'Can I just take it on account?'
A new groundworks firm wants to hire on account. You hand over a three-page form. They take it away, fill in half of it, and email a photo of it a week later. It sits in the branch inbox. The credit controller asks for bank details and trade references. Nobody calls the references. In the meantime the firm hires on card for a few weeks, gets annoyed, and opens an account with the competitor whose form took ten minutes online.
Why applications stall
- The form is paper or a PDF, often returned incomplete.
- Checks, such as company details, credit reference and trade references, are done by hand, when someone has time.
- Nobody can see how far an application has got.
- Approval sits with one person, who may be at another branch.
- Once approved, the account is typed into the hire system from the form.
What slow account opening costs
Trade customers who give their regular business to someone else. Staff time chasing missing information. Accounts opened without full checks because the customer was pushing and the branch wanted the hire. And typing errors in account details that cause invoice problems later.
An online application with your checks built in
- A web form on your site collects the details your account terms require, and will not submit until the required fields are complete.
- Company details are checked against Companies House using its public API, filling in the registered address and directors.
- If you use a credit reference service, its check is run through its API and the result attached.
- Trade reference requests go out by email with a short form for the referee to complete.
- The application appears in a queue for whoever approves accounts, with everything on one screen and a suggested limit from your own rules.
- On approval, the account is created in your hire system, and the customer receives their account number and your terms.
- Declined or referred applications get a polite message in your wording, and the customer can still hire on card.
Credit decisions and limits stay with you and your credit controller. The system collects and presents the information.
Where each application stands
| Stage | Waiting on |
|---|---|
| Submitted | Automatic checks |
| Checks done | Trade references |
| References back | Approver |
| Approved | Account created, customer told |
| Referred | More information from applicant |
Accounts opened while the customer still cares
Applications arrive complete. Checks run without anyone typing. Approvers see everything in one place, from any branch. New accounts are created without retyping. And you can tell a customer exactly what their application is waiting for.
Keeping the checks you already trust
Speeding up account opening should not mean loosening it. Most depots have a way of judging new trade customers that works for them, often built on trade references and a feel for the local market. The online form keeps that. It just collects the information in one go, runs the lookups that can be automated, and puts it in front of the person who decides.
For branches, this also removes an awkward moment at the counter. Instead of saying 'we'll see about an account', staff can say 'apply on this link, and you can hire on card today', and the customer can see where their application stands.
Is account opening holding you back?
- Account applications are paper or emailed PDFs.
- Trade references are requested late, or not at all.
- Customers ask how their application is going and you do not know.
- Account details are retyped from forms into your hire system.