Accountants can assist small/medium enterprises to reduce their Debtors' Days Outstanding by producing a Debtors Systems' Manual.

A written debtors' manual, together with targeted training of the small/medium enterprise's staff responsible for credit sales/debtors will assist an individual business to play its part in reducing Australian small/medium enterprise's debtors' days outstanding "from being the worst in the world".  Described by Australian Government's Small/Medium Enterprise Ombudsman, Kate Carnell as being the "SILENT KILLER OF MODERN BUSINESS". (Australian Financial Review article)

A customised Debtors Systems' Manual will include commentary on: (Click here)

• Debtors Management System Checklist – to make sure that all the important matters are considered.
• Setting up an effective debtors management' system which will incorporate comments on:
• Credit Application Form that has been designed to suit the business’ requirements relative to information required from a prospective credit customer.
• Debtors' Guarantee Forms including reasons why directors' personal guarantees are obtained and notes on the implementation of an appropriate filing system so that the guarantees are available when they might be required in the future.
• Internal advice of a new customer to the sales department and office to ensure that these persons are well aware of the new customer, their credit limit, payment terms etc.
• Personal Property Securities Register procedures for the client’s business with notes on the Terms of Trade Agreement and Retention of Title Agreement so that the person undertaking the debtor's activities within your client’s business understands the importance of these documents and the requirement to ensure that they have been signed and returned promptly by the new credit customer so that your client can then decide whether to register that new customer on the Personal Property Securities Register which will assist in rejecting liquidators' "Preferential Payment Claims".
• New Customer Due Diligence – it’s important that your client is not getting "someone else’s problem". The implementation of a system to check the credit application form, referees and other information is very important.

Being diligent on transactions involves:

• Instigating procedures for taking orders to ensure that credit sales orders are only accepted for customers who have been approved with a credit account.
• Ensuring that the tax invoice contains all of the information specified by the customer otherwise your client will probably have problems in getting paid within their stipulated payment time.

Positive monitoring of debtors:

• The manual outlines the benefits of utilising an “online debt management system”.
• The manual also outlines “traditional” methods of debt collection.
• Account queries would be discussed in the manual with suggestions being included as to how account queries can be sorted quickly so as not to hold up debtors' payments.

The manual includes suggestions on how your client’s business can be paid on time.  This would include:

• The preparation of a “welcome to new customer letter” – the benefit of this letter is that it should contain all of the information that your client's new customer needs to know about their credit account with your client.

Other management tools include:

• Debtors' Days Outstanding Calculation
• Debtors' Reduction Checklist

Key headings in the manual. (Click here)

The key headings in the SME Debtors Manual include:

• Introduction to effective debtors' management.
• Debtors' Management System Checklist.
• Setting up an effective Debtors' Management System.
• Being diligent on transactions.
• Proactive monitoring of debtors.
• Debtors' management.
• Monthly Debtors' Timetable.
• Debtors Systems Staff Training.
• Debt recovery letters.
• Cashflow management hints.
• Debtors discounting and factoring.
• Debtor insurance.

The SME Debtors Systems Manual prepared by ESS BIZTOOLS and ESS BASIP enables accountants/advisers to edit the templates so as to produce a Customised Debtors' Management System for your client.

The template has been prepared to facilitate branding the manual with your firm’s name, address etc., shown on the front page of the document.

The manual and addendums comprise 30 pages of information on debtors that has been written in a way that it is targeted at the person within the small/medium enterprise who has the responsibility of managing debtors within your client’s business.

We believe that the production of a Debtors Systems' Manual for your small/medium enterprise clients will make a significant contribution to your client’s business being able to reduce their Debtors' Days Outstanding, thus contributing to the removal of the indignity that Australia has the highest level of Debtors' Days Outstanding in the world. (Click here)

You can gain access to the SME Debtors System Manual Package in one of three convenient ways:

• ESS BIZTOOLS Gold package subscription whereby you gain access to all of the products produced by ESS BIZTOOLS. (Please click here)
• ESS BASIP – you can access the SME Debtors Systems Manual Package as a standalone product (please click here.)
• ESS BASIP Smart Start comprising:
• Business Advisory Services Introduction Training Package (click here).
• SME Debtors System Manual Package (click here)
• Debtors Management Package (click here)
• Business Advisory Services Mentoring Session (click here)

Smart Start Package – Information Webinar.  Register now for this step-by-step webinar guide to help your firm start, or continue, on the business advisory services journey.  The webinar will be held on Tuesday 28th February 2017 at 1pm (AEDT); 12-noon (AEST); 12:30pm (ACDT); 11:30am (ACST) or 10am (AWST).  To register to participate in this FREE webinar, please click here.

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Episode 098 - A Customised Debtors Systems' Manual is a Great Way for an Accountant to Help SMEs

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