Category Archive: Uncategorized

1. The Friendly Golf Society – Your chance to do something for yourself……. whilst helping others.

   July 26, 2018 12:13 pm Leave a Comment

    

   If Covid has taught us anything, it’s taught us to appreciate life

   Wasn’t it strange that the moment freedom was taken away from us, we just wanted to get out more, and didn’t we all realise how fantastic Mother Nature can be when we take a little time to take it all in.

   After the year we’ve all had, it’s now time to set a little time aside for you, to reward yourself for all your extra endeavours over the year, to re-set and re-charge and to enjoy the simple things in life that we’ve learned to appreciate just that little bit more.

    

   The Friendly Golf Society

   Now in it’s eighth year, the society is a growing group of local business men who get together six times a year to generate local business, support charitable causes and enjoy a round of golf or two. Who said ‘Men can’t multi task?’

    

   

   Rob Lewis, MD of Keighley based business Corporate and Commercial credit solutions and society organiser said, “ It’s a great opportunity for local business to support each other and a great charity like Martin House. This year has had more resonance than most with Covid and it’s made us all appreciate the opportunities we have, not only for ourselves but for others also. Thanks to all of our members for their continued commitment”.

    

   Our Chosen Charity – Martin House Children’s Hospice.

   Martin House provides family-led care for children and young people with life-limiting conditions. They support families from across West, North and East Yorkshire, both at their hospice and in the community. They place families are at the heart of everything we do and value each member as an individual with their own needs. For more information about Martin House   Click Here >>>

2. Credit Controller / Administrative Assistant Role

   February 20, 2018 11:36 am Leave a Comment

    

   We’re a friendly bunch here at Corp and Comm. We share a passion for delivering high quality services to our Credit Control and Debt Recovery clients.

   As a growing small business who value and reward our people, we believe it’s an exciting time to work here. So if you’re a bright, motivated individual looking for flexible part-time work. Get in touch with your CV.

    

   Job Description

   Credit Controller / Administrative Assistant Role

   Job Title: ​Credit Controller and Administrative Assistant.

   Job Type: ​Permanent, primarily flexible part time hours, 4 hrs a day, 5 days a week.

   Location: ​Keighley.

   Reports to: Director.
   PRIMARY OBJECTIVES OF THE ROLE:

   • Assist in the efficient collection, control and administration of monies owed to clients within the agreed credit terms.
   • Maintain computerised and manual systems in order that payments are correctly allocated to each client.
   • Undertake routine / general administrative functions within a busy office, such as dealing with customers, filing, photocopying and mailing.

    

   BENEFITS :

   • ​Salary – £9.50 per hour ​​
   • ​Holiday – 25 days (pro rata)
   • Nest Pension Scheme

    

   KEY RESPONSIBILITIES:

   • Assist in the setting up of the credit control system.
   • Ensure that debts are paid in a timely manner.
   • Chase overdue invoices by telephone, email & letter within agreed timescales.
   • Maintain accurate records of all chasing activity.
   • Provide regular updates to clients.
   • Identify changes in payment patterns and propose action to avert indebtedness.
   • Liaise with clients and customers regarding any disputed invoices. Where possible seeking relevant information in order that the query may be promptly resolved and payment received.
   • Provide accurate advice on billing queries.
   • Respond promptly and completely to both client and internal enquiries.
   • Other general office duties as delegated from time to time by Director or any other person designated in their absence.

    

   ESSENTIAL WORK SKILLS 

   • Able to demonstrate experience of working within a busy office. (Credit control experience is desirable but not essential).
     • Computer skills and experience of working with credit control systems and software such as Xero, Sage etc is desirable but again not essential.
     • Familiar with accounts procedures, client ledgers, disbursements and general office accounts.
     • Experience of legal practice and procedures is desirable but again not essential
     • Possess an excellent understanding of Microsoft Office.
     • Experience of dealing with clients and customers at all levels.
     • Ability to manage & prioritise an extensive caseload.
     • To remain confidential at all times and adhere to regulatory guidelines and practice.

    

   PERSON SPECIFICATION :

   • Excellent communication skills at all levels.
   • Calm, confident manner to handle potentially uncomfortable conversations.
   • Ability to establish and maintain good client relationships at all levels.
   • Good keyboard skills and competence of Word, Excel and Outlook are essential
   • Good standard of education with a high standard of numeracy and accuracy with attention to detail (minimum O level / GCSE Maths & English Grade A-C).
   • A team player with a flexible approach and a willingness to learn.
   • Outgoing and confident personality who is able to operate at all levels.
   • A self-starter who is pro-active and can set and achieve goals.
   • Strong organisational & time management skills.

    

   Please send your CV and covering letter to either :

   info@corpandcomm.com

    

   or our postal address :

    

   Corporate & Commercial Credit Solutions Limited

   Temple Chambers

   Russell Street

   Keighley

   BD21 2JT

3. 5 Minute ‘Improve my CashFlow’ Challenge

   January 17, 2018 10:48 pm Leave a Comment

    

   Ask yourself these questions, then challenge yourself to take action to improve your Credit Control and CashFlow

    

    

   Time

   • Am I spending too much time on monitoring and chasing payment?

   YES / NO

   • Would my time be better spent on other business priorities, that would bring cash into the business?

   YES / NO

    

   Team

   • Are potential CashFlow problems due to a lack of Credit Control team/skills?

   YES / NO

   • Do I need more resources to ensure my cash is collected, if my growth plans come to fruition?

   YES / NO

    

   Money

   • Am I worrying about making the call, sending the email etc to ask for MY money. Will this effect my CashFlow?

   YES / NO

   • Am I worried  that I may offend and then loose a contract/client?

   YES / NO

    

   Results

   Hopefully those questions made you take 5 to consider how you can have a more successful Credit Control process and improve the company CashFlow.

    

   If you have lots of YES answers to the questions above then our advice would be to carry out a review of your Credit Control processes. Check out our Blogs>>> for guidance on implementing a successful Credit Control process

   Finally

   • Should I be looking at options to outsource my Credit Control to improve CashFlow?

   YES / NO

   If you answered yes, please get in touch it is often more cost effective than you think.

   Email: info@corpandcomm.com

   Tel: 01535 654 594

4. 12 ‘Credit Control Tips’ of Christmas

   December 21, 2017 12:05 pm Leave a Comment

        

    

   We thought we’d share the gift of Credit Control knowledge this Christmas, with our

    ’12 Tips of Christmas,’ to boost your 2018 Cash Flow

    

   Our 1st Tip of Christmas – Treat every customer as a potential debtor. They may not become a debtor but have the correct mind-set from the start, so that you are prepared. Our 2nd Tip of Christmas

    

   Our 2nd Tip of Christmas – Get an Account Opening Form. You need to know who you’re dealing with. Find an example here https://buff.ly/2iW8kUT

    

   Our 3rd Tip of Christmas  – Do your due diligence. Secure credit checks and check the internet for information about the customer.

    

   Our 4th Tip of Christmas  – Check any purchase order. Make sure it’s the same people who’ve ordered from you that you’re dealing with.

    

   Our 5th Tip of Christmas– Send an order acknowledgement. Avoid arguments by confirming what is to be done, before it is done.

    

   Our 6thTip of Christmas  – Reduce your exposure and risk. Work out whether you can charge for an element of the invoice up front.

    

   Our 7th Tip of Christmas  – Invoice promptly and correctly. You can’t get paid if the customer doesn’t have a bill to pay.

    

   Our 8th Tip of Christmas– Have a set credit control process. Have a chase system that includes reminder emails and calling scripts.

    

   Our 9th Tip of Christmas– Have a letter of claim. Ask for your money officially, in a way that could be referenced in Court.

    

   Our 10th tip of Christmas  – Set time aside every day to check your bank account for payments, to avoid wasting time chasing paid accounts.

    

    Our 11th Tip of Christmas – Consider having your Terms & Conditions created professionally, so that they can be relied upon if needed in a dispute.

    

   Our 12th Tip of Christmas -Have an exit strategy. Source an industry expert to turn to when all else fails.

    

            

5. Will the Stuffing be Knocked out of your Cash Flow this Christmas?

   November 15, 2017 1:36 pm Leave a Comment

   

    

    

   Christmas may be known as a time of giving but as we know in the credit control arena, for Cash Flow the matter of receiving really counts too!

    

   Christmas can be a lean time for many companies and there are a myriad of excuses that debtors will use at this time of year to evade payment, that ultimately can damage your Cash Flow.

   

    

   To maximise the recovery of your invoices over the Christmas period, lets take inspiration from the Twelve Days of Christmas Carol and make sure you implement Five Golden ‘Things’  of raising invoices…

    

    

    

   1.Invoice by email.

   Take the time to send all your invoices by email and not by post.

   Avoids the excuse… ‘I never received your invoice’.

    

   2.Description of items.

   Clearly list / describe the items that you have supplied.

   Avoids the excuse… ‘I don’t know what I’m paying for’.

    

   3.Date for payment.

   Clearly state your payment terms and the date you expect payment to be made.

   Avoids the excuse… ‘I didn’t realise you wanted it now’.

    

   4.Request bank transfer payments.

   State that payments can only be made by bank transfer, no cheques.

   Avoids the excuse… ‘Well I sent the cheque last week by post’.

    

   5.Bank details.

   Make sure your sort code and account number are clearly listed on the actual invoice.

   Avoids the excuse… ‘I didn’t know where to pay you’.

    

   By following these simple invoicing tips, ‘yule’ be ensuring that you benefit from your Dough, Dough, Dough to go with the Ho, Ho, Ho.

   If you would like to read more tips for successful Credit Control check out some of our other Blogs Click Here>>>

    

6. Can you afford to give Tom, Dick & Harry an extra 30 days credit?

   October 12, 2017 9:46 am Leave a Comment

    

   New legislation, known as ‘Pre Action Protocol for Debt Claims’ came into effect this month. The Protocol describes the conduct a court will normally expect, prior to the start of legal proceedings.

    

   The new protocol is clearly slanted towards the Court’s drive to ‘treat the customer fairly’ but there is a case to state that this legislation may have pushed the incentive too far. Therefore now is the time to consider your dealings with individuals and sole traders to ensure you have been diligent and are prepared to avoid extending the process of debt claims.

    

   So what do you need to consider…?

    

   First of all its worth noting that there has been significant changes to the ways in which you can pursue both individuals and sole traders through the Courts. Below you can find the main criteria changes and something’s for you to consider and act on:

    

   • You must be able to prove who you’ve dealt with. You must have information to show whether you’ve dealt with an individual or a limited company.
     • So make sure you have standard account opening form, its key.

    

   • You must hold a record of sales agreements. If they’re verbal, then keep a date of the discussion. If they’re written purchase orders, keep copies.
     • You need to be able to demonstrate when the agreement to supply was made.

    

   • Prior to issuing legal proceedings, the debtor must have been served with a postal demand for payment giving them a MINIMUM of 30 days to pay.
     • This demand can come from the client or a third party agent.

    

   • The demand must include a disclaimer to the debtor,  should they not be able to pay then they must respond to the sender and it must also include in depth information.
     • So supply a response pack that acts as a aid to prompt the level of detail required in the reply.

    

   • Should the debtor respond and/or dispute your letter of claim, then a further 30 days grace on issuing must be provided to the debtor. Only after this second notice has expired can you issue proceedings.

    

   Therefore if you find yourself dealing with a professional debtor, they could drag out the period before they can be sued, to beyond 60 days by the time you instruct a third party such as ourselves! This doesn’t take into account the time you pursued the debt yourselves.

    

   The message is clear…

   Do you now consider putting all of your sole trader and individual accounts on a cash only or pro forma basis ? If not, do you make a practice of passing these accounts sooner rather than later and avoid giving Tom, Dick and Harry more credit than they are worth ?

    

   Further help on steps you can take to create a  successful Credit Control process can be found in previous blogs

    

   If you would lke to discuss how we can help with your Credit Control to minimise the need for Debt Recovery or if you need us to help in the recovery of bad debt please get in touch:

    

   Tel 01535 654594

   Email: info@corpandcomm.com

    

7. Do You Love Getting Paid?

   July 4, 2017 12:50 pm Leave a Comment

   Check Out our Guest Blog

   We are lucky enough to have several Accountants as clients and advocates, financial professionals who are willing to refer business contacts to us as and when they feel we can be of help.

   One of these longstanding clients TLC, recently asked if we’d like to be a ‘guest blogger’ on their site, to share some of or expertise with their readers. Obviously we jumped at the chance and wanted to share it with our readers too.

   TLC, like us can be a quirky bunch and as you might expect they love their figures. So here are a few figures to kick things off:

   • A typical small business wastes 130 hours p.a. chasing invoices.
   • In pounds and pence the recovery fees alone equate to almost £11,500 p.a. per company or, £11 Billion p.a. across the whole UK SME sector.

   Admittedly we’d like to earn a little more of this £11 Billion but for now, head over to TLC Accountants and let us give you some free advice to maximise your chances of being paid and hopefully save you time and money that can be put to better use:  >>

    

    

    

    

8. Check Out Why Credit Control & Debt Recovery are Often Outsourced Services

   March 28, 2017 2:16 pm Leave a Comment

   We are delighted to be featured in the March edition of The North West Business Post. This is a series of articles aimed at sharing our expertise with business owners to help them improve their credit control or to make them more aware of the advantages of outsourcing it:

    

    

   

9. Planning to Maximise your Cash Flow in 2017? Let our expertise help you.

   March 22, 2017 2:18 pm Leave a Comment

   Maximise your cashflow…

   We know you are planning for success in 2017. We also know that means you’ll be paying extra attention to your all important cash flow, that is crucial to deliver on your plans!

   20 year experience has shown us that at this time of year, business pain is centred around not knowing when (or even if) you will be paid.

   We want to be apart of your team to support and help to ensure you have a successful, cost effective solution to credit control and debt recovery.

   By outsourcing your credit control and debt recovery to us, you receive a professional case manager dedicated to maximising the return of your monies and freeing up your valuable time.

   Customer satisfaction continues to be our prioirity. To ensure this we have grown our team, moved into larger premises and as a result have continued to gain repeat business and recognition from our clients.

   “We engaged Corporate and Commercial to recover the amounts due on these accounts and Rob achieved a 100% success and for a very reasonable fee.”
   Edward Barker – Gritstone Computers

   “Corporate and Commercial took all the stress away and dealt with the matter with minimal input from us. Within a short space of time the invoice was paid……don’t waste your time trying to chase these debts when you don’t have the skills to do it quickly.”
   Paula, WPCA

   Why not get in touch and put us to work for you.

10. Red Nose Day – Doing something funny for Money

    1:50 pm Leave a Comment

    We decided to have an ‘Office Sports’ Tournament! The Olympics it is not, but we can expect to laugh and raise money for a good cause:

     

    

    Office Sports Events:

    1.Ball Blaster – Steady, aim, fire

    2.Darts – One Hundred and Eighty!

    3.Hoop Challenge – Put your snake hips to the test

    4.Space Hopper Bounce – Jump, jump, jump around.

     

    Photographic evidence to follow….