Here Ian Smith, GM and Finance Director at Invu puts to rest five of the most common myths about this business critical function. 

Myth 1 – Accounts payable doesn’t need investment

Reality – While it is understandable that most businesses will prioritise investment in front office functions, funding back office operations should not be ignored. Business requires accounts payable to deliver customer satisfaction. Failure to invest can result in the function being off the pace and unable to support the business.

Myth 2 – Accounts payable can fund your business

Reality – Funding your business by delaying payments to suppliers can damage your brand and normally ends with a fall. We’ve seen this multiple times in the past year, where the only cash generation was from delayed payments to suppliers who eventually could not take anymore. The late payment of suppliers by large companies has been subject to regulatory overview with the introduction of Reporting on Payment Practices and Performance.

Initial reporting figures show that on average 31% of invoices are not being paid on time.

Myth 3 – The accounts payable department knows everything going on in the business – even if you don’t tell them

Reality – The consequences of keeping the accounts payable department in the dark, by failing to provide the information required to resolve issues, can be harmful both to supplier relationships and management accounts due to delayed processing of transactions. Accounts payable and those responsible for the approval of invoices require transactional visibility and an audit trail to ensure effective processing.

Myth 4 – Accounts payable is the department of “no”

Reality – The perception of accounts payable as a department staffed by variations of the Little Britain character Carol Beer – “computer says no” – mis-states the role, which is to support budget holders in the delivery of outcomes and maintain a positive relationship with suppliers.

Myth 5 – Accounts payable just happens and requires no skill

Reality – There’s an expectation that accounts payable will be seen and not heard, be error free, and always on time. When this is not the case there is often an assignment of blame rather than an appreciation that this is an exception to the normal success rate.

The brave new world of accounts payable requires systems that automate data entry, provide approval workflows and requires skilled staff who can deal with exceptions, helping provide efficiency, visibility, and control over the payables process.

Cash flow, the money a business has in the tank to function, can make or break businesses. The latest MarketInvoice Business Insights explored the attitudes of UK SME owners on managing cash flow.

What is cash flow?

Put simply, cash flow is the money your business has readily available to use for day-to-day operations. Put less simply, it is whether your current assets are enough to cover current liabilities. Cash flow is also sometimes referred to as operating liquidity, working capital and current ratio.

Over half (52%) of business owners said they relied on making ad-hoc paper notes, using spreadsheets or relying on text messages from their bank to understand their cash flow position. Meanwhile, 18% reported using online accounting software to do so. Overall, 70% are taking it upon themselves to manage this. Only 30% were using an accountant to manage cash flow information.

Cash flow is clearly something front-of-mind for SMEs with almost half (45%) of business owners checking their cash flow position on a daily or weekly basis to ensure they have the means to continue the smooth running of their business.

Anil Stocker, CEO at MarketInvoice, commented: “Every business needs to know their cash flow position but the disproportionate manual focus on this can distract entrepreneurs from focussing on their business and driving growth. Managing cash flow needn’t be such a taxing affair with the plethora of online tools available today.”

Cash flow constraints mean that 87% of businesses are prevented from taking on more orders. Yet, two-thirds (67%) of business owners aren’t seeking any advice about cash flow. Of the businesses that ask for help, the majority (14%) are turning to their business bank manager. Furthermore, in shoring up cash flow, almost half (48%) of business owners reported increasing their bank overdraft facilities and one in six (16%) used invoice finance to tackle cash flow constraints.

Anil Stocker added: “It’s imperative that business owners get advice to manage their cash flow. We can’t allow UK economic growth to be stunted because of cash flow constraints. Businesses waiting on long payment terms can use invoice finance to help bridge the gap by getting an advance on their invoices and propel their businesses forward.”

According to a recent report, late payments are costing SMEs in the UK a total of £2 billion every year, with the entire sum of the missed payments totalling £14 billion^[1]. Below Edwin Gabriëls, Consultant at Onguard, explains the intricacies of payments collection management, offering some tips for businesses.

With such a large amount owed to businesses, it would suggest that many organisations would benefit from improving their collection management strategy. Otherwise known as dunning, collection management is a vital process in credit control. It sees organisations follow set processes to chase for outstanding payments, making the chance of receiving payment more likely and given that 62% of invoices issued by UK SMEs in 2017 were paid late^[2], it’s important that businesses get dunning right.

A sub-standard dunning strategy can cause organisations to run into a number of challenges when trying to obtain a late payment, ranging from customers not responding to reminders and evading payment for long periods of time to ineffective systems requiring a great deal of data mining before the first step can even be taken. These factors often make collecting overdue payments a lengthy and difficult process. A poorly executed dunning strategy can be time-consuming, with UK SMEs estimated to spend 130 hours a year chasing outstanding invoices^[3], and can have a knock-on effect for the organisation as a whole, potentially damaging customer relations and inhibiting cash flow.

By creating an effective dunning strategy, which takes a structured approach to each stage of collection management, businesses are better placed to overcome these challenges.

By creating an effective dunning strategy, which takes a structured approach to each stage of collection management, businesses are better placed to overcome these challenges.The right strategy will enable credit control teams to determine factors such as how many times a customer is chased before legal proceedings are launched and what form of communication to take with the visible results of more efficient teams, reduced overdue payments and increased cash flow.

To develop the right dunning strategy for your organisation you should include the three stages and processes outlined below:

1. Structured Dunning

This stage should form the basis of every dunning strategy as the structured nature allows credit controllers to work to a predetermined framework to gain remuneration. For example, this could take the format of sending an initial reminder five days after an invoice becomes overdue. Then, if it remains unpaid, another reminder should be sent out at 15 days and a final reminder should be sent after 30 days. If payment still hasn’t been made after the three reminders, then legal action should be started. By following this process of chasing for payment, customers will come to the realisation that processes within your company are structured, meaning they can’t evade payment, leading to a reduction in overdue balances. Additionally, this format enables companies to pinpoint where issues occur during the process.

2. Dispute management and internal collaboration

Once structured dunning is in place, you can move on to implementing dispute management processes to look into issues customers have raised with invoices and processes. This stage requires some collaboration with other departments within your business to get to the heart of a customer’s problem and allow you to resolve the issue quickly as the sooner the dispute is resolved, the sooner you can get back to chasing for payment. By adding this step to your existing dunning strategy, you will see a reduction in overdue balances and an improvement in your cashflow as it doesn’t allow customer disputes to linger and for invoices to go unpaid for long periods of time.

3. External collaboration

Finally, by using the data you hold on the customer from both internal and external sources, you can determine how the customer wants to be addressed and the best ways in which to communicate. As customer engagement is becoming increasingly important, it is vital to use the tools at your disposal to create the correct communication at the right time. For example, if you have a long-lasting relationship with a customer it is crucial to address them in the right manner to avoid souring the relationship. This will help you avoid risks to cash flow and overdue balances posed by miscommunication.

For an effective strategy, businesses must first ensure they enforce structured dunning before integrating the other two elements as the strategy matures.

For human resources specialist t-groep, collaboration with other departments has become a key aspect of their dunning strategy. In fact, the entire company has access to the collection management solution as it is considered that those working closest to the customers have the best relationship with them. As such, these individuals are better placed to decide how to tackle the issue of outstanding invoices and find a way to ensure the amount is paid.

For an effective strategy, businesses must first ensure they enforce structured dunning before integrating the other two elements as the strategy matures. As a by-product of this three-tiered approach, the credit control department will gain a more centralised position within your organisation, rather than only becoming involved at the end of the relationship when an invoice is created, and payment is required.

With an established dunning process, it is possible to use information gained on customers’ payment habits and feed them into other processes within credit management, such as the order to cash chain. External data gathered through credit management can be used to determine whether customers are high or low risk, and decisions can be made as a result. For example, the knowledge that a customer regularly avoids making payments can inform decisions over whether to release an order to them. Additionally, this data can be used to segment customers into homogenous groups which can be used to determine aspects such as payment terms or discounts. This information could then be fed back into the dunning strategy to determine when chasing for payment begins.

It is important to remember that dunning certainly isn’t one-dimensional. In fact, with benefits including increasing cash flow, lowering overdue payments and improving customer relations, an entire organisation is likely to reap the rewards of an effective dunning strategy. It will also encourage credit controllers to be more focused on customer communication and address the disconnect between the way different departments communicate with customers. Although there isn’t a one-size-fits-all approach to dunning, by following this three-tiered framework, businesses will reduce the time spent on chasing customers for payment and achieve greater results.

[1] https://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/news/late-payments-uk-business-cost-sme-2-billion-a-year-bacs-payment-customers-a7846781.html

[2] https://smallbusiness.co.uk/late-payments-trend-get-worse-uk-smes-2542060/

[3] https://www.siemens.com/content/dam/webassetpool/mam/tag-siemens-com/smdb/financing/brochures/united-kingdom/sfs-uk-late-payment-report.pdf

There’s no doubt that maintaining a continuous cash flow when running a SME is incredibly hard. Here, Catherine Rickett, debt recovery manager at Roythornes Solicitors, shares with Finance Monthly her top tips to keep the cash flowing as an SME business owner.

Between recruitment and staff retention, financial outgoings and ensuring the bills are paid on time, chasing unpaid invoices can often seem like a job that can wait for tomorrow.

Whilst many suppliers and clients will pay without a quibble, some are more difficult to enforce, and it is these conversations that are frequently fraught with confrontation. Often it can be difficult to have ‘that discussion’ with a client whilst attempting to maintain a good relationship and retain them.

Building solid relationships are invaluable in business, especially when you're just starting out, and the prospect of bringing legal action against a long-standing or important client can often be rather daunting. I would argue that this is a major misconception, as 85% of our solicitor’s demand letters result in payment in full and in the vast majority of cases without any adverse impact on the business relation in question.

Having a firm but fair approach to payment collection is key to ensuring invoices are paid on time and in full. With that in mind, here are our top tips to keep business cash flow consistent:

1. Be proactive about collecting payments from clients. Have solid, late-payment penalties and collections policies in place, and stick to them. If your client doesn’t hear from you as soon as the payment is overdue, you can be sure that you won’t be the first to get paid; he who shouts the loudest, gets paid first!

2. Make it easy for your clients to pay. The easier you make it, the more likely they will pay you. Consider having card payment facilities, BACS, direct debit, online payments or even PayPal.

3. Know your client! Consider undertaking a credit check on new or even existing customers if you are having difficulty in obtaining payment. It may be that your customer is unable to make payment due to their own financial problems.

4. Consider applying an incentive for early payment. Money is better in your pocket than theirs and whilst you may feel uncomfortable lowering your prices for early payment, sometimes it can cost more to recover debt than any discount applied.

5. Have clear procedures. You need effective systems in place, with standard letters going out on the day after an invoice is due, seven days after etc. It’s not an ad hoc ‘admin chore’; you need to be strict with yourself and your customers.

6. Keep a ‘cash cushion’. Ideally, this should be three months' operating expenses to protect you from unexpected cash flow issues. Bad payers are a business reality and if your company is working from an account balance of nil, one slow sales month could mean instant disaster.

We understand the need to preserve relationships so that commercial agreements can continue and our team of experts are able to have these difficult conversations on your behalf, starting with our solicitor’s demand letter for as little as £5 + VAT. Even if the problem is not resolved at that point, there is no obligation to commence proceedings and we will then advise our clients on the appropriate action to take.

Credit management has a vital role to play within any business. Its primary aim is to ensure customers pay their outstanding balances within the pre-agreed timeframes. When implemented effectively, it helps reduce late payments and improve cashflow, in turn driving a more positive liquidity position for the business. Below Martin de Heus, VP of Direct Sales at Onguard, explains for Finance Monthly.

All of this is fundamental to the work of the credit manager. Unfortunately, however, credit management departments don’t always believe their job also entails keeping the customer happy. Whereas sales and customer service departments might be trained in the arts of charm and diplomacy, credit management teams are more likely to value persistence and tenacity. After all, organisations want outstanding invoices paid as quickly as possible.

The issue is that the role of the credit management department also needs to be about maintaining positive customer engagement. Sales and customer service departments will have done their best – with the help of various tools and technologies – to get to know the customer and ensure their satisfaction. Maintaining this positive relationship is generally much trickier if the customer falls into debt.

It’s a delicate situation. The wrong approach may negate any early groundwork and jeopardise a potential long-term relationship. Nonetheless, these customers are in the credit manager’s portfolio for a reason: experiencing payment difficulties, in arrears or have already been transferred to a collections agency.

The organisation wants to keep Day Sales Outstanding (DSO) as low as possible, however the customer still expects to be treated well and with respect. Respectively, how can organisations create a positive customer experience despite these payment difficulties?

As credit managers are aware, the reasons for non-payment differ greatly between customers; there is never a ‘one size fits all’ approach. Some may be experiencing temporary difficulties. For example, an understaffed accounts department with a high workload might mistakenly overlook an open invoice. While some always pay late as a matter of policy, and others are genuinely facing cash-flow problems.

Because of these differences in circumstances, all these will act favourably to a personalised approach.

Today there is technology available that monitors each customer’s order to cash journey and this will segment customers, assessing who the customer is, what they need, what the risks are, their payment behaviour and how they prefer to communicate. Automated reminders, processes and actions can be created based on these segments. Consequently, communication with a customer who always pays late will differ from those with the customer who simply forgot to pay an invoice. This functionality provides customers with the attention they need, while at the same time, giving credit managers more time to focus on exceptions.

Because this software provides insights on the entire order to cash process, all stages of the journey can be optimised and KPIs achieved. This may include lowering the DSO, optimising cash flow, improving the ability to focus on the core business and focusing on a positive customer experience. It also gives a fully integrated overview of the cash flow forecasting and outstanding debts.

In short, a positive experience and the lowest possible DSO can co-exist – and a credit management team can focus on the customers’ needs and requirements. After all, with the right care and attention, a late-payer can suddenly transform into a loyal customer – and one that pays on time.

Recent research by Reckon, the software developer, says that financial management is the biggest concern of small business owners across the country.

59% of small businesses owners in the Reckon study said they asked are concerned about financial management and demonstrate the real importance of financial literacy as a key skill for business owners, as well as the need for more support and advice for small businesses.

This has implications for business owners at the end of the financial year, when they will face huge pressure to whip their financial records into shape for tax purposes. Doing so without the necessary expertise or knowledge, however, makes the task even more difficult.

Business plan

First things first: a business plan which indicates the long-term strategy of your business – including financial targets, budgets, and profit and loss forecasts – can help you to get a handle on the potential cash flow your business will deal with.

Not sure how to create one? There are some questions you need to be asking to enable a solid plan and here are our top three:

Have you got a robust book-keeping practice?

It goes without saying, but good record keeping is incredibly important.

Money is the lifeblood of any business, and knowing how much of it has gone and where, will give you a clearer understanding of your financial position.

While tracking expenses and outlay is often a dull task, doing so will give you an understanding of your finances and a degree of control. And it’s just as important to regularly review your finances – don’t think that just because they’re in place, they’re looking after themselves.

This is particularly important when it comes to self-assessment tax. When it comes to tax, you want to be positive that you’re submitting accurate and detailed records. Good bookkeeping practice is the only way to guarantee this.

With the rise in popularity of digital accounting software, there are a number of options available to small business owners. Make sure to choose one which is suitable for the needs and requirements of your business.

Do you really understand your cash flow?

This will stem naturally from good bookkeeping practices, but having an insight into the financial trends of your business will give you certainty and clarity about what you can afford and when.

Different industries will have different cash flows.

In retail, knowing how much of your equity is tied up in stock will be important; for other services with a cash-on-delivery arrangement, being able to tide your business over between contracts is important.

Being familiar with your cash flow will help you to understand the natural peaks and troughs of your business.

When and how to seek professional help?

If you’re uncomfortable with doing the number crunching by yourself, then you need to enlist the help of a trained professional to help manage your money. Small business owners can seek advice from accountants, banks, and Independent Financial Advisers.

Accountants can offer a basic service which will reduce the workload of any business owner. This will range from helping you to file your tax forms correctly and on time, to helping you reduce to reduce your tax bill through legal means.

Banks can offer advice to their customers. However, while they will be able to identify the needs of your business, any product or service they offer will not necessarily be the best one on the market, as of course they aren’t independent.

On the other hand, an Independent Financial Adviser (or IFA) can offer tailored advice on your financial position, identifying the unique needs of your business and guiding you to the most appropriate solutions.

From business insurance through to long-term planning for retirement, IFAs are able to examine your business and help you to understand your finances and offer impartial advice on who can offer you and your business the best solutions.

While outsourcing financial management to a professional can be costly, it may represent the best value over the long-term. Professional financial advisers are able to offer specialist expert advice, tailored to the unique needs and requirements of your business. Ultimately, consulting a professional can give you confidence when it comes to your financial management.

(Source: Reckon)