After your factoring or asset-based lending facility is set up, a dedicated Account Manager at CFI will work with you to help manage your account and make sure you get the most from your financing. Someone at your company—whether it’s you, your office manager, or your bookkeeper—will quickly get to know your Account Manager well.
This happens because you’ll be in regular contact. Your Account Manager will help with submitting invoices, handling documents, coordinating funding, reconciling activity, and answering questions as they come up. The quality of this working relationship is important for the success of your factoring or lending arrangement.
So, how can you make sure this relationship works well, meets expectations for both parties, and delivers the expected benefits? Here are a few tips to help set clear expectations and support an efficient, productive account management process.
Timely access to funds depends on complete and accurate documentation. Regardless of structure, financing advances can only be made once underlying collateral or transactions have been reviewed and verified. The verification process starts with having a complete set of documentation supporting the invoice.
Whether dealing with factoring or ABL, missing or incomplete information will cause delays in funding. The necessary documentation varies by industry and customer needs, but may include:
• Any information a customer needs to approve and pay an invoice
• Industry-specific documentation, such as:
◦ Staffing: approved time records or work confirmations
◦ Transportation: all pages of bills of lading and related accessorial receipts
◦ Energy or commodity industries: weight tickets or delivery confirmations
Supporting documents should be submitted alongside invoices or reporting schedules and must be complete, legible, and unmodified. Providing full documentation upfront makes the review and verification process more efficient, sometimes reducing or eliminating the need for direct customer contact and speeding up access to funds.
At CFI, your Account Manager takes time to understand how your business operates so your facility works the way you need it to.
Communication
One of the first things your Account Manager will cover is communication preferences. We’ll confirm who your primary day-to-day contact is and how you prefer to stay in touch, whether that’s email, phone calls, or text messages.
Funding Expectations
Every business has different cash flow needs, and funding should match your rhythm. Your Account Manager will talk through how often you’d like to receive funds and when timing matters most. Some clients prefer funding every time an invoice is purchased or a payment is received, while others opt for one or two funding days per week. If you rely on funding at a specific time, such as right before payroll, we’ll help structure your facility to support that schedule.
Reporting
Clear visibility into your account is essential. Many standard reports are available through CFI’s client portal, giving you real-time access whenever you need it. If you require additional or customized reporting, just let us know. Your Account Manager can work with our team to explore options that fit your needs—and many reports can be set up to be automatically emailed on a schedule that works for you.
To make the most of your relationship with CFI, we recommend a few simple best practices:• Bookmark The Client Portal
The portal gives you access to real-time account information, reports, and transaction history anytime you need it.
• Reconcile Frequently
Review paid invoices and reconcile your books on a regular basis—daily or at least weekly. Pulling the collections report from the portal frequently makes it easier to identify questions or discrepancies early. Waiting until the end of the month can make reconciliation more challenging and increase the chance of something being missed.
• Ask Questions
If you’re unsure why specific documentation or supporting paperwork is required, your Account Manager can walk you through the purpose behind it. If statements or reports aren’t immediately clear, they’re happy to explain what you’re seeing and how to use the information effectively. And if you or your team need guidance navigating the client portal, your Account Manager can provide hands‑on training.
If you experience challenges or have concerns that require escalation, CFI’s management team is always available to assist. You may contact Portfolio Manager Mari Dezham at mdezham@commercialfund.com or 385 212 3656. With more than 20 years of experience at CFI, Mari is an excellent resource for resolving issues and ensuring your facility continues to meet your needs.
Our goal is to make funding your business faster, smoother, and more efficient. If something is slowing that process down, or if there’s an opportunity for improvement, we want to know. Your feedback helps us continuously enhance how we support our clients. CFI is built on long-term relationships. Your Account Manager should be viewed as part of your team, just as our clients are part of the Commercial Funding Inc. family. We succeed when your business succeeds.
Who should be our primary day-to-day point of contact at CFI?
What’s the best way to communicate with you—email, phone, or text?
How often, and on what schedule, would you like funding requests or payments processed?
Do you prefer to receive funds as each invoice is purchased or paid, or on a recurring schedule (such as once or twice per week)?