Getting caught off-guard by Bankruptcies

Most credit professionals fail to recognise that customer bankruptcy can be predicted. Bankruptcy is an extremely devastating experience not only for the owners and employees of the bankrupt company, but also for the credit professionals that extended terms to that business.

Both bankruptcy and severely slow payments can be identified through the use of credit and customer scoring.

A business failure or slow payments can happen for a wide variety of reasons, but what we really need to know is how to predict a majority of bankruptcy filings. Statistically valid predictive scores can assist you to uncover the risk within your portfolio. Scoring is used extensively in the consumer market, and many credit professionals in the commercial segment should take advantage to more clearly identify their higher risk accounts.

Look at Credit Management Software that gives you functionality to credit score your customers. Based upon this information the system will have the future looking scores, which will be designed to predict both the potential for financial stress and severe payment delinquency. These statistically valid predictive scores incorporate multiple data sets and can be even more predictive when it comes to bankruptcy.

By using credit scoring it will clearly identify your lower and high-risk accounts by segmenting your portfolio and making it much easier to better concentrate limited resources.

By giving all your customers some type of ranking system with a credit score, you will more easily identify and prioritise the accounts requiring more or less aggressive collection techniques. Allign your most experienced credit controllers with the highest risk accounts, change contract terms if needed or even exit a relationship where appropriate.

With the efficiency gains that will be realized, you can then spend more time with marginal accounts. By using scores and portfolio analysis techniques, credit professionals can assure a more consistent and systematic approach to receivables management.

To Do nothing is not an option

For everyone involved in one way or another with Credit Management these are busy and tense times. Credit management is at the centre of interest and many companies have assigned the highest priority to credit management and the role it plays in effective working capital management. The current economic climate also presents us with opportunities; we now have the opportunity to show how vitally important a well managed credit management process is to corporate success. 

 Many companies, from all sectors and all sizes, are looking for support for their credit management processes; they are looking at credit management software solutions that are well proven. The urgency to invest now seems to be a common trend. The market is telling us: to do nothing is not an option.

Many say that the worst is still to come but the positive spirit with which our industry leaders view the future is very positive. Credit management is at the centre of corporate interest and offers us all many opportunities.

Ask yourself the following:

Do I want to make my company’s credit approval and credit management processes more efficient, more effective and more customer oriented?

 Do I want Information from customer relations and credit risk management at hand, helping improve my communication with my customers?

 Do I want to be more proactive with my credit management or am I happy to deal with credit management in a reactive way?

 Do I want to improve my company’s cash flow?

 In today’s business environment managing risk and improving cash flow are more challenging then ever:

•  Bankruptcy rates rising, the risk of incurring substantial losses are greater than ever
• With the economic downturn and business practices are causing companies to pay slower, there is greater urgency on increasing cash flow

 In response to these trends we all find that as credit professionals we are unfortunately becoming more reactive as opposed to being proactive.

 We ask ourselves “Is Credit Management Software the answer”?

 First of all, a well-documented best practice involves leveraging credit management software, often coupled with scoring, to improve cash flow through faster response times and more consistent decisions. Credit Management Software also allows you to better partition your portfolio making it easier to see risk patterns as well as manage your franchise. Again, the common theme is to proactively identify those accounts that need your attention and use software to handle repetitive tasks.

Unfortunately, many credit professionals do not take full advantage of technology. Credit professionals need to create greater system efficiencies to compensate for corporate cost cutting goals. That requires embracing technology in one form or another.

Sidestepping common pitfalls provides a framework for becoming more efficient and increasing cash flow. Once you recognize an opportunity, you then need to assemble the required resources to effectuate a solution. Until you take steps at becoming more efficient, you will in fact be whittling away at your limited resources.

So ask yourself again, “Is Credit Management Software the answer?”