Why AI Isn't Fixing Your Finance Team's Manual Work (Yet)
AI is on nearly every finance leader’s roadmap. Teams are prioritizing automation, integrating new tools, and hiring for AI fluency. But for most, the results are still lagging behind the promise.
Zuora’s recent survey of over 900 senior finance and accounting leaders revealed a clear tension. While leaders are investing heavily in artificial intelligence, manual work remains a daily barrier. In SaaS companies, where operational complexity runs higher, that tension is reaching a breaking point.
Here’s what’s driving this paradox inside modern finance teams.
AI Investment Is High. Operational Impact Is Low.
Nearly all finance leaders surveyed say AI capabilities factor into their technology investment decisions. A large majority report that AI solutions are already part of their current stack. In SaaS, those numbers are even higher.
Despite that investment, 79% of finance leaders say their teams are still overwhelmed by manual processes. In SaaS organizations, 97% report that manual work is actively holding their teams back. The most common issue is reconciliation. Half of all finance leaders name manual errors as their top operational challenge.
The disconnect is clear. The technology exists. But the day-to-day work hasn’t changed.
AI Is Being Prioritized. But So Is Cleanup.
SaaS finance teams are actively investing in AI, even prioritizing AI fluency in hiring (with 61% of leaders considering it very important). Yet, despite this forward-looking approach and the focus on automation, the persistent backlog of manual tasks continues to consume capacity and talent.
For more than half of SaaS finance leaders, these operational issues surface frequently, underscoring how the current workload is getting in the way of future focus.
Manual Work Persists. Technology Gaps Explain Why.
Behind these contradictions are persistent infrastructure problems. Sixty-eight percent of finance leaders say their existing systems limit their ability to modernize. In SaaS, 96% of leaders agree that tech gaps are contributing directly to the manual work burden. Over half call these gaps severe.
Manual processes are no longer a legacy issue. They are a current operational risk. And they continue to slow down the very transformation leaders are working to accelerate.
What to Do About It
The full report outlines several actions organizations can take to move from investment to impact. A few highlights:
The Next Step
This AI paradox is just one piece of the puzzle.
In our last edition, we looked at the gap between strategy and technology for finance and accounting leaders. That disconnect remains a critical blocker for many teams and is explored in more detail throughout the full report, along with: