By providing you with Experian’s most up-to-date published financial and credit risk data available, Credit Guardian empowers you, making you aware of what might be around the corner – allowing you to plan ahead and stay ahead. You can use the reports we provide to arrange your commercial finances accordingly.. 

Here are just a few of the ways in which Credit Guardian can help you stay one step ahead of the competition and help you protect yourself from unexpected surprises:

• Credit where credit’s due: Because you are provided with a detailed cross section of a company’s credit history, you can see whether a credit limit you have set is too high, or if you are being over-cautious and restrictive by setting one which is too low.
• Perfecting your payment terms: Our reports may alert you to the fact that one of your customers is possibly facing hard times. This may help you decide whether to reduce your risk by reducing payment terms from 30 to 15 days. Similarly, you may decide to ask this customer for payment on account, or cash on delivery. Or, requesting a 50% deposit with any new orders is also an option you could consider.
• Reduce your overdraft charges: Getting your invoices paid on time could help you to reduce your overdraft and could save you hundreds of pounds every year in bank overdraft charges.
• Strengthen your supply chain: Your supply chain and individual suppliers are often as important to the survival of your business as your customers. So it pays to have in-depth knowledge about them, which will allow you to negotiate the best payment terms. But a word of warning: no matter how strong your perceived relationship with your main supplier is, you should always have a back-up with whom you are familiar in relation to costs and payment terms.
• A director’s word is his bond: This is an option whereby a company director issues a director’s guarantee, making the director personally liable for the debt, rather than the company itself. This means payment may still be possible in the scenario of bankruptcy or receivership.
• Ask for references: If you are looking to do business with a new customer or new supplier, it is prudent to ask for two trade references from other companies they trade with. References help you confirm how long other businesses have traded with them and if they pay their invoices on time. Be aware though that references provide no guarantees about future payment performance.
• Increase your credit limit: You may have agreed a set credit limit at the start of your business relationship but find that a customer’s account is continually being put ‘on stop’ when their credit limit’s reached. Credit Guardian will help you decide whether to increase the credit limit for this customer and increase your sales turnover.
• Focus on your best customers: If you have a group of easily-identifiable customers who are loyal, reliable payers, it makes sense to concentrate your sales team’s efforts on them: not only will it make them feel highly-valued as clients, but it will help minimise poor sales figures caused by wasting time on unreliable prospects.
• Know your enemy: Credit Guardian isn’t just for keeping tabs on those you are considering doing business with: the information we provide is also an unbeatable way of keeping one step ahead of the competition.
• Know your own business: It’s all very well knowing every last detail about your customers, suppliers and closest competitors, but self-awareness is key to optimal cash flow. Credit Guardian’s risk and credit reports will also provide you with information on your own credit rating and your own payment profile. Equally, it also enables you to check for business identity theft or changes to your published company information, such as your registered office address, and directors’ name changes.