The Barcelona conference provided a clear view of the future of finance, and the pivotal role that Sage, together with partners such as Orchid Systems, can play. Here are some of my key takeaways!
Positives for both Sage Intacct & Sage 300
Given the European location, there was an understandable focus on Sage Intacct. That said...
The attendees from Africa, the Middle East and Asia in particular would have been very heartened by the positive messaging from Sage executives about Sage 300.
It was clear that they are very conscious of the important place Sage 300 holds in their product portfolio, and are backing this up with long-term investment and development plans.
Trust, Longevity, and Future-Proofing
In a market defined by rapid change, stability and trust are vital. The longevity of key players provides the assurance customers need to make long-term technology investments.
- The Trust Factor: Trust is important, and the combined long-term history of both Sage and partners like Orchid Systems is key to building that confidence.
(At Orchid, we are always keen to reinforce this by sharing the positive messages we often receive from partners and customers who have had relationships with us for many years.)
- Future-Proof Solutions: Customers are demanding solutions they regard as future-proof for the next 5-10 years at the very least. They want systems that can respond to a changing world and are supported by a great feedback loop between the ecosystem and the platform.
Embracing Agentic AI and Automation
No modern technology conference can pass without facing up to the elephant in the room, Artificial Intelligence, and Sage Future for Partners rose to this challenge.
Public domain discussions about AI tend to focus on Generative AI, which, as the name suggests, generates content that might be in the form of text, images, music, video, or computer code.
The AI stream in Barcelona was more interested in the field of Agentic AI, a stream of Artificial Intelligence where “AI agents” aim to solve problems in real time, mimicking human decision-making processes.
For Sage, that means encouraging partners to build specialized agents that work seamlessly with Sage platforms.
- The AI Vision: Sage is looking beyond simple automation to a future where agents, developed by partners, handle complex, currently manual processes. Examples include AP Automation, eliminating manual tasks like downloading and re-uploading data for activities such as sending information to the bank.
- Customer Pain Points: The focus should be on those manual processes that consume the most time, meeting user needs by automating complex, labour-intensive tasks. This drive for efficiency is where Sage software, enhanced by Sage or 3rd Party AI agents, can deliver value that differentiates it from competitors.
Partner and Customer Engagement
Finally, the discussion covered strategies for overcoming barriers to purchasing, as well as improving engagement with the customer community.
- Overcoming Barriers: Insights from speakers, including John Barrington (EVP Performance Marketing at Sage), on approaches to understanding behaviour and getting people across the barrier of purchasing new technology.
- Ecosystem Value: The partner conference network, be that from Sage events or partner-led events like TPAC, helps improve discoverability for solutions from Sage, as well as from ISVs like Orchid Systems.
- Amplifying Stories: Sage plans to spend more time on sharing customer stories and leveraging platforms like Reddit to allow LLMs (Large Language Models) to find and surface these valuable narratives, further enhancing credibility and visibility.
About the Author:
Emma Fouché is the newest member of the Orchid team, having joined us in late 2024. Her focus is on improving the usability of Orchid's products, and the overall customer experience of our end users.
