Initially set up as a support company by a consortium of independent merchants, Border Merchant Systems has recently marked its 35th anniversary in business. In a feature from the January edition, PBM tracks the company’s development, with a focus on its latest innovations including a new credit monitoring service.
Established in December 1990 and based in Monmouth, South Wales (close to the border with England…), Border Merchant Systems provides dedicated software and eCommerce solutions exclusively to merchant firms of all sizes — from small, single site and family-run operations to large, multi-branch businesses.
With its systems developed in-house and finetuned by its own experienced programmers, the company is committed to building long-term relationships with its customers. For instance, a key aspect of its service provision can be seen with its regular user meetings — free events which provide “a fantastic opportunity” for customers to get the most from their system investment by seeing new features in action.
Moreover, the company states that these events offer the “chance to provide valuable feedback on what features they would like to see in the future.”
With technology having advanced at a rapid rate since Border’s inception, the firm’s CounterAct software has also “evolved hugely during this time.” The company has now deployed over 70 new releases with “each one full of updates, legislative requirements and requests” with the software’s standard features including Sales, Quotations, Stock Control, Purchasing and Fully Integrated Accounts.
“Border has just announced its new partnership with Red Flag Alert to deliver streamlined credit checks and monitoring of existing customers, prospects and new accounts.”
A host of additions are designed to enhance the customer experience further such as Web Integrations, ePOD (electronic proof of delivery), what3words (to improve delivery accuracy) and Prommt, whilst the business provides managed installation and onboarding support alongside initial and ongoing training and maintenance.
The service provider continues to invest in and develop its solutions, and last year began the deployment of its cloud-based system CounterAct FWD, available as a hosted or on-premise solution. Following rigorous testing, the company collaborated closely with early adopters to take on feedback and ensure that the FWD version of the software has been “thoroughly tested in the field.”
Equally, it has also recently launched CounterAct Grow — a cloud-hosted version aimed at single site, new or growing merchants. With “no costly outlay,” it is billed as “an attractive option for taking the plunge into your first piece of merchant software, which will manage your entire organisation with a single solution.” The company added: “We understand the stress and financial implications of starting your business, therefore with Border’s CounterAct Grow system, we are with you every step of the way.”
Credit checks and monitoring
With a stated mission to help customers “manage and control every aspect of their business,” Border also works with leading industry partners to “offer the very best software integrations” and bespoke solutions. In addition to the likes of Prommt mentioned above, the business has just announced its new partnership with Red Flag Alert (see panel below) to deliver streamlined credit checks and monitoring of existing customers, prospects and new accounts.
The full integration into CounterAct will be available “very soon,” with Border stating that the new solution will help “relieve the burden and stress” for merchants who are “struggling to stay on top of risks, if time carrying out credit checks and completing application forms is too heavy or you’re starting to get worried about bad debts.”
With two parts to the Red Flag offering, Stage One is customer onboarding which includes the application form completion, confirming the identity of an account applicant followed by a vigorous credit check process and fraud checks. Once completed, this data will be uploaded to the merchant’s CounterAct system.
Stage Two, meanwhile, is the use of real-time data to monitor accounts and send alerts via a visual portal regarding any shifts in credit, compliance or financial status. All alerts can be set to a merchant’s own preference, and the credit check applications can be bespoke to the organisation.
Click or tap here for more information on Border Merchant Systems.
Border Merchant Systems has recently confirmed a new partnership with Red Flag Alert to offer its merchant customers a streamlined customer credit checking and financial monitoring service.
In an insightful blog post on the risk intelligence specialist’s website, Red Flag Alert’s Senior Business Development Manager Marc Bishop reflects on the collapse of the National Timber Group, considering on how this serves as a “warning shot for the whole construction supply chain” with the case underlining “why live counterparty monitoring and predictive insolvency scoring are now operational necessities.”
Marc comments in an extract: “National Timber Group’s collapse lands in a construction sector already under severe financial stress, with reports showing construction among the industries with the highest rates of corporate distress and insolvency. This environment meant volatile demand from contractors and house builders, pressure on selling prices, and elevated operating costs across transport, energy and labour.
“In such conditions, small forecasting errors can quickly become large working‑capital gaps, especially where inventory is heavy, credit terms are generous, and capital investment has been front‑loaded.
“For construction businesses, this should prompt a shift in how customers, suppliers and contractors are assessed. Credit decisions based solely on historic accounts often overlook real‑time stress indicators in a volatile market where working capital is king. Warning signs like rising creditor days or mounting losses must now also be acknowledged.
“In a sector where margins are tight and projects are long, a partner’s ability to fund operations week‑to‑week is often more critical than last year’s profit figure. This is exactly the type of situation where predictive insolvency scoring and ongoing monitoring can give construction firms time to act before a collapse hits.
“By continuously analysing sector‑wide distress trends, businesses can protect themselves and understand if a key supplier, subcontractor or client is moving from stable to high‑risk months in advance.”
Click here for more information on Red Flag Alert and to read the full article.
