Date: 31.10.2025 (2025-10-31)
Melanie Richter (31.10.2025) • https://www.linkedin.com/in/melanie-r-6b486437/ • Head of Accounting bei Kontist (350 people - only 20 ppl in GER) • Das kostenlose Geschäftskonto, das dir den Steuerstress abnimmt • Banking & Buchhaltung für Solo-Selbständige und kleine Unternehmen, wie UG, GbR, GmbH
Questions: • Notes: • She is Head of Accounting for the whole group • Controlling: • They work with PowerBI -> she does not have a lot of insight there • Accounting • Business Central MSFT Cloud version • Tool für Teilautomatisierung für AP • Business Central • SmartExpense currently (a few rules can be set; no OCR), Continia is introduced newly • OCR function; rules can be defined; for every supplier you can add stuff -> ideal case high quality • AR: done in separate invoicing tool -> locally different • GER: Vicurly • FRA, DEN: Chargefee -> GER will switch to that -> invoicing via subscriptions etc. is automated; reconciliation is automated -> small manual part for Kommissions (98% is automated) • They do not have a big pain with AP • They do a lot of acquisitions (last acquisition was 350 ppl) -> automation is imporant • The newest acquisition is still using Spendesk -> they have external tax advisor -> only do Vorkontierung • Team: her + 4 ppl • They have tax adivors for Jahresabschluss und Steuererklärung oder komplexere Themen (Umstrukturierung); Monatsabschlüsse und daily stuff alone • Manual work / biggest task atm: • Expenses (Cleo with virtual CC) • The tools is really easy • Process FUP with people to get missing data • Integration with bank accounts does not really work - in DEN it was simple; GER it does not really work • Reconciliation done well by many tools -> currently they do it manually until bank account is connected (only AP side; as AR is automated via subscriptions - high volume of customers) • For a certain time Kontist had a tax advisor product • They wanted to automate taxes -> their insight was a lot of edge cases -> manual work -> frm Kontist Steuerberatung; Smarter Steuerberater in Leipzig (Juri Preis) -> was not scalable • Integration can be challenged • Magic wand: • Monatsabschluss: • Rückstellungsbuchungen at the end of the month - e.g. a freelancer has not sent invoice yet • Completely manual: go durch Konten • They have Excel Übersichten -> Abgleich -> Tracking Sheets • E.g. see an invoice that is not freigegeben yet -> Rückstellung • They do not have Purchase Orders at all • Context: team setup? internal and external? • Biggest objections / challenges in his daily life? • Which tasks are the biggest pain? With magic wand -> what would he solve? • Which tasks would he focus on? • Do they already have automations? Which ones? How well do they work? • Which companies would he target? • General feedback to pitch?