Knowledge Centre
When you add it all up, using debt collectors makes sense
If you are like many other business owners and managers, you could be facing a conundrum. Your clients may owe you a significant amount of money and they are ignoring all requests to settle their outstanding debts. But at the same time, you are reluctant to take them to court or call in debt collectors … Read more
Healthy cash flow
We’re well into the new financial year now, and many businesses would have reviewed their debt recovery processes and procedures, to ensure they maintain a healthy cash flow and minimise potential bad debts this year. When we are winning new business, it’s great for our P&Ls, however if we don’t follow up on our invoices … Read more
Ensure your business is protected with customised terms and conditions
Here’s a question to ponder: does your business have customised terms and conditions? If you are like many other business owners, the response is likely to be along the lines of “Umm, not sure”, or “we haven’t got around to that yet.” The truth is that updating T&Cs is one of those tasks businesses often … Read more
Don’t give up on unpaid debts – lodge a credit default
Some debtors are stubborn, to put it kindly, and simply refuse to pay their accounts. So what should you do if you have unpaid debts and all your efforts are falling on deaf ears? Unless they are disputing the debt, we recommend lodging a default on the debtor’s credit rating. Why? You want to ensure … Read more
Make the tough calls to clean up your end of financial year debtors’ ledger
Chasing overdue accounts as the end of financial year looms is a crucial business action – and one that some businesses put off or need a hand to address. The truth is that debtor management is often one of the most difficult aspects of effective cash-flow management. So what can be done? Issuing written reminders … Read more
DEBT COLLECTION CALLS | PREPARING FOR DEBT COLLECTION CALLS
For most people, making debt collection calls isn’t one of your favourite tasks. If you work in a credit department or run your own business, it’s probably safe to say this job is often left until last, or is missed altogether when you are busy. Result? Those slow paying customers get away with continuing to … Read more
CHRISTMAS CASH FLOW TIPS
We’ve all read the posts on cash flow tips over Christmas, it’s when businesses shut down, it’s when you can’t get hold of anyone and it can be the most stressful time of year for business owners. We’ve narrowed our tips down to three: Chase your debtors early, and get a commitment of payment from … Read more
Debt Recovery Tips | Managing Debts | Avoiding Bad Debts
It can be tough for your business to balance customer relationships and the integrity of your brand, with chasing payment for your goods and services. Here’s some tips from our team on avoiding and managing debt related issues. Avoiding Bad Debts Do your homework before offering credit to a new customer. An online credit check … Read more
Ever made an incorrect payment online? | Mistaken payments
A couple of months ago, I thought I’d paid the balance for our family holiday to the wrong bank account i.e. not to the travel agent. It is easy to set up new payees online, and although we are asked to check the information before the payment is made, we all need to ensure always check … Read more
Slow Paying Debtors | A Tail From The Horse’s Mouth
Slow Paying Debtors Careers in the veterinary field attract those of us passionate about animal welfare. You might assume that they would not have issues with slow paying debtors? When Chris Wain Equine Veterinary Services in Queensland reviewed their cash flow, they were surprised to see how many invoices were going unpaid. April Wain, Veterinary … Read more
Chasing for payment? Recognise these characters?
‘Our Favourites’ We all love our customers who pay to terms, we don’t need to remind them, payment comes through before or on the due date and we all want more of these customers, these are our favourites. ‘The Busy Guys’ We’ve all learnt to manage the customers who ‘thought they’d paid’, ‘meant to pay’ or … Read more
Collecting Debt from Individuals
We are often asked, as a mercantile agency, how we approach collecting debt from individuals. The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) and the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) have produced a guideline. This guideline helps us to understand how the Commonwealth consumer protection laws apply to debt collectors, as well as in house … Read more