New credit control outsourcing solution
At BCS one of the services we provide is outsourced credit control and this is to a range of clients from the one man bands to international businesses. These clients have a wide range of needs and different facilities and budgets at their disposal therefore we treat each client uniquely and manage their debts in a range of different ways.
Traditionally there are two main ways of managing the logistics behind outsourcing your credit control;
1) Remote access whereby the BCS account manager is set up a user profile which enables them to remotely access the clients systems. They can then log into the clients accounting software and chase the overdue debts as efficiently as though they were in the clients offices. Remote access is cheap and easy to set up and it means that the account manager and the client have access to real time information.
2) Aged debt spreadsheets and copy invoices are provided by the client on a weekly/monthly basis and the account manager works from that. The report is returned to the client on a regular basis so they can see the progress and ask any questions. The clients advise the account managers of payments and disputes as they occur. This is a very cost-effective and easy to implement scheme so it's perfect for the small to medium businesses.
However, at the suggestion of one of our clients, a new method has been created. This particular client uses Sage for their accounts and a bookkeeper deals with the finances over a short fixed period during each month. Therefore the solution in this case was for Sage to be loaded on to the account managers' computer and a backup of the data provided via email.
Each week the account manager receives the backup from the client on Monday morning and they are then free to use Sage as though they were onsite. Each Friday the new backup is sent back to the client so that they can see what progress has been made. To upload and download the backup only take a few seconds so this has become a very efficient solution for us and the client. Furthermore this method also works if you want to outsource your entire sales ledger since all of the functions of Sage are enabled, from raising invoices and sending statements to chasing for payment and allocating payments to invoices.
Logistically, there is always a way to outsource your credit control although some imagination can be required at times! And now that we have increased our staffing levels, we are able to start accepting new clients again. So contact us now if you do not have a full time, fully qualified credit controller and make sure that your company survives the credit crunch.