FTNI Blog

Each day brings new announcements and news from the ever-changing world of payment technology. With so much new information coming at you each day, it’s easy to miss topics that may be valuable to you. So we thought now was as good a time as any to take few minutes to catch you up on some of the most recent news from FTNI.

The collections process can be tricky for any company, but especially for distribution companies who deal with large volumes of customers and deliveries on a daily to weekly basis. You need customers to be current in order to protect your revenue flow and keep your operations moving smoothly, but you must also be careful not to damage the personal relationship you’ve formed with your customers.

The good news is that there are new ways to not only make your collections efforts easier, but to help you improve cash flow and simplify your administration all at the same time. The same technology can be employed whether you operate on a payment due upon delivery basis or a monthly billing basis.

Today’s distribution companies are faced with a bevy of external pressures that are impacting growth and threatening profit margins. The 2013 KPMG Industry Outlook Survey showed the top issues industry executives believed were significant barriers to their growth were:

• Pricing Pressures
• Volatile Commodity Prices
• Labor Costs
• Regulatory and Legislative Pressures

To offset some of these pressures, distribution companies are challenged with finding creative ways to eliminate cost and improve efficiency. One of the areas these companies can impact quickly and easily is through smart payments technology. The latest payments technology helps distribution companies improve their business models and enhance their value proposition to their customers, while easing payments administration, speeding cash flow and providing better insight into their organization.

For example, many distribution companies have multiple deliveries each week – and often even multiple daily deliveries. The sheer pace and volume of these transactions can be challenging for accounts receivables and collection departments to keep up with. By deploying an Electronic Invoice Presentment and Payment (EIPP) solution, invoices are available as soon as deliveries are made and alerts can be customized to notify customers that a new invoice from a recent delivery(s) is available for review and payment. With EIPP, companies can reduce the administration required from staff, eliminate manual errors and save significant costs of paper billing, as well as speed cash flow and payment timelines from customers. All of these combined add up to a significant, positive impact to the company’s bottom line.

Many other smart payment technologies are also available to help optimize your company and your competitiveness. To find out more about EIPP and additional technology and process improvements you can utilize to gain competitive advantage, download our free eBook, 8 Tips to Streamline Operations and Keep Business Moving Forward Faster for Distribution Companies.