Information is a key element in my risk analysis of new and existing customers. Much of my department budget is spent on obtaining credit reports from different sources. A lot of time is spent pulling reports or searching databases in an effort to get as much information as I can so I make the correct decision regarding a company's bad debt or slow pay risks. Current information is sometimes hard to acquire. It is a great disappointment when I see that a credit report has financial information but then I find that it is 4 years or more old. Another problem is the time it takes to search for the data. I find looking for specific information in the US Courts' PACER system to be a good representation of designing a system that is NOT user friendly.

When NACM first rolled out NFS Plus, I was intrigued by the concept. A service that allows me to view bad checks, write offs, legal and collection activity and more about local companies in one website sounded good. I signed up for the free trial and looked through the database. The information was there and readily available. My only consternation was knowing that my hectic work schedule would result in me not logging in on a regular basis. I was seriously considering not signing up. Then my first NSF Plus Alert email arrived. I was elated. Here was a summary of the latest postings to the database. This is what I needed, a periodic reminder of the good information that is in the database in an email form. I could immediately scan the information and compare it to my customer list if time permitted or leave it in my inbox for a more opportune time. I immediately sent an email to Julia Buck and signed up for my year membership.

I encourage you to sign up for NFS Plus. It allows you to log in anytime to access current information. If you get too busy and forget to log in, NFS Plus Alert arrives to give you the latest additions. It is a great resource for the Credit Professional.