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If you are extending credit to other businesses, it’s high time you began watching your customers closely for late payments and other signs of distress. Moderate levels, though, are not likely impactful enough to cause your firm to fail, but still can severely impact profits. Do you need help improving cash flow?
In most companies, sales are given a strong priority over the risk of slow payments and bad debts regardless of gross margins and the resources the credit and collection function can provide to mitigate risk. Photo by Piret Ilver on Unsplash ) Too often, credit and collections are an afterthought. Customers default.
Meanwhile, customers who previously were approved during your initial credit evaluation may become past due, max out their credit limit, or, worse yet, be in a deteriorating financial situation, all of which become even more likely when the economy is volatile—the result: cash flow problems and more exposure to bad debt losses.
Because most of your biggest customers will be larger firms instead of smaller, it is typically the larger firms that will require higher credit limits. Consequently, a large percentage of your accountsreceivable (AR) is likely to derive from large firms. Your Virtual CreditManager is a reader-supported publication.
The Customer Delinquency Challenge Successful accountsreceivable (AR) management involves minimizing past due balances to ensure steady cash in-flows and limit bad debt losses. In contrast, customer bankruptcies or other defaults typically cause the loss of most, if not all, the AR owed.
How was your accountsreceivable (AR) performance last year? This is a very important question because AR is typically one of the top two or three largest assets for a B2B vendor. The primary way most companies measure AR performance involves looking at the Days Sales Outstanding (DSO) metric.
To continue reading and learn more about credit policy and the four key elements of credit control, you must be a paid subscriber. Your Virtual CreditManager is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, please subscribe for just $5 per month ($49 yearly).
A high degree of transactional transparency across the entire Order to Cash Process (O2C), coupled with 360-degree visibility of customers and their life-cycles, is necessary to optimize accountsreceivable (AR) performance. Too often, customer and AR information is kept in an assortment of data silos.
In the face of an economy being buffeted by opposing trends, what should those with credit and collection responsibilities do to protect their organizations’ accountsreceivable (AR)? Subscribe now Do you need help assessing customer credit risks? Difficult times call for forward thinking.
Photo by Alex Radelich on Unsplash When small businesses add customers and increase sales, their company’s AccountsReceivable (AR) will grow. Readers of Your Virtual CreditManager now have access to sharply discounted business credit reports from D&B, Experian, or Equifax through our partner Accredit.
Now that we are past the mid-point of November, the end of the year is zooming into focus. Chances are, there is a lot that needs to be done in terms of accountsreceivable (AR) management between now and December 31st, especially if you are short of your Days Sales Outstanding (DSO) goals.
billion in annual sales was dissatisfied with the management of its AccountsReceivable (AR). To continue reading and learn how to best prioritize your collection efforts for maximum cashflow you must be a paid subscriber to Your Virtual CreditManager.
This constant pressure is one of the greatest challenges executives with accountsreceivable (AR) responsibilities face—navigating urgent issues while still keeping focused on the strategic goals that drive long-term success. Do you need help assessing your customers’ credit risks?
Furthermore, new businesses and small businesses tend to have high failure rates, and there is good reason to believe a wave of defaults is coming. The experts at Your Virtual CreditManagerare ready to help you improve cash flow and reduce AR risks during these challenging times. What do you need help doing?
In order to maintain optimal cash flow, your accountsreceivable (AR) portfolio needs to remain in good shape. That can be a constant battle because all the mis-steps made during the order-to-cash (O2C) process will accumulate in your AR, and given time, clog it up. Do you need help managingcredit and collections?
Over the next couple of years, many more companies are expected to file bankruptcy chapter 7 liquidations, or simply close their doors for good. As a consequence, commercial accountsreceivable (AR) portfolios are at an increasing risk of suffering bad debt losses.
Specifically, Credit and Collections is responsible for approving new customers for credit terms and managing orders at the beginning of the O2C cycle, while also monitoring risks within the AccountsReceivable (AR) portfolio and collecting overdue payments, both of which are post-sale activities.
There has always been a strong correlation between the cost of funds and accountsreceivable (AR) management. Any delays in receiving payments from customers can, therefore, have a more pronounced effect on a company's bottom line profits. Conduct thorough credit checks and analysis to minimize the risk of default.
As such, they are just one of the many tools, such as credit reports, supplier and bank references, and financial statement analysis, that can help assess a business's creditworthiness. Commercial credit scores are often not as well understood as consumer credit scores such as FICO.
In such an ideal scenario, every customer would have both the ability and the integrity to pay their bills in full and on time, eliminating any need for a creditmanagement. Just 25 years ago, credit executives were primarily concerned with financial risks — except of course for the Y2K bug that briefly stole the spotlight.
In every accountsreceivable (AR) portfolio there are customers that almost always pay on time, other customers that pay within a reasonable proximity of the due date, and those that pay consistently slow. Irregular payments are a clear warning sign that default may be around the corner.
Accountsreceivable (AR) represent the amounts owed your business by your customers for the purchase of goods or services delivered on credit. Because AR constitutes one of largest assets on your books, proactively managingaccountsreceivable is crucial for the financial health of your business.
AccountsReceivable (AR) reflect a promise of payment at a future date. Though a paper asset, AR competes with Property, Plant and Equipment as well as Inventory for being the largest line item on a company’s balance sheet. Your Virtual CreditManager is a reader-supported publication.
Subscribe now Impact of Offering Discounts From the seller’s perspective, the effect on revenue from offering an early pay discount needs to be weighed against the potential reduction in AccountsReceivable (AR) carrying costs, bad debt and collection expenses. We are currently offering 33% off our introductory rate.
Your Virtual CreditManager (YVCM) previously published an article discussing the pros and cons of Prompt Payment Discounts. However, at this point in time there are other factors in play that favor the use of discounts to encourage earlier payment by your customers. This is a subject that has valid arguments for and against.
In fact, most SMBs should look into using Collection Agencies to not only maximize the recovery of AccountsReceivable (AR) at high risk of never being collected, but to collect all old receivables. Historically, the probability of default for a pool of receivables tends to increase as the receivables age.
To avoid unacceptably large credit losses, a system of credit controls and procedures must be implemented. The experts at Your Virtual CreditManagerare ready to help you improve cash flow and reduce AR risks during these challenging times. The better your credit controls, the more risk you can assume.
Effectively managingaccountsreceivable (AR) is essential for a company's financial well-being. Poor receivables performance affects cash flow, and it is no secret that cash flow problems are the leading cause of business failures. In small companies, this may occur due to a lack of credit analysis skills.
To continue reading and learn nine areas of focus for supercharging your collection process, you must be a paid subscriber to Your Virtual CreditManager. Do you need help assessing your customers’ credit risks? a 2% discount for payment within 10 days) to motivate faster payments.
If your sales are consummated via payment at the point of sale, which may involve “pay with order” or “pay on delivery” protocols involving a credit card or an online e-payment product, managingAccountsReceivable (AR) will not be big issue for you. Cash is king.
Cash flow is the biggest cause of customers defaults, but often cash flow is a result of other financial problems or miscues. A customer can be paying you with no problems, but then their bank line of credit comes up for review and is drastically cut back by the bank. Credit grantors will often consider other factors as well.
Clearly, the level of Business Credit Risk is going to remain elevated as we move through 2024, bringing with it the potential for corresponding increases in bad debt and delinquency. The good news is that there are a number of actions you can take to reduce your loss exposure and shore up your accountsreceivable (AR).
As you review your metrics, here are five signs that there may be a problem with your collection practices: DSO Is Rising: Days Sales Outstanding is the most common metric for measuring accountsreceivable (AR) performance. If DSO is rising, you are falling behind.
So, how can a small business acquire high level functional expertise with its “Jack of all trades” workforce, especially in regard to managing the AccountsReceivable (AR) asset? Even so, if you are heavily selling big box retailers, they may be able to help you, especially if you have a backlog.
The key factors informing your prioritization scheme are: The amount of the past due accountsreceivable (AR) The age of the past due AR (e.g, It is most effective when the Escalation Protocols are agreed to by management and explained to all customer-facing personnel. 15 days or 120 days?)
No two are alike, but they do tend to fall into some common groupings. Identifying the groupings within your customer accountsreceivable (AR) portfolio enables you to deal with them all more effectively and efficiently. Share The High-Risk Account: Ideally you do not want to extend credit to high risk accounts.
Epiq Bankruptcy: Bankruptcy Filings Increase Across All Chapters in March; Commercial Filings Up 79 Percent Year-over-year If you are extending credit to other businesses on open terms, reassessing your company credit policies as well as the latent risks that may affect accountsreceivable (AR) performance and cash flow should be a top priority.
AccountsReceivables (AR) require active management. Any O2C friction that results will ultimately have a negative affect on AR performance. Photo by Elisa Ventur on Unsplash When a company’s AR under-performs, the consequences are substantial. Here’s more on Credit Checks.
To continue reading and gain insights that will help you set sustainable credit limits and better mitigate undue risks, you must have a paid subscription to Your Virtual CreditManager. Subscribe now Do you need help managingcredit, collections and cash flow? ” The Bottom Line.
(Photo by Kind and Curious on Unsplash ) With bankruptcy filings skyrocketing and this trend expected to continue, trade creditors should prepare for delinquencies to rise within their accountsreceivable (AR) portfolios. Your Virtual CreditManager has already covered this topic from several different perspective.
Special Offer: On June 26, 2023, at 1PM EDT, David Schmidt will be leading a live webinar covering “ Strategic Collections: Process Efficiency and Tactics to Drive Superior AR Performance.” Frequent communication is advised so these customers are clear about your expectations and the ramifications of failing to comply with them.
Whether you have automated the collection process or not, mapping out collection strategies for the different types of customers in your accountsreceivable (AR) portfolio is an accepted best practice. Are there past-due accounts you are trying to collect?
Are there past due accounts you are trying to collect? The experts at Your Virtual CreditManager can help you bring in the cash. We are currently offering 33 percent off our standard rates. These are all distractions to the main objective and they reduce the efficiency of your limited collection effort.
As accounting processes continue to evolve, it’s becoming increasingly clear that harnessing the power of technology can help businesses streamline their operations and make more informed decisions. Below, we’re reviewing some of the top accountsreceivable challenges in 2023 and offering quick ways to shore up your collections process.
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