Eight Essential Features To Consider While Selecting A Debt Collection Software
Debt collection is generally the process of pursuing payments of debts owed by individuals or a business. A debt collection software is a digital tool to keep track of the payments and debtors.
Today, debt collection in Italy has become advanced to be operated through software. It also enables fast debt recovery.
There are other important features in debt collection software like enabling faster invoice creations, automating communication, avoiding payment barriers, and so on.
All these beneficial features can be seen only when you get software that is equipped with all the necessary tools for it.
Every business is unique and different in its own way, but there are some features that need to be considered by the business while having debt collection software in order to meet the needs of both the customers and the business.
Here are the eight essential features to consider while selecting a debt collection software:
- User types
- Invoicing options
- Integration
- Automation
- Invoice details
- Alerts and notifications
- Reporting
- Deployment
User Types
Often it occurs to you that you are not the only person who cares to know about the functioning of the receiving accounts even if you are the only collector in the entire office.
It is always important to select a software system that allows to send and receive messages by multiple users. Accounts receivable is more than an accounting function.
Therefore, you must consider the users while selecting your software since they are not so familiar with it as a credit manager or a collector is with it.
A great example of this is when the sales team has access to the reports which tell about who has the best invoices, credit limits, and terms, they can help you with the collection when they speak to the customers.
There are also other roles that highly benefit the collection provided they have access to the software. They are;
- CEO/President
- CFO/Controller
- Credit manager
- Collections representatives
- Sales representatives
- Customers
- Customer service
Invoicing Options
Which way do you think is more effective to send invoices today? Most businesses say that emailing the invoices is more effective than sending through traditional mails.
When you have a system that offers online portals where customers can view their own invoices and make payments through their debit cards or ACH or direct payments, this will make your collection easier.
Integration
Keeping all of your information in one central location plays an important role in a successful collection.
Make sure that your software integrates with systems like ERP/ accounting system, CRP system, email, and other critical applications.
This feature prevents you from committing mistakes and reduces the amount of time spent correcting errors.
Automation
What are the reasons you wanted to incorporate a debt collecting software in your business in the first place?
By analyzing them, you might want more efficiency and productivity, which means automation, is what most people want out of them.
An automated system enables you to reduce time in so many daily activities like:
- Prioritized lists
- Payment reminders and late invoice notifications
- Follow up schedules
- Creation and assignment of actions
- Closure of issues when the customer payment is received
- Escalation of credit issues to managers
- Tracking of broken promises
Invoice Details
Every business wants different types of information on its invoice. So make sure the system and software you choose enable you to have all the information needed to meet your and your customers’ needs for payment.
When the customers want their invoices to be in a particular way, it is good to have software that allows you to have the freedom to create and customize your own invoice templates and save them.
Alerts And Notifications
A debt collection software gives you peace of mind that nothing is going out of your hands.
It can be anything such as a broken promise, an invoice going beyond its term, or missing information on an invoice.
Having software that monitors all these helps you to keep control over the business.
Reporting
A key performance indicator dashboard is essential to measure the credit and collection in your department if you have a specific target.
The collectors, credit managers, sales representatives, executives, and others are provided with a snapshot of the current A/R situation or a more detailed report when they login to the software or through weekly or monthly reports when there is a debt collection software.
Deployment
It’s important for you to decide whether you want to operate the software on-premise or in the cloud.
Analyze who has the purpose of using the software more, because a web-based system would be more beneficial to you when the access is needed more when on the road while a system would do when it is most needed in the premise.
Conclusion
Debt collection software has gone a long way in helping the business to keep track of their activities as their customers’ activities.
A debt collection software is a must-need for every firm that operates in order to achieve profit and success.
Category: Business