For example, some customers may be moving to electronic payments or prefer their employees use payment cards for certain purchasing. DSO metrics are heavily influenced by the payment terms a company extends to its customers.

And the Collection Effectiveness Index is one of the best contextual indicators for DSO that there is. Want to learn more about how accounts receivable automation from Billtrust can help lower your days sales outstanding company’s DSO? AR automation can result in invoices that are sent and received more quickly, prompting quicker payment. A company’s AR balance is the dollar value of their accounts receivable.

Manual Collections Processes That Can Be Optimised Through Digitalisation

Consequently, the CCC can be optimized – in other words, reduced – by increasing DPO or reducing DSO or DIO. By submitting this form, I consent to HighRadius sending me marketing communications and processing my personal information in accordance with the privacy policy. We also recommend reading this eBook with 13 proven strategies from Fortune 1000 companies on reducing DSO.

https://www.bookstime.com/, otherwise known as DSO, is an essential formula for measuring how efficient a company is at retrieving outstanding payments. If you’re generating healthy sales but it’s taking your company too long to see the fruits of its labour, your cash flow is going to dry up, fast. For the same quarter, another bike retailer, Company B, had an average AR of $12.4 million and total credit sales of $15.7 million. Company B’s sales might seem more impressive than Company A’s, but its DSO is much higher, at 71.1 days [($12.4 million ÷ $15.7 million) x 90 days].

Days Sales Outstanding FAQs

HighRadius RadiusOne AR Suite provides the complete collections solution to streamline labor-intensive processes by automating correspondence and providing a native dialer while delivering a personalized CX. It is quick to deploy and ready to integrate with ERPs like Oracle NetSuite, Sage Intacct, MS Dynamics, and scales to meet the needs of your order-to-cash process. With the right tool, you can optimize the credit and collections process, thereby improving the DSO. Let’s say company A has a sales forecast of around $20,000 in 30 days, and DSO is 20. Good debtors can be your financial collateral to cheap temporary money.

In general, small businesses rely more heavily on steady cash flow than large, diversified companies. Reducing DSO is a relatively straightforward way to strengthen your company’s cash flow. When executives realize the impact lower DSO can have, those leaders are likely to lend needed support and provide a strategic focus for the initiative.

Example Calculation of DSO:

Incorrect charges, invoices that do not reflect agreed-upon discounts, or the wrong mailing address are just a few examples of common errors that can delay payments. Overall, companies should focus on DSO reductions that are both attainable and sustainable based on the realities of the business. For example, companies may be able to reduce DSO by, say, 20 days by significantly tightening customer credit approvals but that will not be worth much if customer acquisition and retention suffers as a result. Accounting and finance executives can also use this data to make the case for reducing DSO to senior management and the various departments whose cooperation is necessary. Any effort to reduce DSO must begin withgathering data on a company’s current DSO status and creating a benchmarking analysis that shows how that level of DSO compares to peers and competitors. This insight not only provides a starting point for the effort but also provides a sense of what DSO ratio is attainable for the business. To compare your business’s status to others, the Hackett survey offers some basic data by industry.

• If your clients pay you after 30 days, then having a DSO at 30 days is great, too.
• You need the same numbers as before, namely your accounts receivable balance and your gross sales at the end of your selected period – but this time for every month.
• If this happens, the opportunity for you to grow your company may not happen because you won’t have enough cash.
• Incorrect charges, invoices that do not reflect agreed-upon discounts, or the wrong mailing address are just a few examples of common errors that can delay payments.
• If the company can easily borrow money at low interest rates, there is less need to worry about DSO increasing by a few extra days.

All such information is provided solely for convenience purposes only and all users thereof should be guided accordingly. A high value may indicate they’re collecting account receivable too quickly. DSO, to some extent, can be used to assess the creditworthiness of the creditors; for instance, in a situation whereby the creditor delays the collection, one can say that they are financially stressed.

Companies with a low DSO have their credit policy respected and are able to make the most out of their cash flow, investing it wisely to finance their growth. It means your customers respect your payment terms, which in turn is a good indicator of their satisfaction with the service/product you provide. In return, you’ll be able to make the most of your cash flow and pay your suppliers on time. Then, you cut down your gross sales from your accounts receivable to report it to the next month’s accounts receivable. Any payment terms need to be clearly and visibly stated to reduce the chances of confusion.