Every CFO needs to be on top of their finances and understand the real-time status of the company’s business performance. According to the American Institute of CPAs, financial insights can help CFOs make better decisions and boost profit margins. A dashboard provides the perfect platform for them to do this, tracking key performance indicators (KPIs) that give an at-a-glance overview of a company's financial health. In this article, we'll explore the top 10 KPIs that every CFO should look for in their dashboard:
This is one of the most important metrics to track as it provides a clear indication of how profitable a business is. By monitoring revenues and profits over time, CFOs can identify potential issues and opportunities. According to a survey by Deloitte, 62 percent of businesses believe that revenue growth is the most important indicator for assessing financial performance. Revenue is also important for evaluating the effectiveness of marketing investments, customer service initiatives, and pricing strategies. Tracking monthly revenue and profits can help CFOs understand the overall financial health of their business.
Accounts payables and receivables are two of the most important KPIs for CFOs to monitor. To accurately assess cash flow, CFOS needs to track both accounts closely. This can be done by generating regular reports that show total amounts due, payment dates, and overdue accounts. By keeping tabs on these metrics, CFOs can identify potential issues with customer payments and ensure that their organization receives its full entitlement from customers promptly. The sooner any discrepancies are detected, the less likely it is that the company will suffer financial losses. Online P2P solutions like Tickmarks can provide automated tracking, helping CFOs to stay on top of accounts receivables and payables.
CFOs have long had the confidence to optimize their cost side of the margin, and this is now essential as numerous overhead costs are cut down while product prices stay consistent. According to a recent survey by PwC, top-performing companies have 22.2 percent higher margins than their peers. Cost of Goods Sold (Unlocking pricing potential is an absolute must for organizations nowadays. The cost of goods sold (COGS) is an important measure of cost efficiency. This metric shows the total cost of producing or acquiring goods that a company then resells. By tracking COGS, CFOs can monitor how much it costs to produce each item and identify areas where they could save money by streamlining processes or finding better suppliers.
The debt-to-equity ratio is an important metric for CFOs to track, as it can indicate how leveraged a company is and provide insights into its financial health. This ratio measures the total amount of debt versus the total equity of a business. A higher debt-to-equity ratio can indicate that a company has too much debt, which could lead to trouble if it cannot pay off its creditors. By tracking this metric, CFOs can identify areas where their companies are taking on too much risk and make changes accordingly.
Cash flow is one of the most important metrics for any CFO to monitor as it shows how much money is coming in and going out of the company each month. According to Insight Software, operating cash flow is the single most important indicator of financial health. Tracking operating cash flow can help CFOs identify potential issues, The operating cash flow (OCF) metric offers insight into the performance of day-to-day business operations, allowing CFOs to identify areas where cash outflows are greater than inflows. This can help them to take corrective action before the situation becomes critical.
The return on investment (ROI) is one of the most important metrics for CFOs to track as it shows how well an organization is using its money. A survey by Deloitte found that 40 percent of businesses consider ROI to be the most important metric for assessing financial performance. By tracking ROI, C The ROI metric measures how much a company has earned from any investments over a certain period, providing valuable insights into whether an organization's capital is being used efficiently. By tracking this metric regularly, CFOs can identify opportunities for improving their bottom line by investing in more profitable projects or ventures.
Liquidity ratios provide insight into a company’s ability to meet its short-term obligations and are an important metric for CFOs to track. These ratios measure how quickly the company can turn assets into cash to pay off debts. Keeping tabs on liquidity ratios allows CFOs to identify potential issues with cash flow, helping them to find solutions before it becomes too late. Popular liquidity measures include the current ratio, quick ratio, and acid-test ratio.
Customer acquisition cost (CAC) is one of the most important metrics for CFOs as it indicates how much money is spent on marketing activities and other customer outreach efforts. By tracking this metric regularly, CFOs can identify areas where their company could be investing more efficiently and make changes accordingly. According to AIPCA, businesses that track their CAC are 22.2 percent more likely to achieve profitability and have higher margins than their peers.
Tax expenses are another important metric for CFOs to track as they provide insight into how much a company is paying in taxes each year. By keeping tabs on this number regularly, CFOs can stay on top of filing deadlines and ensure that their company is not overpaying its tax liabilities. Additionally, this metric can help them to identify potential opportunities for tax savings in the future by utilizing deductions or credits that may be available.
Labor costs are an important metric for CFOs to track as they provide insight into how much a company is spending on wages and salaries. By tracking this metric regularly, CFOs can identify areas where they could be saving money by streamlining processes or finding more cost-effective employees. Additionally, labor costs can help them to accurately project future expenses to create more accurate budgets.
CFOs have a lot of responsibilities on their plate and need to track a variety of metrics to ensure that the company is running efficiently and profitably. By tracking metrics such as operating cash flow, return on investment, liquidity ratios, customer acquisition cost, tax expenses, and labor costs regularly, CFOs can stay on top of their financial performance and identify potential issues before they become serious problems. Additionally, utilizing accounts payable/receivable P2P solutions and online accounting platforms can help to streamline the process even further. With the right insight into their finances, CFOs can ensure that their organization is set up for success.