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The process should include the following:
- A detailed ageing summary of account: for all debtors with an open balance, Accounts Receivable will generate monthly statements of outstanding accounts (with individual invoice information and days outstanding) and issue them systematically to debtors at month-end. The statements must be checked for accuracy and there shouldn’t be any unallocated payments.
- When 30 days credit is granted, standard Reminder delays recommended by Accor Corporate Credit Management are as follows:
25 days after invoice 1st telephone call (courtesy call)
35 days after invoice 1st reminder letter (Credit Manager)
40 days after invoice 2nd telephone call
45 days after invoice 2nd reminder letter (Director of Finance)
50 days after invoice 3rd telephone call (GM)
60 days after invoice 3rd letter (GM)
75 days after invoice Final letter and case passed to debt collector
If the hotel grants different credit terms, these reminder can be amended accordingly.
1.4 Telephone communication will often speed up the collection process. When speaking with a delinquent account, a few tips should be observed:
- Identify yourself and the hotel and state the reason for calling. Be direct and use a controlled, confident
Voice. Concentrate on listening to the customer and don’t rush through the call.
- Get the facts: try to gain as much insight into the situation as possible.
- Never argue, accuse or be condescending. The ultimate purpose is to secure payment and this is best accomplished without becoming defensive or irritated.
- There are several common objections, complaints and excuses used to elude payment:
. I didn’t get the invoice : respond by verifying the debtors’ name and address, and then review the account information with them
. The cheque is in the mail : extend your thanks, then ask for a cheque number, amount, date posted and address to which it was mailed
. Your payment is being processed : ask when the payment will be ready for the mail. Determine the process that the payment undergoes after it leaves your contact’s desk
. I have no money : create a payment plan. Work toward making the plan acceptable for both parties.
2. Seriously delinquent or unresponsive accounts
2.1 When an account becomes more than 50 days old (20 days overdue) the immediate target of securing prompt payment takes on a greater sense of urgency. The Credit Manager must review the account and additional steps should be taken such as:
- Participation of senior management in securing he payment,
- Debtor blacklisted, there by preventing the extension of any further credit to the debtor unless outstanding debts are cleared.
2.2 When all other avenues for collection of the account have been exhausted (and 75 days have passed) overdue accounts should be forwarded to an outside collection agency before considering the debt uncollectible. However, such recovery action must be initiated based on a complete file and an accurate estimate of all the foreseeable costs related to the action from the firm conducting the recovery process. The use of an outside collection agency must be authorized by the General Manager.
2.3 When every necessary action has been taken in attempting to collect the outstanding accounts, the Credit Manager must inform the Director of Finance that the accounts should be considered uncollectible.
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3. Ageing debtors balance
3.1 Accounts Receivable is responsible to keep all individual accounts up-to-date and maintain the subsidiary ledger (which records the receivable amounts and payments received against each debtor). The Credit Manager must ensure on daily basis that the subsidiary ledger and General Ledger are balancing.
3.2 Periodically, the Credit manager or Director of Finance is to randomly select Debtors’ accounts and ensure that:
- All A/R invoices that are recorded in the debtor ledger, with all supporting documents attached (i.e.: Travel agent voucher or guarantee letter, monthly statement of account, and all reminder letters attached to over due invoices) can be easily retrieved.
- When filing is done by debtor account. All paid invoices are marked as such and removed from the current debtors’ filing to be filed separately with all payments of the month.
- Payments received are promptly allocated against the correct invoices s stated on the remittance advices issued by the debtors. The hotel must request from all debtors that remittance advices be sent along with the payments.
- There are no unexplained unallocated payments.
- Monthly statements are sent to all debtors.
- Follow-up actions are properly documented (telephone calls, reminder letters) and reminder delays respected.
3.3 At the end of the month, Accounts Receivable must print out the accounts Receivable ageing Balance report (summary and detailed) to be used to support the General Ledger account reconciliation. The Director of Finance must ensure that the total A/R ageing summary and the General Ledger balance.
3.4 When employee accounts are authorized by the hotel, they must be settled on a monthly basis through salary deductions. Balances must be loosely monitored and the director of Finance must ensure the strict respect of the hotel policy.
4. Credit meeting
4.1 A credit meeting is to be held at least once a month. The following points are discussed:
- Previous meeting minutes and update on status
- New credit applications and change of status for any current debtor
- Debtor ageing balances with special attention to all over 60 days balances
- Potential and actual bad debt accounts (and external debt collection actions if any)
- Permanent and pending in-house guest accounts
- Pending guarantee deposits to be received and expired deposits
- Forced credit accounts
- Dishonoured cheques and credit card charge backs
4.2 This meeting should be chaired by the Credit Manager with the participation of the General Manager, Director of Finance, Director of Sales, Front office Manager and Reservation Manager.
4.3 Detailed minutes of the meeting must be taken and distributed to all attendants. The minutes must be reviewed at the time of the following meeting.
5. Average Recovery Delay
5.1 The Average Recovery Delay must be calculated on monthly basis based upon the receivables revenue and reported to the hotel management.
5.2 The calculation is as follows:
Total of Month aged trial balance x 30 days
Average turnover in debtors account for the last 3 months
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With the average turnover in debtors account for the last 3 months calculated as the total transfers to debtors ledger (excluding credit cards) for the last 3 months in average (i.e. divided per 3).
6. Standard reminder letters and control forms
- Collection letter- 1st reminder
- Collection letter- 2nd reminder
- Collection letter- 3rd reminder
- Collection letter- 4th reminder
- Telephone reminders- tracking spreadsheet
- Credit meeting minutes
- AR analysis-M8 report
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Objective
To ensure the timely preparation and distribution of debtor invoices to minimize delays in cash collection.
Policy:
1. A/R invoices must be generated from the A/R system and sent with necessary supporting documents to all debtors as per the pre – defined time schedule (ie within 2 days of checkout or monthly for some travel agents).
2. The date of mailing out the A/R invoice must be recorded. Alternatively, included emailing invoices in a PDF format.
3. A copy of the A/R invoices must always be kept in debtors’ filing until full payment has been received.
Procedure:
1. A time schedule stating when the invoices are due to be sent to debtors must be defined by the Credit Manager and strictly adhered to by Accounts Receivable.
- For Company’s individual guests: A/R invoice to be prepared and sent within 48 hours of checkout.
- For Travel agents: depending of the schedule or the date of Travel agents to receive the invoice and the agreement signed, or monthly basis.
2. For each guest folio transferred to City Ledger, Accounts Receivable will generate from the system an invoice per
Folio or per batch (grouping several folios in one statement) to be sent to the customer as detailed above. Any supporting documents as requested b the debtor, for proceeding to payment, must be attached (ie guest folio with related accommodation voucher/guarantee letter, etc).
3. For a hotel allowing payment in a foreign currency, the equivalent total invoice amount in the second currency must be stated on the system generated A/R invoice, using the exchange rate of the day of issuing the invoice.
4. Amended A/R invoices are not permitted. If a credit is due to a customer a credit note must be issued referring
To the original invoice.
5. All invoices with supporting documents must be verified for accuracy by the Credit Manger before being sent to the debtors.
6. In the event that the accommodation voucher or guarantee letter to support the billing is missing , Accounts Receivable must immediately inform the credit Manager who will liaise with the relevant Head of Department responsible for providing a copy of the missing document.
7. A debtor file for each account must be maintained by Accounts Receivable with a copy of the invoice, any accommodation vouchers/guarantee letters and guest folio kept in the file until full payment is received. In addition a copy of each month’s statement should be kept in the file.