Visa Survey Finds Use of Corporate Payment Cards on the Rise
as Efficient Cash Management Tool
According to Visa USA’s recently released annual cash management survey, only 58 percent of financial executives and cash managers view their cash management process as efficient, due to the lack of streamlined operational processes and increases in labor intensive administrative work. This is a marked decrease from the 2004 study, in which 70 percent of respondents said their cash management processes were efficient.
In responding to the survey, corporate cash management professionals noted plans to continue reducing their reliance on checks to make commercial payments over the next year, while similarly preferring corporate payment cards over checks when receiving commercial payments:
• 56 percent plan to reduce use of checks (increase of five percentage points from 2004)
• 50 percent plan to increase their use of corporate payment cards (increase of 10 percentage points)
• 76 percent expressed satisfaction with corporate payment cards for receiving payments, as opposed to 60 percent satisfaction with checks.
“We continue to see a downward trend in corporate preference for check payments, as adoption and satisfaction of more efficient electronic payment methods, like corporate and purchasing cards, increases,” said David Cramer, senior vice president, commercial solutions, Visa USA. “By electronically converting a greater share of their commercial payments, corporate America is realizing increased cash management process efficiencies with measurable cost saving benefits.”
The survey of more than 400 financial and treasury executives from more than 20 industries provides an in-depth analysis of the effectiveness of today’s corporate cash management processes.
Growing Relevance of Corporate Payment Cards
In responding to the survey, financial executives indicate that corporate payment cards play an increasingly important role in the cash management process. While satisfaction with card-based payments has increased to 77 percent from 70 percent last year, their preference for other electronic payment options such as automated clearinghouse (ACH) payments appears to be declining. Respondents reporting use of ACH for commercial payments has significantly dropped 20 percentage points to 35 percent in 2005.
Corporate financial and treasury executives identified a number of key areas where corporate payment cards have helped improve the cash management process. Some of the areas with the largest increases include:
Providing new levels of data
+12 percentage points to 44 percent
Giving more visibility into cash position
+12 percentage points to 36 percent
Helping forecast future cash needs
+10 percentage points to 30 percent.
Respondents also noted the increased relevance of corporate payment cards in several steps of the cash management process: concentration of funds (up 13 percentage points), short term money management (up 10 percentage points), funds positioning and forecasting (up 9 percentage points), collection and application of funds (up 7 percentage points) and disbursement of funds (up 4 percentage points).
Additional Key Findings and Trends
A growing number of respondents (42 percent) said changes in technology, such as improvements in procurement automation or systems integration, have had a positive impact on improving their ability to more effectively manage cash flow, up sharply from 30 percent in 2004.
Even as technology enhances the cash management process, nearly one-third of respondents (29 percent) say changes in corporate governance have constrained their activities, as more requirements are put in place relating to corporate visibility, systems of control and financial disclosures and reporting. Respondents expect changes in corporate governance to be the leading issue impacting the cash management process over the next 12-18 months.
About the Visa Cash Management Survey
The Visa Cash Management Survey was conducted by Survey.com over 10 days in August and September 2005 and involved the responses of 410 financial executives and cash managers from across more than 20 industries. The majority of respondents (86 percent) had annual sales of more than $50 million per year, of which 44 percent represented more than