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Blog
24
May
A problem shared is a problem halved
That is why 1,190 H&FE and independent accommodation professionals in AR; Credit Control; Treasury; Student fees; Income and Finance from 111 different organisations attended 56 University Discussion Forums over the past eleven years. In June, the forums continue: Tuesday 4 June Cheltenham Wednesday 5 June London Thursday 6 June London Tuesday 11 June Birmingham Wednesday 12 June Manchester Thursday 20
9
Feb
Striving to give you quality and compliance
Ema Pitzianti, Head of Quality & Compliance Ema is responsible for our compliance, ably supported by compliance officers, Sandy Austin and Audrey Hutchins. The main aim of the team is the maintenance, measurement, and review of our Quality & Compliance Management system, to ensure that we continue to deliver service excellence that is compliant with all regulatory and statutory requirements.Read more
8
Feb
Don’t you just love a happy ending?
For the past ten years, Neill and Samantha (Sam) vied for the same business. They competed on Tenders: they knew when they saw each other’s name in the visitor’s book! They won some: they lost some. Could the whole be more than the sum of its parts? We think it could, and that is why Sam Holmes joins our ranks from a competitor toRead more
7
Feb
Your conversation piece
Birmingham, Cheltenham, London, and Manchester hosted discussion forums during November and December, where thankfully you came in your numbers: Delegates Institutions Forums Agenda topics were many and varied, but topmost were: Postgraduate loan impacts and solutions. Challenges around collecting accommodation debt. SLC clawbacks and reconciliations. US federal loans. Training and development. Degree apprenticeships. Recurring card payments versus direct debits. Enforcing JudgmentRead more
7
Feb
STA training goes digital
My day started quietly absorbed in the final draft of the new recruitment and training documents. The ping of a new email arriving in my inbox broke the silence. It was from Jan Baker, our Operations Director, and the subject: Webinar/Digital Training. Innocent enough you might think! I am not the most tech-savvy person (just the other day I discovered
7
Feb
Put paid to student debt
Spanning 8 a.m. through 8 p.m. Monday to Friday, the student collections team alternate 8-4 and 12-8 shifts for optimal contact time with students. The dialler complements contact time giving you maximum connect time; alerting collectors only when your student is available for payment negotiation to start. Each call meets regulatory standards, with communication clear, concise and fair and, ifRead more
17
Oct
How Credit Insurance and Debt Collection combine to reduce risk
Credit professionals know the importance of risk management, done well it enhances business success, done badly it damages cash flow, ultimately leading to business failure. This is why we collaborate with four credit insurance underwriters to protect businesses against bad debt. Policyholders must report possible and probable losses to their underwriter, and take action to recover outstanding sums with ourRead more
17
Oct
A Career in Credit Management
Written by Nigel Fields, Executive Director of Credit for Twentieth Century Fox International After starting out as a Sales Ledger Clerk and eventually joining Twentieth Century Fox in 2008, I have managed to make a good career in Credit Management, and today I am Executive Director of Credit and the global process owner to the international divisions of Fox International.Read more
17
Oct
Credit Management in Legal Professional Services – Back To Basics
Written by Julie Redding, Credit Control Manager for Kennedys Law LLP Get the basics right - how often have we all heard that? Having worked in Credit Management in the legal services environment for more than 30 years, I’ve watched and been part of all sorts of methods, initiatives, and processes for managing and evaluating risk in collections management. ThereRead more
17
Oct
Prompt Payment Code
Written by Philip King, Chief Executive of the Chartered Institute of Credit Management (CICM). We are now more than three months on from the crazy events of the early summer, and Theresa May and the Conservative Party have still managed to cling on to power. The summer recess, of course, put paid to meaningful progress in the short term asRead more
20
Dec
Resolving customer payment disputes
At some point in your business operations, you may find that a customer disputes a payment. This is typically more likely to happen if you make a lot of your sales online. It’s a convenient way for customers to buy, but does mean they don’t see and evaluate the item in person before clicking ‘pay now’. Sites such as eBay,
8
Dec
How to create the ideal business invoice
You’re no stranger to an invoice, whether it arrives or goes out by email or post. But what’s the best way to make one? Taking legal action on late payments is harder if your original invoice has errors. Avoid this hassle – and get the payments you’re owed – with a well-made invoice that leaves no room for disagreement. Legal
1
Dec
Over a million UK SMEs hit by bad debt – yours included?
Unpaid debts affect close to two million small and medium-sized businesses (SMEs) in the UK. Bibby Financial Services (BFS) releases a quarterly SME Confidence Tracker. They survey over 1,000 UK SMEs on sales, debt, credit, and investments. In 2016 Q2’s report, nearly a quarter of SMEs were victims of bad debt over the previous 12 months. When Q3 results came
7
Oct
Outsourcing collections – better than a debt sale
A discussion point that came out before and also during the Credit Strategy’s Utilities and Telecoms Conference highlighted the importance and benefit of outsourced collections as a priority over a debt sale. Both Ian Parry, Head of Customer Payments at First Utility, and Ben Jones, Managing Director of Operations at Extra Energy were keen to stress this point ahead of the
13
Jul
A sale is not a sale until you have been paid
Link below to an interesting short article on the issues facing the creditors of BHS and how tackling credit management in a different way, may have reduced the suffering of so many. It is a fine line that businesses walk in extending credit and wanting to get the big client, but without wishing to diminish the issues these businesses are
23
Mar
A Decade in Debt
Neill MacKinnon reflects on 10 years spent at STA helping Universities collect their student debts. It’s been a decade of constant change with HE finance staff facing one challenge after another: Neill’s warm-hearted summary shows the enjoyment he’s had supporting the universities and the fine people who work at the coal-face for them. I never thought that when I joined