RBS FacFlow Invoice Finance Review

RBS Invoice Finance is a subsidiary of the Royal Bank of Scotland, offering Invoice Financing solutions for UK businesses.

Since their incorporation in 1960, their have extended their services to cover Invoice Factoring, Invoice Discounting, and Asset-Based Lending.

RBS Invoice Finance has headquarters in London, but also has offices throughout England, Scotland, and Northern Ireland.

In 2016, they recorded an annual turnover of £216 million and a further £5.05 billion in assets.

Right, let’s begin our review of RBS Invoice Finance.

RBS Invoice Finance possesses a wealth of experience working with businesses from multiple industries, and their primary objective is to help their customers gain access to working capital that is tied up in unpaid invoices, inventory, machinery, or property.

Their best features include:

• FacFlow – a 24/7 online system that allows you to easily view and manage your accounts
• Multiple ways to reach Customer Support
• Industry-specific expertise
• Up to 90% cash advance of total invoice value within 24 hours
• Published and proven case studies

RBS Invoice Finance is one of the largest Invoice Finance providers in the UK, and it’s no surprise that they have won multiple awards such as ‘Best in Asset-Based Lending and Invoice Finance 2015’. Their range of services and dedicated support centre are small business-friendly, and is demonstrated in multiple case studies where RBS Invoice Finance has proven itself to be a trusted partner for UK businesses.  

RBS Costs and Fees

RBS Invoice Finance charges fees depending on your contract with them. These fees will also vary with your annual turnover, business size, and invoice value.

You can expect a service charge between 0.03-5% of your annual turnover, as well as a discount rate on your cash advance of 1-4.5% above the base rate.

RBS offers Credit Protection (also known as Bad Debt Protection) for a fee, as a countermeasure in case your clients are unable or unwilling to settle their invoice.

In order to get more information on other fees, you will have to get in touch with a customer representative from RBS Invoice Finance, who can negotiate a contract that works for you. Fortunately, this is pretty easy to do as RBS offers multiple lines of communication including phone support, and in-person visits to their local offices throughout the UK.

RBS Products and Services

RBS offers Invoice Factoring, Invoice Discounting, and Asset-Based Lending solutions for UK businesses in the B2B sector.

Their overall process is extremely simple: Approve – Fund – Collect.

RBS Invoice Factoring

RBS Invoice Factoring is for businesses with an annual turnover between £250,000 – £6.5 million, as well as having clients with good credit. After approval, you can access up to 90% of your total invoice within 24 hours of raising the invoice. Their dedicated debt recovery team proceeds to collect the invoice payments from your clients, while you simultaneously gain faster access to working capital and improve your cash flow.

Furthermore, you’ll benefit from their expertise and experience of working with businesses ranging from a multitude of industries including pharmaceuticals, manufacturing, and recruitment. RBS will be able to offer you an Invoice Factoring solution that is tailored to your business type and needs.

Part of the RBS Invoice Factoring package is 24/7 access to FacFlow – an online system where you can easily manage your accounts, funding needs, and monthly statements. This feature is especially convenient for businesses, because the whole process is paperless, secure, and incredibly efficient.

RBS Invoice Discounting

RBS Invoice Discounting is similar to its Invoice Factoring solution, except you take responsibility in handling invoice settlement and repayment of the cash advance.

To be approved, your business needs to have an annual turnover of at least £300,000.

Up to 90% of your total invoice will be advanced to you within 24 hours of raising the invoice. However, you are required to return this amount once you settle your invoice, along with a service fee and interest rate on the amount advanced.

Although RBS Invoice Discounting solution gives you more independence, it also increases your accountability and responsibility to collect client payments and return the cash advance to RBS.

RBS Asset-Based Lending

RBS offers Asset-Based Lending to large businesses with annual turnovers of at least £10 million, and uses a company’s assets – such as inventory, property, unpaid invoices – as collateral for a loan.

This solution is suitable for businesses with large working capital requirements and cash flow issues due to money being tied up in fixed assets or unpaid invoices.

RBS Credit Protection

You can choose to purchase the Credit Protection service as an add-on to your Invoice Factoring or invoice Discounting solution. It offers you security in the case your clients are unable or unwilling to settle their invoices.

RBS allows you to opt out of the Credit Protection service, if you have firm assurance of your clients being able to settle their invoices on time. Otherwise, you will have to take on the responsibility of repaying RBS the amount advanced.

RBS Customer Support

RBS Invoice Finance has a dedicated Support Centre, complete with an extensive FAQ section, as well as a variety of ways to directly contact Customer Service. You can either write, call, or visit one of their local offices throughout the UK.

Their telephone lines are open Monday-Friday during normal business hours, and are able to offer customer service over the phone, as well as through Typetalk.

RBS guarantees to get in touch about your complaint/question within 5 working days, either to provide an answer or update the status of your query. Unfortunately, due to the large volume of emails and letters they receive, you may have to wait up to 2 weeks before your complaint/question is answered.

Additionally, RBS provides you with a comprehensive guide to their online Invoice Finance system, FacFlow. They equip you with all the necessary training in order for you to get the most out of FacFlow, by teaching you how to manage your accounts, view monthly statements, and oversee funding needs.

As part of their Invoice Finance solutions, you also receive the support of a Relationship Manager, who is your primary point-of-contact with RBS. Your Relationship Manager will head up a banking team responsible for the Invoice Financing facility of your business. Due to their past experiences helping other UK businesses find Invoice Financing solutions, they are able to offer expert advice and understand the needs of your business.

RBS Contracts

RBS tailors contracts to match the needs of each business. Therefore, their contracts will differ depending on factors such as the value of your invoices, annual turnover, and business size.

To find out more, you’ll need to get in touch and receive a quote from a customer representative.

RBS Customer Reputation

RBS Invoice Finance has been successfully providing solutions for UK businesses over the past 57 years. They have an impressive portfolio of detailed case studies that report their success with a number of UK businesses, through their Invoice Finance solutions. Each company was able to benefit through trading more efficiently and improving access to immediate working capital.

However, the majority of online customer reviews of RBS are negative, with complaints relating to slow customer service and complicated contracts. While unfortunate, this is customary for large institutions like RBS, who have to deal with a high volume of queries and complaints each day.

Comparing RBS Invoice Finance

RBS is a top provider of Invoice Finance in the UK, and measures well against its competitors such as Calverton Finance, MarketInvoice, Lloyds, and Close Brothers. In order to get more information on fees and contracts, you will have to contact a customer representative to receive a customized quote.

As you can see, all the top Invoice Factoring providers have similar capabilities. However, RBS prides itself in their easy-to-use online system, FacFlow. It eliminates certain administrative inefficiencies involved with paperwork, that other providers still face.  

Should You Use RBS Invoice Finance?

RBS is suitable for small to medium-sized businesses within the B2B sector, and is not limited to only helping certain industries. Their lengthy experience spanning 57 years and vast resources makes them a viable option for fast-growing businesses with large working capital needs.

As a result of their resources, they are able to provide you with more funds as your business grows and your annual turnover increases. Therefore, a mutually beneficial relationship can be established between your business and RBS.

If you are comfortable with going paperless, then you should use RBS. Their online system, FacFlow, is a much easier alternative to access and manage your accounts, statements, and funding. It’s available at all times, secure, and saves time spent waiting on traditional postage.

However, if you aren’t comfortable working with a large institution or would rather have a much more personalised experience, then you should consider partnering with a smaller, independent Invoice Factoring company.

Verdict

If you’re interested in finding out more or receiving a quote, be sure to reach out to a customer representative either in-person or over the phone. 

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