QuickBooks and Wakefield Research surveyed 3,500 small businesses on their approach to payments, credit and cash flow. Learn about their key findings, and how they might impact your business
Reviewing a survey conducted by QuickBooks and Wakefield Research, it becomes clear that businesses are aware of the impact payments have on cash flow — but that they could be taking more proactive steps to balance current and future cash needs.
The survey polled 3,500 small business owners of companies with up to 100 employees, in the U.S. and globally. Of the 1,000 U.S. businesses that responded, 55% said they had at some point “made a poor business decision specifically because you were concerned about insufficient cash flow.” Asked whether AP or AR had the largest impact on cash flow, the businesses were almost evenly divided: 52% said “not getting paid by customers or clients within the terms of the payment system” affected cash flow most, while 48% said “the time it takes the money to process after receiving a payment” was the larger issue.
And even among those who hadn’t experienced cash flow problems, concern about cash flow affecting the growth of their business was 64%. Despite that, 25% of businesses responded that they are not using a tool to help them manage cash flow, and 23% were not using a tool to forecast cash.
The survey indicates that while most businesses worry about how cash flow will affect their stability and growth, they hesitate to take steps toward adding technology that can bring peace of mind and facilitate decision making. A dynamic, real-time cash forecast eases many of the pressure points exposed by the report, and access to and willingness to use and accept credit helps bridge cash flow gaps.
For tips on Supercharging QuickBooks to Control and Manage Cash Flow, check out our webinar.