Ever wonder why we still close books 12 times a year?
It's a question that's been nagging at us too!
All we know is that at some point in history, someone decided monthly financial reports were the standard – and we've been stuck with that model ever since. But in today's business environment, where markets shift at unprecedented speeds and competition pops up overnight (and disappears – cough, Bench), waiting weeks for financial insights isn't just inefficient. It's a disadvantage.
That's why Hiline has become the first U.S. accounting firm to enter an enterprise partnership with Digits, bringing real-time financial intelligence to every Hiline client. The best of both worlds – people + tech – in a happy marriage.
Let's take a deep dive into how this finance automation transforms the way you understand and interact with your business finances. We'll break it down below or check out the full product demo here
The Power of Hiline + Digits
When you partner with Hiline, you're not just getting another accounting service – you're getting access to financial intelligence powered by AI that's been trained on over 800 billion transactions. And Digits isn't just any dashboard tool. It's a comprehensive financial intelligence platform that combines:
- Real-time financial data (updated every 5 minutes)
- AI-powered insights that explain changes in your business
- Natural language queries to get instant answers about your finances
- Interactive reports that let you drill down to transaction-level details
- Customizable dashboards that show what matters to your business
The best part? This is now included as standard for every Hiline client. No extra fees. No complex setup – just instant access to financial intelligence that previously required a full finance department to achieve.
Inside the Platform: The Real-Time Dashboard Experience
Let's start with what you'll see when you first log in. The dashboard is more than a static collection of numbers. It's your financial command center! Here's what makes it different:
1. Real-Time Financial Pulse
- See your financial position as it stands right now, not weeks ago
- Data syncs with QuickBooks every 5 minutes
- Track month-to-date performance in real-time
- Monitor cash flow across all your accounts
2. AI-Powered Insights
Every time you look at your dashboard, Digits' AI analyzes your data to surface what matters:
- Significant changes in income or expenses
- Vendor spending patterns
- Customer revenue trends
- Automated explanations of major changes
Our Head of Technology, Eric Cohen explains further:
3. Customizable to Your Business
Every business is different, and your dashboard should reflect that. The platform allows you to:
- Add or remove widgets based on what matters to you
- Track specific metrics you care about
- Monitor runway if you're a startup
- View profitability by class if you track different business segments
Ask Digits: Your AI Financial Assistant
This is where Digits truly shines. Imagine having a financial analyst available 24/7 to answer your questions – that's what Ask Digits provides. But unlike generic AI chatbots, this is built specifically for your financial data.
1. Natural Language Queries
Simply type questions like:
- "What were our top spend vendors in 2024?"
- "How much did we spend with [vendor] over the last three months?"
- "Show me revenue trends by customer"
2. Turn Answers into Insights
What makes this feature particularly powerful is that any answer can be turned into a permanent dashboard widget. Find yourself asking the same question repeatedly? One-click adds it to your dashboard for constant monitoring.
3. Security First
When it comes to your financial data, security isn't just a feature - it's a foundation. Unlike many AI tools that send your data to public models like ChatGPT, Digits uses proprietary AI technology that keeps your financial data secure and private. The platform is SOC 2 Type 1 and 2 compliant, with robust encryption throughout:
- No sharing with external AI models like ChatGPT
- Trained on over 800 billion financial transactions
- 18 specialized AI models working in harmony
- Bank-level encryption
- Secure web application
- Regular security audits
Deep Analysis Tools
The analysis section turns complex financial data into clear, actionable insights. Think of it as your financial microscope, letting you zoom in on any aspect of your business's financial health.
1. Expense Intelligence
- View expenses broken down by category, vendor, or time period
- See month-over-month changes with automatic percentage calculations
- Spot trends with visual graphs and charts
- Get AI-written summaries of significant changes
2. Revenue Insights
- Track revenue by customer, product, or service
- Monitor growth trends
- Identify your most valuable customers
- Understand revenue concentration risks
3. Vendor Analysis
- See spending patterns with each vendor
- Track transaction volumes
- Monitor price changes over time
- Get alerts for unusual spending patterns
Interactive Financial Reports
Gone are the days of static PDFs and Excel sheets. Digits transforms traditional financial statements and reports into interactive tools for understanding your business.
1. Dynamic P&L
Simply hover over any line item of your P&L for instant AI insights. From there, you can:
- Click to drill down to transaction-level details
- Get AI-written explanations of significant changes
- Compare periods with one click
- Customize views to focus on what matters
2. Smart Balance Sheet
- Interactive elements throughout
- Real-time cash position updates
- Historical comparisons at your fingertips
- Detailed breakdowns of assets and liabilities
3. But I Like Paper
We gotch you! For those who still need traditional financial statements, you can instantly convert any report into PDF format for sharing with stakeholders, banks, or anyone else who needs them.
Implementation
To start, your QuickBooks data integrates instantly with Digits. We've seen instances where ten years of imported financial history got analyzed in seconds! Once connected, your customized dashboards and reports are automatically generated, giving you immediate visibility into your business's financial health.
Where Hiline comes in is ensuring your data tells the right story. While the technical integration is instant, we take 30-45 days to thoroughly review your financial data, clean up any inconsistencies, and optimize your setup. Think of it as getting your financial house in order. We're not just connecting systems – we're making sure the insights you get are meaningful, actionable, and strategic.
During this onboarding period, you'll still have access to all of Digits' features. We'll work alongside you to customize your dashboards, set up the metrics that matter most to your business, and ensure you're getting the most value from the platform. By the end of the process, you'll have not just a powerful financial tool, but a clean, organized financial foundation to build upon.
Moving Forward with Modern Finance
The future of financial operations isn't monthly reports and static spreadsheets. It's real-time insights, AI-powered analysis, and the ability to understand your business's financial health at any moment. With Hiline and Digits, you get:
- Real-time financial visibility
- AI-powered insights
- Interactive analysis tools
- Professional financial expertise
- Scalable financial operations
Most importantly, you get time back. Time to focus on growing your business instead of piecing together financial data. Time to make decisions with confidence instead of waiting for reports. Time to look forward instead of looking back.
Ready to Transform Your Financial Operations?
As the first U.S. accounting firm to offer Digits as a standard feature, Hiline is leading the charge toward modern financial operations. Every Hiline client now gets access to this powerful platform as part of their service – no additional cost, no complex setup, just modern financial intelligence ready when you are.
Don't let outdated financial processes hold your business back. Contact Hiline today to see how real-time financial intelligence can transform your business operations.
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