Are Your SME Clients Managing Debtors Effectively?

For many SMEs, making the sale is only half the job.

Getting paid — and getting paid on time — is what protects cash flow.

Debtors management is therefore one of the most important areas in which accountants, bookkeepers and business advisers can provide practical assistance to SME clients.

Yet many businesses still operate without a structured system for deciding who receives credit, setting payment terms, following up overdue accounts and monitoring Debtors Days Outstanding (DSO).

SMEs Need More Than Compliance

A survey referenced by ESS BIZTOOLS involving 500 small business operators found that only a relatively small proportion regarded their accountant as providing a “Key Strategic Partner” service.

That represents an opportunity for accounting and bookkeeping firms.

SME operators frequently need the type of financial management guidance that larger businesses receive from an experienced internal accountant or CFO.

Debtors management is an excellent place to start.

MYOB CEO Paul Robson previously highlighted widespread financial-management deficiencies among new business owners, including problems that could have been avoided through appropriate professional advice.

Among the debtors management issues identified were:

❗ Assuming credit terms need to be offered to every customer.
❗ Not having a systematic approach to debt collection.
❗ Failing to follow up overdue accounts.
❗ Failing to monitor Debtors Days Outstanding (DSO) as a critical cash-flow KPI.

These are not simply administrative problems. Poor debtors management can place significant pressure on an SME’s cash flow and ultimately its ability to survive and grow.

Turn Debtors Management Into an Advisory Service

Accountants and bookkeepers can help clients move away from an informal approach by implementing a documented SME Debtors Management System.

ESS BIZTOOLS has developed a practical system that accounting, bookkeeping and business advisory firms can use with their SME clients.

The process starts before credit is granted.

Application to Open an Account

Before offering credit, the SME should obtain appropriate information about the prospective customer.

This can include:

✅ Business and contact details.
✅ Directors and registered office details for companies.
✅ Business activities and turnover.
✅ Trade referees.
✅ Amount of credit requested.
✅ Acknowledgement of the proposed credit terms.

Importantly, references should actually be checked.

The objective is simple: avoid inheriting somebody else's bad debtor.

Establish Clear Terms

Once a credit account has been approved, the customer should understand exactly what is expected.

A Welcome to New Customer Letter provides an opportunity to welcome the customer while confirming the agreed terms of trade and payment requirements.

Invoices should also clearly state the payment due date.

Where appropriate, documentation may include Terms of Trade, Personal Directors' Guarantees and Indemnities, Retention of Title arrangements and documentation relevant to the Personal Property Securities Register (PPSR).

Monitor Debtors Every Month

Having documentation is only part of the process.

At the end of each month, the debtors ledger should be finalised promptly. Where statements are issued, ESS BIZTOOLS recommends sending them within 48 hours of month-end.

The business can then calculate one of its most important cash-flow KPIs: Debtors Days Outstanding (DSO).

DSO provides management with an indication of how quickly customers are paying and can help identify customers requiring immediate follow-up.

Australia’s Payment Problem

Australia's history of lengthy payment times has also resulted in government initiatives designed to improve payment practices.

The Payment Times Reporting Scheme requires certain large businesses to report information about how quickly they pay small-business suppliers.

For SMEs, however, government initiatives alone are not a substitute for having their own effective credit and debtors management procedures.

Businesses need to know:

✅ Who receives credit?
✅ How much credit should they receive?
✅ What are the payment terms?
✅ Who follows up overdue accounts?
✅ What is the current DSO?
✅ Which customers are consistently paying late?

If an SME cannot readily answer these questions, there is an advisory conversation waiting to happen.

Become the SME’s “Key Strategic Partner”

Debtors management is not merely about chasing overdue invoices.

It is about establishing a system that protects cash flow before problems develop.

For accountants, bookkeepers and business advisers, helping clients establish and annually review their debtors management procedures is a practical way of demonstrating the value of an ongoing Key Strategic Partner relationship.

The ESS BIZTOOLS SME Debtors Management System provides editable resources that firms can adapt and brand for their clients.

The SME Debtors Management System is available as a Standalone Package, or as part of broader ESS BIZTOOLS packages containing additional resources for delivering business advisory services.

25% OFF – Limited-Time Promotion

From 10 August 2026, ESS BIZTOOLS is offering 25% OFF selected annual packages for a limited time.

FIND OUT MORE AND SUBSCRIBE HERE

The SME Debtors Management System is also available as a standalone 12-month subscription.

FIND OUT MORE AND SUBSCRIBE HERE

Help your SME clients get their debtors under control — and demonstrate the value of becoming their Key Strategic Partner.

Want to know more?

Visit www.essbiztools.com.au.

If you would like to have a discussion about how this concept of virtual CFO services can be supplied by Australian accounting firms please ring our Managing Director, Peter Towers, on 0418 190 181 and we will arrange a complimentary 30-minute Zoom meeting to discuss your firm’s position and to give you our advice.

We believe that this is the blueprint for the delivery of an enhanced range of services by Australian Accounting and Bookkeeping firms to assist SME businesses to add value to their businesses and to assist accountants and bookkeepers not only to attract but to retain outstanding talent who want to be involved in the delivery of “real accounting services”.

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