Credit Application Form

Most businesses give some level of credit to their customers, but before working with any new customer, it is essential that you know whether they are creditworthy or not. A customer that doesn’t pay you (on time), is not one worth having.

So before you agree to supply on credit, you need to check up on your customer. The best way to make sure they are creditworthy is to do a Credit Check with a reputable Credit Agency, such as CreditSafe. But you can also use a simple form to obtain the most important information directly from them.

You’ll need to know their company name and full address, as well as their registered address if it’s different from their trading address.

Make sure you know who the contact person is for accounts and purchasing, as they will be the ones you’ll be dealing with in this process.

Ask for at least 2 trade references, and make sure you follow up with them. Ask them how much business they’ve done with the company, and whether they’ve paid on time or not.

And finally, make sure you get your new customer’s bank details so that you can deal with any credit notes promptly and avoid any delays. Also, if they’re not willing to give you their bank details, this can be a Red Flag.

Based on the information you find you can either give them credit (but make sure you set a limit and stick to it), or you can ask for advance payment until you have established a relationship with them. This will help you to safeguard your cashflow.