 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
Our Subscribers Say...
I think Credit Today is fantastic. You cover many practical topics in the credit field that I use regularly. Just one recent example—a conversation on the ListServ about preferential payments—gave me tips that I used in an actual case. The specific information I picked up from this one discussion saved me $10,000, enough to cover my membership for many years!
- Steve Savino
Manager of Credit & Collections, ASSA Abloy Americas Division, New Haven, CT
Credit Today's Resource Directory and their online e-mail forum (ListServ) provide information on almost any credit-related topic you can think of. It is a great way to exchange information with other credit professionals. As the saying goes, "You don't know what you don't know."
- Scott Goen,
Credit Manager, Big Lots Stores, Inc., Wholesale Division
"We've recently started using the ListServ tool within Credit Today. This is phenomenal and powerful forum for gaining immediate feedback, ideas, and suggestions, relative to any credit topic under the sun, all in a real-time e-mail format."
-Javier Vela, Senior Credit Manager, Global Credit Services, JDA Software Group Inc.
"Being a part of the Credit Today online community is like having the expertise of hundreds of credit managers at your fingertips. These credit execs are willing to help you solve topical business issues as they arise. In the current environment of ever increasing competing priorities which reduce our opportunities to meet peers out of the office face-to-face, this is the most valuable tool you can have on your desktop! It's important that we have a mechanism to reach out to our counterparts quickly to exchange knowledge as well as to stay on top of industry trends."
- Victoria Artis, Director of Customer Financial Services, Pfizer, Inc.
"Over the last 10 years I've seen Credit Today evolve from a monthly credit publication into a quality source of information and guidance for the B2B credit community. The website, with its user friendly form downloads, will take you from examples of new account credit applications to bankruptcy forms and everything in between.
The Credit Today ListServ has become the pre-imminent online forum, providing an opportunity for discussion and comments (and occasional humor) from an impressive list of credit professionals."
David Dungan, Director of Credit
Justin Brands, Inc. (A Berkshire Hathaway company)
Fort Worth, Texas
"There are numerous credit periodicals available to the credit professional today. How good is Credit Today? Is it relevant? I always have to read it late, or online because my credit analysts want to read it the minute it comes in. When my staff wants to read a publication before I have a chance to read it then something is working in that publication. We have cancelled our other subscriptions. When you have the best you do not need the rest."
Ron Woods
Corporate Credit Manager-World Wide
Thales Navigation, Inc.
"The newsletter, coupled with the website and the ListServ, are to us, more valuable than any other credit publication, bar none. I try to use at least one article out of each newsletter for departmental training/discussion sessions."
D. Mark Constantine
Corporate Credit Mgr
Fulton Paper Company
"I love Credit Today and read every issue cover to cover. For me, the greatest perk of a subscription is ListServ. I believe Credit Today's ListServ members may be the most knowledgeable Credit brain trust in existence today. I have saved and categorized hundreds of contributions on a wide variety of topics which I refer to often. It's an easy and cost effective way to network and learn."
Doug M. Thomas
Kimberly-Clark Customer Financial Services |
|
|
 |
Technology Today
Coping with today's fast-paced change is difficult. Change can bury you if you're not ready. But at Credit Today we believe that today's technology tools present you with an extraordinary opportunity to make quantum leaps in productivity. Read on to learn about credit scoring models, document imaging, electronic check conversion, Internet bill presentment and payment systems, combating payment optimization programs, the use of E-mail, and enterprise sytems.
|
Benchmarking: Are the Challenges Credit Departments Face Showing a Return to Business as Usual?
By David Schmidt
Our latest benchmarking survey covers... - The top 10 challenges facing credit execs in 2012
- Secondary challenges facing credit execs currently
- The primary differences in the challenges facing larger firms credit organizations vs. credit departments at smaller firms
- What new problems and concerns are emerging on credit department radar screens this year - and the implications of these changes
- What issues are now less a cause of concern for credit departments than last year
. . .
keep reading
|
Technology Notebook: What's on Your Boss's Radar?
By David Schmidt
The Association of Financial Professionals (AFP) held its annual conference on November 6-9, 2011, in Boston. With over 6000 attendees and 200 exhibitors, this is the largest finance-related gathering of its type. Despite a clear bias towards treasury-related activities, there still was something here for anybody with exposure to any aspect of the finance function. Receivables management was accordingly well represented with 34 vendors promoting their solutions and a variety of educational sessions related to order-to-cash issues. While this is not a conference that many credit managers attend, it is a venue that caters to the senior managers and executives involved with corporate financial management. As such, it is useful for credit professionals to know something about the marketplace of issues and ideas that are of interest to their colleagues and bosses. Here then, are some relevant topics that we observed at the 2011 AFP Conference. Topics covered: - Integrated and Consolidated Billing and Payments
- Receivables and Supply Chain Finance
- Unclaimed Property
- Remote Deposit Capture
. . .
keep reading
|
So Many Passwords You're Crying For Mercy? Here's Help!
By Rob Lawson
I resisted it for a long time. When I first heard about RoboForm, a program that keeps track of all my logins and passwords, I thought "What - a program that requires ANOTHER password to enable me to keep track of the rest of my logins and passwords?" . . .
keep reading
|
How do we validate online credit applications?
November 8, 2011
I am working to develop an online credit application and have hit a stumbling block. We send a lot of accounts to third-party collections and eventually to court/litigation. Our current app provides a physical signature for both the terms and conditions and the personal guaranty. With the online credit application, how do we validate that the Terms and Conditions and the Personal Guaranty were signed by a specific individual and what do we need to provide third parties to legitimize the application and the electronic signature? . . .
keep reading
|
Tech Notes: Intelligent Data Capture Slashes Data Entry from Remittance Posting
By David Schmidt
Whether you utilize auto-cash or not, most costs associated with posting customer payments will be related to data entry. If you are using auto-cash, chances are your lock-box provider is capturing some remittance details, in which case you are paying for each keystroke. If you don't use a lock-box or all your lock-box provider does is deposit the checks and send you copies, then your in-house remittance processing staff is doing the bulk of the data entry, and you are paying those salaries. Read on to learn the details Intelligent Data Capture (IDC), an amazing new technology eliminates data entry when using Optical Character Recognition (OCR) in your cash application function. . . .
keep reading
|
Can QR Codes Increase e-Payment Adoption Rates and Enhance Customer Communication?
By Harry Stephens
The smartphone is the fastest growing device in the world today, connecting consumers to online resources anytime, anywhere. For consumer credit companies, the growth of mobile is creating a new channel for customers to complete the critical financial transactions that drive business. The growth of this channel is a great opportunity to encourage more consumers to use e-billing and e-payment programs. Because e-payers pay earlier and more consistently, the more customers that transition to e-payment the more you will enjoy faster collection, reduced payment processing time and fewer late collections. And your customers will thank you for allowing them to pay in a way that is most convenient for them--hassle free, right from the palm of their hand. But how can mobile be integrated with the printed billing process? One convenient and immediate answer is by using Quick Response (QR) codes--barcodes that when read by smartphones take users to online content. . . .
keep reading
|
Lessons From the Edison of Our Time
One of the biggest stories of the last week - from a business perspective, at least - was the stepping down of Steve Jobs from the helm of Apple. Unfortunately, he told the Board of Directors, he will no longer able to fulfill his duties as CEO. It is clear that Mr. Jobs is one of the great innovators in history. In particular, the last 10 years have seen extraordinary products developed by Apple that people didn't even realize they needed or wanted until after they'd seen them. . . .
keep reading
|
Wurth Louis and Company Chooses Billtrust to Streamline Invoice and Statement Processing and Delivery
August 16, 2011
Billtrust, a premier provider of outsourced billing services, today announced that Wurth Louis and Company, a leading distributor of a complete selection of hardware, machinery, hand tools, supplies, laminate and solid surfaces for the professional cabinet shop, has chosen Billtrust to manage invoice and statement production services. Headquartered in California with locations nationwide, Wurth Louis and Company is part of the Würth Group, a $7+ billion dollar company based in Germany. . . .
keep reading
|
NACM 2011 Credit Congress Notes
While the annual NACM Credit Congress has definitely recovered from the 2008/2009 downturn the EXPO is still not what it used to be. Even so, it still provides the best opportunity around for taking the pulse of credit and collection technology and services. Before discussing what's new, here are some observations we gleaned from the EXPO floor. Our take on: - the latest software trends in credit management and at the Expo this year
- vendor trends
- why Software as a Service (SaaS) solutions are increasingly popular
- changes you should be seeing on your monitor (if you're keeping up, that is)!
- which new vendor created the most "buzz" on the expo floor
. . .
keep reading
|
Transactis and Data Impact Complete Merger
July 19, 2011
NEW YORK & HUNTINGTON BEACH, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Transactis and Data Impact, providers of electronic accounts receivables solutions, have merged. Backed by one of the industry's most experienced teams, the combined entity offers a robust suite of B2B and B2C presentment and payment solutions for billers and the banks that serve them. . . .
keep reading
|
The "Law of Sharing"
According to Facebook Mark Zuckerberg last week, it's now old news that people are "connected," more than ever before, on the web. So now that we are connected, however, the challenge is facilitating . . .
keep reading
|
Technologies That Offer The Greatest Benefit
By Michael Meerman, CCE
Looking to upgrade systems but you want the most bang for the buck? Focusing on automating certain credit functions may be the answer. For example, concentrating on technology to help handle risk asse . . .
keep reading
|
Credit Today Benchmarking Survey: Electronic Billing and Payment Trends, Part II
By David Schmidt
Electronic payments are now becoming mainstream. Based on our survey of 165 firms, wire transfer, Automated Clearing House (ACH) and credit cards now account for 47 percent of all payments. While checks remain the most popular medium, they now account for less than half of all payments (45 percent). With AP departments determined to migrate more of their payments to ACH and credit card formats due to the associated cost savings and efficiency benefits, experts expect the use of checks to continue to decrease. Likewise, the cost of processing checks through a lockbox, still the most popular delivery point for payments, makes the evolution to electronic payment attractive to AR departments as well. Moreover, most bank lockbox operations can now also facilitate electronic payments and remittances. Read on to learn: - Why Electronic Document Interchange (EDI) is not taking off as originally envisioned
- The primary payment mechanisms being used today - broken down on a percentage basis
- The types of payments being received
- The advantages of Electronic Invoice Presentment & Payment (EIPP) portals and the surprising data on how prevalent they are
. . .
keep reading
|
Credit Today Benchmarking Survey: Electronic Billing and Payment Trends: Part I
By David Schmidt
While paper invoices still predominate, their usage is shrinking. Less than one out of every two invoices is now delivered by mail. Over the last two years, paper invoices invoices dropped substantially, from 55.8 percent to 47.3 percent, according to Credit Today's Benchmarking Survey of credit executives. Furthermore, we believe that the fact that paper invoices have now fallen below the 50 percent threshold marks an important benchmark in the migration from paper to electronic invoicing. Read on to find out: - what method of invoice delivery is growing the fastest
- why the data on EIPP implementation provided the biggest surprise in the survey (and what that surprise is)
- what percentage of credit execs are using an outsourcing firm to help with their billing processes, and what credit departments are reaching out for help much more than others
- what the cut-off number of invoices per month is to make outsourced billing a slam dunk decision
- what percentage of high-invoice operations are using outsourcers for invoice processing
- a dozen outsourcing firms that handle billing processes, along with hotlinks to their websites
. . .
keep reading
|
Billtrust Unveils New OBP Mobile Edition That Enables Full Smartphone Billing Functionality
June 21, 2011
In order to provide businesses with flexible and environmentally-friendly billing options, Billtrust, the leading outsourced billing service provider, today announced the release of OBP Mobile Edition, its newest Online Billing & Payment (OBP) software. OBP Mobile gives businesses the ability to deliver their bills via smartphones and other mobile devices, allowing consumers to receive and pay bills on-the-go. With OBP Mobile, consumers . . .
keep reading
|
|
|
|
 |
Outlook 2012
This month's survey explores...
- What the top problems are facing credit execs currently, and
- What the top improvement initiatives are.
Click here to participate!
|
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
February 2012
|
|
| S |
M |
T |
W |
T |
F |
S |
| |
|
|
1
|
2
|
3
|
4
|
|
5
|
6
|
7
|
8
|
9
|
10
|
11
|
|
12
|
13
|
14
|
15
|
16
|
17
|
18
|
|
19
|
20
|
21
|
22
|
23
|
24
|
25
|
|
26
|
27
|
28
|
29
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Webinars
