Accounts receivable is a crucial component of business cash flow management. Forecasting accounts receivable allows companies to avoid shortfalls and make more informed decisions.
Accounts receivable forecasting is difficult, but with the right tools and strategy, it can be done accurately. Moreover, accurate forecasts can reduce a company’s reliance on external financing sources.
DSO Calculation
DSO, or days sales outstanding, is a popular financial metric used by different industries to forecast the health of their accounts receivable. It’s calculated by dividing accounts receivable by total credit sales, multiplied by the number of days in a measurement period.
There are several ways to calculate DSO, but the most accurate method is the countback method. It’s a time-efficient way to calculate your DSO but it requires manual work.
Another common method is to compare figures over multiple time periods. This can be useful for businesses that have seasonal sales and collections peaks/troughs that vary month-over-month.
Besides sales volume, other factors that impact DSO include industry practices and payment terms. For instance, longer payment terms can cause a company to collect its accounts receivable faster. Likewise, complicated credit terms or an influx of high-risk customers due to marketing promotions can skew the real picture. But, with a little work and calculation adjustments, DSO can be a valuable shorthand indicator that helps companies understand how their collections process compares to others in their industry.
Sales Forecasting
Sales forecasting is a critical part of business operations. It helps managers, directors, and company leaders predict how the business will perform and share this information with investors, stockholders, and stakeholders.
It also allows businesses to spot potential issues before they arise. For example, if your sales team isn’t meeting targets, you can look at the sales forecast to see where the problem lies and focus your efforts there.
You can use several methods for a sales forecast, but one of the most accurate is historical data. This method uses data from a past period to create a sales forecast for the current month.
This type of forecasting is generally more accurate than others because it uses objective data rather than the opinions of reps. It can help businesses plan ahead and avoid financial strain by estimating the amount of cash they’ll receive in a specific period. It can also help companies save money by identifying seasonal fluctuations or client trends that can impact their collections.
Cash Flow Forecasting
Cash Flow Forecasting is a process that helps businesses predict how much cash they will have in their accounts at the end of a period. This allows them to project future growth and plan for debt repayment timelines.
To forecast cash, you need to track all incoming and outgoing money. This includes sales, tax refunds, loans, grants, funding, and investments. You also need to account for salaries, rent, raw materials, inventory, marketing, assets, and taxes.
Then, you need to calculate the total inflows and outflows for the projected period. This can be done using the formula inflows – outflows = net cash flow.
A cash flow forecast is an essential tool for planning and monitoring business finances. It can help you identify potential problems or shortages of cash, and it gives you time to make strategic decisions that will prevent them. For example, you might decide to cut costs or increase sales in order to boost your inflows.
DSO Formula
The DSO Formula is an accounting metric that reflects how long it takes for a company to collect payment from customers. This metric also reveals how efficient a company’s billing, AR and collections processes are.
Typically, DSO is calculated by dividing the average accounts receivable balance in a period (typically a month or year) by the amount of sales made on credit during that same time period. The result is then multiplied by the number of days in the period.
DSO is a critical metric because it enables businesses to understand how fast they can receive cash from credit sales. If DSO is low, it suggests that companies receive payments frequently, which signifies a more efficient cash conversion cycle.
On the other hand, a high DSO may mean that businesses aren’t receiving enough money to pay their operational expenses. This can cause financial trouble over the long run. Luckily, there are several ways to calculate DSO that can be used in conjunction with other metrics to better forecast accounts receivable.