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The Accounts Receivable Network
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Welcome to The Accounts Receivable Network (TARN), the essential, all-inclusive power resource for thousands of accounts receivable managers, collectors, directors, controllers and vice presidents. TARN's must-have downloadable tools, research and special reports will help you optimize receivable processes, maximize ROI, evaluate and implement the latest technologies, meet emerging compliance demands and prevent fraud. Representative TARN Member Organizations.
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Membership in The Accounts Receivable Network gives you convenient 24/7 access to exclusive, original content you won't find anywhere else, including: proven best practices, benchmarking studies, real-world solutions, exclusive industry news, insightful commentary, interviews with industry leaders, case studies, tax and regulatory guidelines, Q&A networking forums and hundreds of downloadable, customizable tools, policies, flowcharts, templates and internal control checklists.
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Avoid Negative Company Culture, Avoid Fraud
Fraud New!
Management can unwittingly create an environment where fraud is free to thrive. Managers – whether they are an employee's department head, the company's CEO, or another member of the C-suite – are responsible for setting the tone for behavior and ethics in their organizations. If managers fail to meet their company's ethical standards, or have not established any, then there are no role models for the staff.
Avoid Negative Company Culture, Avoid Fraud
Marketplace Fairness Act Primer
Sales & Use Tax
It appears the days of escaping sales tax when purchasing goods online are coming to an end. After years of lobbying from brick-and-mortar retail giants and tight-budgeted states, the United States Senate passed The Marketplace Fairness Act with bipartisan support on May 6, 2013. Once it passes through the house and is signed by the president, the act will become law. But what effect will it have on AR if enacted?
Marketplace Fairness Act Primer
Ice Cream Sundaes and Hands-on Leadership
Management Issues
Accounts receivable can be a thankless task of endless manual processing and grueling phone calls. Judy Bicking of Johnson & Johnson and Linda Sisko of Cisco Systems Inc., have many years' management experience between them, and together they offer advice on morale building.
Ice Cream Sundaes and Hands-on Leadership
How the European Commission Plans to Fix Its Late Payment Culture
Cash Receipt
While the United States has been hesitant to regulate late payments, the European Commission implemented Directive 2011/07/EU on March 16, 2013 in attempt to protect SME creditors from "late payments that affect competitiveness and profitability." Directive 2011/07/EU aims to succeed where its predecessor, Directive 2000/35/EC, failed by curbing late payments with several key changes to both the private and public sectors.
How the European Commission Plans to Fix Its Late Payment Culture
Sales and Accounts Receivable: A Symbiotic Relationship
Management Issues
The relationship between the sales department and the credit management team can be seen as adversarial because the two departments seem to have conflicting goals. On one side, the sales staff's key role is to get as many sales from as many customers as possible. On the other side, accounts receivable professionals are charged with protecting company assets and will only extend credit they are sure can be paid within the terms. In reality, these seemingly opposing goals work together to balance healthy revenue with acceptable risk.
Recognizing and Resolving Workplace Conflicts
Recognizing and Resolving Workplace Conflicts
Management Issues
Workplace conflicts can be major business disruptions. When colleagues have a disagreement—whether it is about how to do the work or something more personal—there is always a chance that the problem can become a drain on productivity. As an accounts receivable manager, it is your job to handle workplace conflicts before they get out of control.
Recognizing and Resolving Workplace Conflicts
Chicken Soup for the Collector's Soul: Three Collections Success Stories
Collections
Working in collections no doubt provides workers with interesting stories to tell around the water cooler, but the unfortunate reality is that the stories you hear are often negative. But collections workers that are passionate about their job know that these stories do not paint an accurate picture. In fact, the challenges presented in collections can be rewarding.
Chicken Soup for the Collector's Soul: Three Collections Success Stories
British Columbia PST Resource
Canadian Issues
As of April 1, 2013, the Canadian province of British Columbia will revert back to the provincial sales tax (PST) from the harmonized sales tax (HST). The PST will retain its former 7 percent tax rate and uphold all previous PST exemptions. This resource contains infromation on taxable items, exemptions, PST registration, collection, remittance, and more.
British Columbia PST Resource
Prioritizing Your Collections Pt. 2: An Automation Case Study
Collections
Separating the collections list into risk-based segments allows AR professionals to focus on the most productive collections with the most effective methods, but what if the manual approach to prioritizing collections does not fit your company's needs or is entirely unfeasible? Susan Delloiacono, director of credit at CertainTeed, shares her experience with SunGard's AvantGard GETPAID automated solution.
Prioritizing Your Collections Pt. 2: An Automation Case Study
10 Tips to Improve Your Invoices' OCR Accuracy
Billing
It is accounts receivable's responsibility to collect on invoices as quickly as possible. While OCR invoice scanning inaccuracies on AP's side may not be AR's fault, they do increase Days Sales Outstanding and often lead to past-due invoices. AR professionals can reduce the possibility of slow payment by adhering to the following tips.
10 Tips to Improve Your Invoices' OCR Accuracy
Benchmarking: Credit Practices
Benchmarking Results
Credit management is the first line of defense in protecting a company's most valuable asset: cash. Each company must determine a risk factor that will allow it to gain adequate market share without having an uncollectible receivable amount that jeopardizes the company's financial health. The following survey looks at credit department structures, current credit concerns, and methods used to determine and extend credit.
Benchmarking: Credit Practices
Sales Tax Nexus Rules - State by State
Sales &
Use Tax
The general rule for sales tax nexus is that if a retailer has a physical presence in a state, they must collect sales tax from all their customers in that state. Unfortunately, determining whether a vendor has a physical presence in a state is not always easy.
Sales Tax Nexus Rules - State by State
Prioritizing Your Collections Pt. 1: The Do-It-Yourself Approach
Collections
Imagine if your collections employees could be freed up to work on value-adding tasks? What if their collections calls could be twice as effective in half the time, giving them the opportunity to become analysts as well as collections callers? It is possible, but it requires collaboration with other departments, getting to know your customers' history, and a sprinkle of technical knowhow.
Prioritizing Your Collections Pt. 1: The Do-It-Yourself Approach
Resale Exemption Certificate Resource Table
Sales &
Use Tax
Keeping track of each state's exeption certificate rules and regulations can be a hassle. However, if audited, the seller needs exemption and resale certificates to support the validity of tax exempt sales. The following table offers state-by-state exemption certificate requirements, official state forms, and verification information.
Resale Exemption Certificate Resource Table
Top 10 AR Fraud Stories of 2012
Fraud
There are few things as crippling for a company as having its name smeared across the front page with allegations of fraud. 2012 certainly saw its fair share of smearing. From hundreds of fraud stories filling the news feed throughout the past 12 months, The Accounts Receivable Network has narrowed the list down to our top 10 stories of the year. Theft, betrayal, adultery, murder-for-hire—it is all here. Who said accounts receivable is not exciting?
Top 10 AR Fraud Stories of 2012
European Union Welcomes VAT Directive 2010/45/EU
Sales &
Use Tax
To address the problems of the original VAT system, the Council of the European Union adopted the second VAT directive on invoicing, Directive 2010/45/EU, in July of 2010. The directive simplifies and standardizes the VAT process to make both paper and electronic invoicing simpler across the member states of the European Union. Effective January 1, 2013, all member states must comply with the Council Directive 2012/45/EU.
European Union Welcomes VAT Directive 2010/45/EU
Starting the New Year on the Right Foot
Management Issues
The thought of the year-end process churns the stomach. However, there are few times more opportune than the beginning of the year to consider possible improvements to your accounts receivable processes and policies. Why not make it your mission for the New Year to ensure your accounts receivable team is not just a line on the balance sheet, but rather a valuable asset that collects faster and frees up cash?
Starting the New Year on the Right Foot
Untangling the Lien Process
Collections
It often becomes necessary in a collections employee’s career to process a lien. A delinquent customer has not paid its bills in over three months. A business owes your company thousands of dollars but has run out of cash. Regardless of the situation, the unfortunate reality is that some customers will not pay their debts and a lien must be processed to secure the money owed. Follow the jump for a step-by-step guide on how to process a lien.
Untangling the Lien Process
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Upcoming Events
Bringing Accounts Receivable into the 21st Century: 5 Things Companies Should Be Doing
Wednesday, June 12, 2013
Join us as we focus on ways to bring your AR process into the 21st century. This webinar will cover the strategies that will allow you to get paid faster (reduce Days Sales Outstanding) and improve relationships with your customers at the same time. We'll take a deep dive into how you can optimize your receivables process.
For more information on the upcoming events see the Event Calendar.
TARN Newsletters
AR Week:
TARN's weekly e-Newsletter highlighting the latest research, valuable tools, and informative continuing education opportunities.
Member-2-Member Network
Have a question about billing? or collections? or application? Or maybe you have experience to offer.
Join your colleagues in the TARN Forums.
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Saturday, May 25 2013
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