you’re in one place or the other (e.g. everyone in the office, or everyone at home), but it’s really hard if you’re 50/50. In terms of other changes, when and how the economy springs back will undoubtedly create opportunities. Companies that are resilient and able to invest in key areas, or divest non-core areas, will be better able to come out the other side thriving, instead of surviving. So with inflation rising, interest rates low, and credit markets compressed, business resilience is very high up on the agenda – as is the software that supports this.

Read More: Vrity's CEO and Co-Founder Jesse Wolfersberger decodes that optimizing AI means understanding when and how to use it


You often learn more in defeat than you do in success.



M7: BlackLine has surpassed 1,000 customers running on Oracle ERPs, and 15 of the Fortune 25 currently use BlackLine to automate financial close. What was the strategy behind achieving this success?
KK: The world’s best-known brands and the fastest growing companies run Oracle and choose BlackLine to create best-in-class close processes that transform company performance. There are several reasons for this, but our strategy has always been to offer a superior customer experience because this is essential to long-term success. It’s the key to successful implementation, resolving issues quickly and satisfactorily, and ensuring strong user adoption. As a well-funded public company, BlackLine invests in providing market-leading customer service, including 24/7/365 global support offered in numerous languages. We even offer BlackLine U, a complete online learning and training environment, and BlackLine has a community of 30+ user groups across four continents.


M7: Knowing what you now know, what would your advice be to your younger self?
KK: I’ve been very lucky to have had three strong business mentors. In one case someone who was ten years older than me, and another who was 30 years older. Strong mentoring and advice from people with the right experience is what encouraged me to take calculated risks, something I may not have done otherwise. This gave me the confidence to trust my gut and know that it’s better to try and fail than not to try at all. So, talking to my younger self, firstly, if you don’t have mentors early in your career, you should proactively seek them out. Secondly, trust your gut, don’t be too self-critical, and embrace opportunities and learning experiences – both good and bad. You often learn more in defeat than you do in success. It’s easy to look at a person’s career or a company’s life and assume it’s all been an upward trajectory. But this misses the bumps along the way that form the culture or story underneath the veneer. It’s important to learn that these bumps aren’t failures because you learn so much that informs what you do next.

ABOUT BLACKLINE

Companies come to BlackLine because their traditional manual accounting processes are not sustainable. BlackLine’s cloud-based solutions and market-leading customer service help companies move to modern accounting by unifying their data and processes, automating repetitive work, and driving accountability through visibility. BlackLine provides solutions to manage and automate financial close, accounts receivable and intercompany accounting processes, helping large enterprises and midsize companies across all industries do accounting work better, faster and with more control.

Nearly 3,600 customers trust BlackLine to help them close faster with complete and accurate results.  The company is the pioneer of the cloud financial close market and recognized as the leader by customers at leading end-user review sites including Gartner Peer Insights, G2 and TrustRadius. Based in Los Angeles, BlackLine also has regional headquarters in London, Singapore and Sydney. For more information, please visit blackline.com.

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We are very bullish on the opportunities ahead for clients in being able to seamlessly leverage Activity Stream's marketing and segmentation tools that have been tactically developed to drive conversion in the live entertainment space." Activity Stream is a pioneer in data-driven solutions that increase profitability across every stage of the event lifecycle, servicing over 600 clients globally across more than 25 ticketing platforms. Activity Stream launched its Total Marketing Platform late 2021, an unparalleled industry-first marketing suite designed specifically for live entertainment. This groundbreaking platform empowers organizations to monitor sales and marketing effectiveness in real-time, gain deep insights into customer behavior, effectively segment audiences, and execute high-performance marketing campaigns with unmatched targeting precision and results. Project Admission, launched in 2018 and working with more than 50 professional sports teams across all the major North American sports leagues in addition to other key stakeholders in live entertainment, provides clients with unique monetizing features and opportunities around the life of the ticket, while also adding value and simplifying the commercialization of live events. From its customizable digital storefronts to its unrivaled bulk distribution tool to its season ticket management offerings, Project Admission addresses a breadth of ticketing needs from teams, venues and promoters' across live entertainment. "Ever since ticketing came online, there have been conversations about the opportunities to leverage data to better serve customers with customized, targeted ticketing offers," says Glicken. "We have finally arrived at the time where those conversations are a reality and it's at the nexus between Activity Stream and Project Admission." Both companies have shared a period of sustained growth. To date, Activity Stream is integrated with Ticketmaster, AXS, SeatGeek, Eventim, Tessitura, AudienceView, ShoWare and a host of others. In 2022, Activity Stream announced the acquisition of Yesplan, a venue management platform, and crowdEngage, a mobile and in-venue customer experience platform. Project Admission is integrated with SeatGeek and Tickets.com with a handful of notable integrations coming near term. The company also acquired Split Season Tickets in 2022 which is currently completing its integration with Ticketmaster as a Nexus Partner. Concludes Saevarsson, "We look forward to the year ahead with Project Admission as our partnership promises transformative experiences for our clients and their audiences, actioning data into material conversion." About Activity Stream Activity Stream envisions a world where live entertainment organizations have the power to create and deliver exceptional experiences for their audiences effortlessly. Drawing on our expertise in live entertainment and innovative technology, we've created a suite of solutions tailored to support live event organizers through every phase of the event lifecycle. From the initial conception of an event to the final settlement, our solutions help you manage your venue, build an audience, and deliver an unforgettable visitor experience. With 600+ clients across 20 countries, you will find Activity Stream solutions in many of the world's largest entertainment capitals. Learn more about our solutions and what we stand for here. About Project Admission With an extensive and flexible platform, Project Admission works directly with the live event industry to provide unique monetizing features and opportunities around the life of the ticket, adding value and simplifying the commercialization of live events. Project Admission's evolving suite of features currently provides clients across the NFL, NBA, MLS and NWSL with promotional tools to assist fans, brands, and influencers to sell tickets from custom branded storefronts. The company's current roster of clients includes the Tennessee Titans, New Orleans Pelicans, Florida Panthers, San Francisco Giants, Cleveland Cavaliers, Minnesota United FC and St. Louis City FC, among others.

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Business

Hard Rock International and Seminole Gaming Expand Innovative Programs in Fight Against Human Trafficking

PR Newswire | January 16, 2024

Hard Rock International and Seminole Gaming announce their ongoing commitment to the fight against human trafficking with new support tools for victims and those at risk, a youth education program, new trainings to help Team Members combat and prevent human trafficking, and work with new community partners to create a greater impact. "We are deeply committed to the work our community partners provide for those at risk, victims and survivors of human trafficking in the United States and around the world, as we work together to combat human trafficking," said Jim Allen, Chairman of Hard Rock International and CEO of Seminole Gaming. Over the last several years, Hard Rock and Seminole Gaming have implemented comprehensive protocols to increase awareness of and prevent human trafficking, including training over 27,000 hotel and casino Team Members globally and collaborating with local community partners and advocacy groups. Hard Rock and Seminole Gaming are continuing their work in 2024 with direct support for victims, survivors, and at-risk youth, through the following programs: First Hospitality Brands to Globally Implement Twentyfour-Seven QR Code Created for trafficking survivors, by survivors at Twentyfour-Seven Inc., Hard Rock and Seminole Gaming are the first hospitality brands to implement the Twentyfour-Seven QR code sticker, which provides critical information and support to those who need it, while also deterring traffickers from targeting individuals on the properties. The Twentyfour-Seven QR code sticker, which has resulted in several law enforcement investigations being opened, is being implemented in 44 hotels and casinos across 13 countries. This QR code, which offers information in several different languages, is helping people at risk find a way to understand their situations and the resources available for protection. Expanding Youth Education in Mexico to Prevent Online Luring Building upon the success of the Hard Rock Social Identity Quest (SIQ), an education program that helps teens understand the risks of being lured online, Hard Rock and Seminole Gaming have now expanded the program into classrooms in Mexico following a well-received pilot in Quintana Roo last year that reached 35,000 students. The state's Governor has made the program a mandatory part of the educational curriculum. To effectively reach Mexican youth, the SIQ content was co-developed with experts from PACT- (Protect All Children from Trafficking; formerly ECPAT-USA), ECPAT-Mexico, and EduNetwork Partners. To date, the Hard Rock Social Identity Quest was adopted and taught by 60,000 teachers in 45 U.S. states, reaching 1.2 million high school students, eight percent of the student population. Nearly 2,000 Hard Rock team members also completed the Quest with a young person in their lives. Funding our Community Partners through Change for Change Through its Change for Change program, Hard Rock and Seminole Gaming will raise funds to combat human trafficking during January. Casino guests will have the opportunity to donate change from redeemed gaming vouchers to the Hard Rock Heals Foundation, where 100 percent of the funds will benefit our community partners: PACT, the first U.S. organization to focus on the commercial sexual exploitation of children, and Twentyfour-Seven. In 2023, this program raised $100,000 for PACT and Covenant House New York. Youth Employment Program with FLITE Center Florida and Covenant House New York Offered initially in New York City and extended to South Florida last year, Hard Rock and Seminole Gaming's Youth Employment Program aims to help protect youth at risk and support survivors to escape a life of trafficking by helping them forge careers in hospitality. Partners include Covenant House New York City, the largest provider of runaway and homeless youth services in New York City, and FLITE Center, South Florida's leading agency for vulnerable youth and those aging out of foster care. FLITE Center provides support to vulnerable youth with guidance on education, employment, housing health and wellness, and care coordination. Setting a New Standard for Training in the Gaming Industry with the American Gaming Association Hard Rock and Seminole Gaming are driving the advancement of industry practices to combat human trafficking with the American Gaming Association's (AGA) Anti-Human Trafficking Task Force's first-ever free industry-developed training, designed to be the new standard in training for the gaming industry. Working with non-profit and law enforcement partners, the AGA Taskforce created this training based on trauma-informed care and the contributions of trafficking survivors. It will help set a standard for the gaming industry and ensure that guest-facing Team Members know how to recognize signs that trafficking may occur and what steps to take. Learn more about Hard Rock International and Seminole Gaming's corporate social responsibility initiatives at www.hardrock.com/social-responsibility. About Hard Rock®: Hard Rock International (HRI) is one of the most globally recognized companies with venues in over 70 countries spanning 309 locations that include owned/licensed or managed Hotels, Casinos, Rock Shops®, Live Performance Venues and Cafes. HRI also launched a joint venture named Hard Rock Digital in 2020, an online sportsbook, retail sportsbook and internet gaming platform. Beginning with an Eric Clapton guitar, Hard Rock owns the world's largest and most valuable collection of authentic music memorabilia at more than 87,000 pieces, which are displayed at its locations around the globe. Hard Rock Hotels has been honored by J.D. Power's North America Hotel Guest Satisfaction Study as the number one brand in Outstanding Guest Satisfaction for two consecutive years, and among the top Upper Upscale Hotels for four consecutive years. HRI became the first privately-owned gaming company designated a U.S. Best Managed Company by Deloitte Private and The Wall Street Journal in 2021, and has since been honored threefold. Hard Rock was also honored by Forbes among the World's Best Employers, as well as Best Employers for Women, Diversity and New Grads and a Top Large Employer in the Travel & Leisure, Gaming, and Entertainment Industry. In the 2022 Global Gaming Awards, Hard Rock was named Land-Based Operator of the Year for the second time in four years. Hard Rock International currently holds investment grades from primary investment-grade rating agencies: S&P Global Ratings (BBB) and Fitch Ratings (BBB). For more information on Hard Rock International, visit www.hardrock.com or shop.hardrock.com. About Seminole Gaming: Seminole Gaming manages six Florida casino enterprises for the Seminole Tribe of Florida, including Seminole Hard Rock Hotels & Casinos in Tampa and Hollywood, Fla. Seminole Gaming has long been recognized for its industry innovations and success. The Seminole Tribe was the first Indian Tribe in North America to open Ultimate Bingo, a high-stakes bingo hall and casino, which debuted in 1979 and became the forerunner of the Indian Gaming movement. Seminole Gaming is currently the only gaming company with investment grade ratings from all three primary investment-grade rating agencies: S&P Global Ratings (BBB), Moody's Corporation (Baa2) and Fitch Ratings (BBB).

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Technologies

ARound and Immersal Team Up to Revolutionize Augmented Reality in Sports and Live Entertainment

PR Newswire | January 04, 2024

ARound, the pioneering shared augmented reality (AR) platform, part of Stagwell, is excited to announce a groundbreaking partnership with Immersal, leaders in spatial computing and AR localization technology, and part of Hexagon. By creating a turn-key WebAR solution for stadium AR, this partnership facilitates easier integration of shared AR experiences for teams, venues, and events, broadening the scope of interactive fan engagement. ARound and Immersal are poised to announce their inaugural collaboration with a major sports league next month, marking a significant milestone in bringing this innovative vision to life. This partnership combines ARound's connected, shared AR technology that has transformed live fan experiences for professional sports teams across three professional leagues – MLB, NBA, NFL – including the Minnesota Twins, Los Angeles Rams, Kansas City Royals, and the Cleveland Cavaliers, with Immersal's visual positioning system (VPS) that creates centimeter-accurate, large-scale indoor and outdoor AR experiences. "This partnership is a game-changer in the world of sports and live entertainment as we collaborate to make stadium AR experiences more accessible and ubiquitous to all fans and types of events," said Josh Beatty, founder and CEO, ARound. "By integrating our fan engagement platform with Immersal's robust localization technology, we can seamlessly create dynamic digital experiences that put fans at the center of the action while scaling to new audiences around the world." The integration of ARound and Immersal technologies yields greater access and broader use cases of AR experiences through WebAR, enhancing the overall quality and ease of integration for in-stadium entertainment. Fans can interact with live events in real-time, participating in AR games, accessing real-time game content, and enjoying shared experiences with fellow attendees, all from their smartphones without the need for a standalone app. Brands and sponsors will also now be able to connect with audiences in innovative, meaningful ways, enhancing their marketing mix and creating new avenues for engagement. "We're committed to innovating and enhancing AR experiences at live events and our technology, combined with ARound's exciting platform, will set a new benchmark in how fans interact with live sports and entertainment, offering them an engaging and memorable experience like never before," Matias Koski, CEO, Immersal. This groundbreaking partnership heralds a new era in fan engagement, offering sports teams, venues, and brands an unparalleled platform to connect with audiences. Combining ARound's interactive fan experiences with Immersal's precision technology, the stage is now set for a revolution in live entertainment. About ARound ARound is a first-of-its-kind stadium-level shared augmented reality platform and is part of the Stagwell Marketing Cloud, a proprietary suite of SaaS solutions built for the modern marketer. ARound keeps audiences engaged by capturing their attention through immersive, interactive and shared experiences with fellow fans across the venue. Where other AR products offer isolating, singular experiences, ARound's massive multi-user AR – which uses 3D spatial computing to localize content – redefines what it means to be part of a connected fan experience. It was the winner of Stagwell's annual innovation competition which invests in new product ideas proposed by the network's 13,000+ employees. ARound and the Stagwell Marketing Cloud are a part of Stagwell (NASDAQ: STGW), the challenger network built to transform marketing. About Immersal Immersal, part of Hexagon, is building world-leading spatial mapping and visual positioning tools — the foundation of the metaverse. Founded in 2015, Immersal's team is based in Helsinki, Finland, and working with partners, developers and creators across the globe to reimagine how we explore, interact and create. Immersal also has sales offices in Hong Kong and in Silicon Valley, California, and is expanding its presence and partner networks globally. The company was acquired by Hexagon in 2021 and continues to pursue the vision of a metaverse built and experienced by everyone on any device. Hexagon (Nasdaq Stockholm: HEXA B) has approximately 24,000 employees in 50 countries and net sales of approximately 5.2bn EUR.

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