Altares Dun & Bradstreet helps us reduce risk
Financial insight and a look behind the scenes at the client's payment behaviour. Meijboom sees these two points as the greatest benefits of the collaboration with Altares Dun & Bradstreet. At the right moment, we can use the right data to make a correct assessment of the client's acceptance. In addition, Meijboom also wants to involve lists of Altares Dun & Bradstreet prospects.
"All new customers go through a scoring model, where they get more points the more creditworthy they are. The system sends a signal about the new customer to Altares Dun & Bradstreet. They come back to us with data that is read directly into our system."
1. The Challenge
A dive into information
"We had a different business information vendor, but testing showed that with their data we were only covering 45 percent of our customers."
Xerox is a global leader in document management, both in technology and services. These include digital presses, multifunctional equipment and network printers, as well as ways to share documents and knowledge more efficiently between company employees. In America, Xerox is so well known that the brand name has become synonymous with copying, a great example of branding. The international company provides both systems and their financing. Customers can, for example, lease a printing line or a printing press.
For the restructuring of its own leasing company for the sales of its document technology, Marco Meijboom, Risk Manager Leasing, took on the implementation of a customer acceptance system. He integrated Altares Dun & Bradstreet's company data.'
Meijboom was closely involved in setting up and implementing iLease in the Netherlands and Scandinavia, the module that links risk management of the lease operation with ERP. That system had to be built from the ground up. iLease includes name and address data, but also data from the Chamber of Commerce and its own data on payment history and exposures. We had a different business information provider, but the tests showed that we only covered 45 percent of our customers with their data. I knew from my experience that Altares Dun & Bradstreet would be able to increase that score considerably. This was reason enough for Meijboom to start a conversation with Altares Dun & Bradstreet. He wanted standard requests (called small tickets at Xerox) below $75,000 to be automatically passed through a scoring model. Meijboom: ‘If a request is rejected by the system, then as a credit manager and risk manager you dive deeper into the information. For larger amounts, Meijboom uses the data obtained from the Altares Dun & Bradstreet system to determine the customer’s risk profile and then give advice to the management.
2 The solution
Shaping an acceptance policy
The coverage rate of customer information is now 85 per cent, compared to 45 per cent previously. Meijboom: "A definite plus: we now know our customers better than ever." In some cases, this can save us a lot of trouble, but it also helps in negotiating with customers. Meijboom: ‘Perhaps we can do business anyway by means of an adjusted payment arrangement. With this information, the account manager has the opportunity to start the conversation. He can see what is permissible and fair within the limits of our payment policy.
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Scoring model
Xerox sent its 6,000-records customer database to Altares Dun & Bradstreet to enrich it with specific business information. Both parties then added credit limits per customer. Every quarter, Altares Dun & Bradstreet automatically sends a tailor-made update to Xerox. Meijboom: ‘All new customers go through a scoring model, in which they get more points the more creditworthy they are. The system sends a signal about the new customer to Altares Dun & Bradstreet. They come back to us with data that is read directly into our system via an xml file’. This gives Xerox quick access to the latest information from companies. Meijboom: ‘Some sectors, such as notary offices, do not reveal anything about their turnover and annual figures. Then it is important that we are able to make a sketch of the circumstances in which the sector and the specific company find themselves.’. Xerox also supplies printing presses to the graphic industry. That sector is under a lot of pressure due to strong competition. Meijboom: ‘Sometimes it’s about a lot of money. Then we want to know whether we are dealing with a reliable company or whether we need to demand payment guarantees.3. The result
A look behind the scenes
Financial insight and a glimpse into the customer’s payment behaviour. Meijboom sees these two points as the biggest benefit of the collaboration with Altares Dun & Bradstreet. At the right time, we can use the right data to make a correct assessment of the customer’s acceptance. In addition, Meijboom also wants to include lists of prospects of Altares Dun & Bradstreet. Who should we focus on with our sales? Companies with which the company runs a lower risk could then obtain better conditions. That’s called risk reward pricing’, explains Meijboom. We have not reached that point yet, but Meijboom sees the possibilities. Altares Dun & Bradstreet helps us efficiently reduce the risks of doing business.
What other customers say
"Data is the backbone of our business. In essence, we cannot function without reliable and up-to-date data."
“Before engaging with a company, we always conduct a thorough analysis and request various supporting documents for identification and verification.”
"As a company with an international focus, it is important for us to have a stable solution available based on global data."
'Every new customer we want to check. It sleeps much better for everyone if you know that companies you are owed money from can actually pay it.'
"To make sure we are sourcing good, reliable dealers everywhere, we need the expertise of Altares Dun & Bradstreet"
"We can now act proactively when it comes to credit risk"
"We had another business information provider, but in testing we found that with their data we were only covering 45 percent of our customers"
"Doing business based on current, complete and accurate data"
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"Improved customer insight and optimal service"
"'For Barco, it is important to support your strategy and decisions with market data"
"Altares Dun & Bradstreet's Marketing Insight solutions have provided ten times higher conversion from 'suspects' to 'prospects' in the Benelux"