The order-to-cash (O2C) cycle is the complete process from a customer placing an order to the money arriving in your bank account. In B2B, this cycle can take weeks or months, consuming resources and creating constant cash flow pressure. Today it is possible to reduce it to 24 hours with full automation.

The 7 steps of traditional order-to-cash

1. Order receipt: arrives via e-commerce, ERP, email or phone. Often requires manual consolidation across channels.

2. Credit verification: your finance team checks available credit. May involve bureau queries, history review and documentation requests. Typical time: 24 hours to 2 weeks.

3. Approval and dispatch: once credit is validated, the order is confirmed. Credit approval is often the bottleneck delaying fulfilment.

4. Invoicing: invoice generated with agreed payment terms (30, 60, 90 days).

5. Collections management: reminders, calls, managing deferrals. If the customer does not pay on time, a claims process begins.

6. Reconciliation: matching payments to invoices, posting in the ERP, updating balances. With multiple customers and invoices, this generates constant errors.

7. Default management: friendly recovery, collection agency, court proceedings. Consumes time, money and energy.

The inefficiencies that cost money

Slow credit decisions: if a new customer waits days for approval, they may buy from your competitor.

Locked capital: between invoicing and collection, 30 to 120 days pass with money immobilised.

Staff cost: a company with 10M in credit sales spends between 18,000 and 35,000 euros annually on collections staff alone.

Defaults: 47% of B2B invoices in Western Europe are overdue and 6% become bad debt (Atradius 2025).

Automated O2C in 24 hours

Step 1 — Order: the buyer selects deferred payment at your checkout or ERP.

Step 2 — Instant scoring: in under 2 seconds, KYB verification, financial data check and personalised credit limit.

Step 3 — Insurance activated: the invoice is insured at 100% from day one.

Step 4 — Immediate payment: the seller receives 100% within 24 hours.

Step 5 — Automatic collection: Automated collection, reminders and reconciliation.

Step 6 — Dispute handling: resolution with full traceability.

Step 7 — Default management: automatic retries and recovery. The seller already got paid and is unaffected.

The impact on your operations

The difference between a manual 60-90 day O2C and an automated 24-hour one is a model change: your finance team stops chasing payments and focuses on strategy. Your treasury moves from reactive to proactive. Companies that automate their O2C report DSO reductions above 90% and complete elimination of default risk for the seller.

Frequently asked questions

What is order-to-cash?

The complete process from order placement to payment receipt. In B2B it includes credit verification, invoicing, collections, reconciliation and default management.

How long does a traditional B2B O2C take?

Between 30 and 120 days. In Western Europe, 47% of B2B invoices are overdue.

Can the entire O2C cycle be automated?

Yes. BNPL B2B platforms automate scoring, insurance, financing, collections and reconciliation. The seller gets paid in 24 hours.