How curiosity propels productivity, performance and progression in AP

This week, we’re delighted to be joined by finance fanatic, Hester Hough. Hester explains why curiosity is a key trait to have in AP. She’s a firm believer that remaining engaged with all areas of your day-to-day can elevate the whole AP function, and she’s here to tell us why. 

Watch the episode ▶️

A bit about Hester  

When she’s not winning the anagram round at her local pub quiz, Hester plays the role of Accounts Assistant at a large UK manufacturing company. 

With experience working across several different departments, she has great perspective on how to stay engaged within your role in AP and discover how your work fits within the larger function of the business.  

How important is it to be curious within AP? 

“I’d say a solid 8 to 9.”  

“For me, I’m very curious by nature. I like to be an expert in my field but also know as much as possible about other departments. This helps me make my job easier and support others, like ensuring suppliers are paid on time,” Hester explains. 

She lays out three areas in which being curious can lead to better productivity, performance and progression within AP. 

1) Fixing issues at the source

“It's good to be talkative and engage with others in your role. If someone is in the same room, why email when you can just walk up and ask? It makes the job easier and helps train others,”  Hester explains. 

When resolving vendor queries, having clarity on the right person to talk to is an important part of the finance function. Building those relationships can help processes run smoothly.  

“I would much rather be able to resolve and completely answer the question when getting back to a supplier so that they don't need to email again about that particular query.” 

Hester’s advice? Get stuck in and be nosey about why issues happen , not only for the sake of your vendors but also to boost your own understanding and professional development. 

“Curiosity in your day-to-day job here and now to resolve the issue fully leads to a lighter workload further down the line.” 

2) Turning reactivity into proactivity 

Having a proactive system in place to resolve queries allows the team to focus on value-add activities, Hester explains. 

If teams are better versed on the variety of issues that come in, vendors don’t need to keep emailing about a query. This means less traffic coming into the inbox.  

“It helps to get the most out of people's knowledge and turn reactivity into proactivity.” 

3) Making the most of your software 

For Hester, it’s important to remember there’s often more than meets the eye with the software tools you have in place:  

“Knowledge of what you're trying to look for is super important… Sometimes it's there all along; you just have to look for it.”  

Using the reporting function with your available tools is a great way to stay curious and further develop understanding, Hester explains.  

Hester has had her own journey learning to make the most out of software. “I started using the Xelix Statement’s module minimally. But after attending master classes and exploring it myself, I now do about 95% of my statement reconciliations using it.”  

“My advice is to explore the software, ask for help and see how it can benefit your work.  

As is tradition, we asked Hester to create a meme to hang up in The AP Arms. Here’s what she produced...  🥁🥁🥁 

A big thank you Hester for sharing her insights with us for this episode. 

If you’d like to feature alongside some of the industry’s finest at The AP Arms, please get in touch – we’d love to share a tipple with you down the pub!