Since bacs came onto the scene in the late 1960s, it has increased in popularity until now, some 44 years later, when it is used by the majority of organisations in the UK. Bankers automated clearing services allows financial transactions to be carried out electronically, meaning that cash and cheques are no longer necessary for the vast number of large payments – anything from wage packages to bills. Bacs software allows businesses, charities and other groups to enjoy the benefits of this, which are numerous. Consequently, those groups which do not make bacs payments are becoming fewer and fewer in number. One of the obvious benefits of bacs is security. Transferring funds electronically means that money does not have to be handed over in person, and cheques do not have to be filled out or cashed. The potential issues of online processing notwithstanding, this makes for safer payments. This is of particular use to employers with large numbers of staff; pay day would entail keeping significant quantities of cash on the premises, or else writing large numbers of cheques.
Speed is another benefit. Bacs clears within a maximum of three working days, but in reality it is often much faster. FPS (faster payments service) is almost instant, meaning that cash appears in the recipient’s account almost immediately after it has been transferred.
But one of the most significant benefits to businesses and other institutions is the automation of accounting processes that bacs allows. Bacs software can be integrated with accounting software. This results in a far higher degree of predictability for finances and a greater oversight of cashflow. Payments can be scheduled for a particular point in the month – pay day being the perfect example – and so surprises due to unexpected payments are less likely to occur. This means that overdrafts and interest charges are less likely to be used and applied.
All in all, there are numerous reasons why organisations have adopted bacs payments and are continuing to do so. The main benefit of bacs comes down to convenience – and the peace of mind that results from that. bacs software allows payments to be automated, as well as being carried out safely and swiftly. Speed is still arguably an issue, but FPS has circumvented this in the vast majority of cases (some 95 percent). In any case, CHAPS and SWIFT processing are available for an extra fee, and these have a guaranteed (same day) time frame.
Please visit http://www.bottomline.co.uk/ for further information about this topic.
http://www.bottomline.co.uk/
5077154c161da