For most SMB finance teams, month-end close is not a reporting process. It’s a recovery operation. 

Spreadsheets pulled from five different systems. Invoices chasing approvals. Reports that should take two days stretching to two weeks. The work is repetitive, error-prone, and entirely avoidable, yet most SMBs are still doing it manually, month after month. 

In the first episode of Automation Unpacked, Valenta’s new series on real-world AI-powered Intelligent Automation, we sat down with two of our Managing Partners, Alex Whitelaw (UK) and Céra Dernhagen (Sweden), to dig into exactly this. Here’s what came out of that conversation.

 

Why Month-End Close is Still Broken for Most SMBs 

The root cause is almost always the same: manual work sitting between systems that don’t talk to each other. Finance teams are logging into one system to pull data, exporting it to a spreadsheet, rekeying it into another system, and doing it again for the next report. Every step is a potential error. Every handoff is a potential delay. 

One example from a current Valenta client: a senior commercial manager responsible for end-of-month reporting across a group of businesses was spending a full week every month just building the reports. Not analyzing them. Not acting on them. Building them. Valenta is implementing RPA to automate that process, freeing him four days a month to do the financial analysis the business actually needs from someone at his level. 

The pattern is consistent: month-end becomes a data-chasing exercise rather than a reporting process. And for most SMBs, it doesn’t have to be. 

 

What Triggers Businesses to Finally Look for a Solution 

The most common trigger isn’t a strategic planning session on digital transformation. It’s a job posting. 

The finance team is overwhelmed. Headcount looks like the answer. Someone drafts a job ad for a finance admin or reporting analyst. Then the question surfaces: is this a role we need to hire for, or is this a process we should automate? 

The second trigger is when leadership realizes reporting is always two weeks behind reality. A CFO making decisions on data that’s two weeks old starts asking why — and that question usually surfaces the manual process underneath. 

 

The Most Common Finance Processes Ready for Automation Right Now 

• Report generation and data consolidation — the single most common entry point. If your team is logging into systems and cutting and pasting data into Excel, that’s a reliable signal. 

• Invoice processing and approval workflows — digital, automated, flagging exceptions without removing human judgment. 

• Data transfer between disconnected systems — handled in the background, continuously, without errors. 

• Reconciliation and three-way matching — repetitive, rule-based, high-volume. Exactly the automation profile. 

More importantly, businesses do not need to replace their existing systems. Automation sits on top of what they already use, connecting systems and removing the manual steps between them. 

 

When Automation is Not the Right Answer 

Automation works best on processes that are repetitive, rule-based, and stable. If a process changes weekly, has no clear owner, or happens infrequently — it’s not a good candidate yet. 

The principle across all Valenta engagements: clarity first, then automation. Automating a messy process doesn’t fix the mess. It just makes the mess happen faster. 

“Automation won’t fix a broken process. It’ll just do the mess faster. Get clarity on the process first — then automate it.” 

— Alex Whitelaw, Managing Partner, Valenta UK 

 

Three Practical Questions to Identify Your Automation Opportunity 

1. What task does your finance team repeat hundreds of times every month? That repetition is a signal. 

1. Where does your team spend the most time copying and pasting information? This is Alex’s first question with every new client. The answer almost always identifies the highest-value opportunity. 

1. What do your team members NOT like doing? The tasks people dread are almost always repetitive, rule-based, and low-judgment — exactly what automation handles best. 

“I ask them what they don’t like doing. And most of the time, it’s something that can be automated.” 

— Céra Dernhagen, Managing Partner — Valenta Sweden 

 

Want to hear the full conversation? Alex, Céra, and Eric covered all of this — and more — in the first episode of Automation Unpacked. Watch below or find it on YouTube. 

 

 

FAQs

 

How long does it take to implement finance automation? 

For most SMBs starting with a single well-defined process, Valenta typically delivers working automation within a few weeks. The approach is always to start with one process, prove the value, and scale from there. 

Do we need to replace our existing finance systems to automate? 

No. Automation sits on top of the systems you already use — connecting them and removing manual steps without requiring a replacement. 

What finance processes are easiest to automate first? 

Report generation, invoice processing, data transfer between systems, and reconciliation. If your team is cutting and pasting data into spreadsheets, that’s usually the place to start. 

What does a free Automation Assessment involve? 

A structured conversation — typically 30 to 60 minutes — where we map your current finance processes, identify manual touchpoints, and provide a clear picture of where automation could save the most time and cost. No commitment, no pitch. 

Is automation realistic for a small business? 

Yes. SMBs often see faster ROI than larger enterprises. No IT projects, no capital expenditure, no system replacements. Valenta’s model is built specifically for businesses that can’t afford Big 5 consulting fees or enterprise software timelines.

 

Not sure where your automation opportunity is? 

A free Automation Assessment maps your current finance processes, identifies what’s ready to automate, and gives you a clear starting point. No commitment, no pitch. 

Book your free Automation Assessment