‘Account management is very laborious. It’s important to have a routine with fixed times to remind your customers about their outstanding invoices from you. Due to crowds and in my case also the fact that I manage the finance department on my own , that is often a neglected child. Of course it shouldn’t be.’
‘I started at Edge Workspaces in September Workspaces, but before that I worked atSpaces. In fact, these are the same type of companies with the same type of customers. At Spaces I had been working with Debitan for two years and I was very satisfied with it. We saw the number of open posts fall very fast in a short time and that is of course what you want! At Edge , a growing company, I first had to do the entire finance set up the department. I was busy with the CRM and the administration and as a result the debtor management immediately stopped. I did look at large open posts and approached these customers, but I really didn’t get any further due to time constraints. Then I quickly proposed Debitan.’
Significant time savings
‘My main motivation was that I spend about 20 hours a month on debtor management. When we hand that over, I can spend that time on other activities, while the cash flow remains in order. And I also really enjoy working with Debitan. The employees are very accessible and because they know our company (partly because it resembles Spaces, but also because they immerse themselves in it), they know what they are talking about. They are all social people with whom you can work well and who get along very well with our customers.’
‘Engage a party that
will take over your debtor management.
That saves you serious time and
it happens much more efficiently with good debtor managers.’
Clear, well-arranged and simple
‘I think the biggest advantages of Debitan are the time savings. As I mentioned, it saves me 20 hours a month. In addition, I am very satisfied with the results-oriented approach of the debtor managers. The procedures are all well put together. What I also think is an added value is that when invoices have to be handed over for collection, this can simply be done under the same roof. I don’t need to communicate with another company again, but I know it will be taken care of. And finally, I find the software very pleasant to work with. I can print useful reports and when I receive information requests about customers, I can answer them quickly and easily. The system is very well-arranged and clear.’
Lessons from Corona
‘I joined Edge Workspaces during the corona crisis. Of course I thought for a while that we would notice. That the payments would get worse. But this was actually very good. We don’t really have tenants in the catering or event industry who have been hit hard by the crisis. There are of course a few companies that are having a hard time, but that is really marginal for us. In addition, we also see a number of new customers who want a membership. They want to join our business club and use the flexible workplaces. Others want to temporarily freeze their contracts until they can work outside the home more easily. That has little influence on my administration and it is especially nice that they do want to stay.’
Tips from Marcel
‘I would advise companies in any case to hire a party to outsource credit management. Even for large companies with their own administration and debtor management department, this is very valuable. This saves employees time for other activities. Moreover, it is very difficult to find good credit managers who are committed to their task, but who are also diplomatic and empathetic towards their customers’ customers. And what I really like is that, even though I have outsourced the debtor management, I always remain involved in my own administration. When things are going on or actions need to be taken, I am always informed. I know exactly what’s going on, but I have my hands free for other tasks.’
About Edge Workspaces
Edge Workspaces gives entrepreneurs and employees space to fully come into their own in their own field. It rents out flexible workspaces and office spaces, as well as meeting rooms to both single-person and large companies. And don’t count on ending up in a concrete box, because in the development a lot of attention was paid to health and sustainability. The air quality is perfect, you work in a green environment and there is in-house catering. More information about Edge Workspaces (currently only in Amsterdam and Berlin) can be found at www.edge.tech.