Each year, Het Financieele Dagblad (FD) processes approximately 300,000 subscriber invoices. Since 2016, the organization has been using TRUST IT, and in 2025 it added PayByLink. Yaron Sprecher, Manager Finance & Control, explains: “Together, these solutions deliver a better customer experience and shorter payment cycles, benefiting both customer satisfaction and our DSO (Days Sales Outstanding).”
FD Mediagroep: trusted news for the Dutch business community
FD Mediagroep is the media company behind Het Financieele Dagblad, BNR Nieuwsradio, Company.info, and FD Business—some of the Netherlands’ leading brands for financial and business news. Yaron Sprecher has been with the organization for twelve years and has served as Manager Finance & Control since 2021. Together with his team, he is responsible for the financial administration of the various brands within FD Mediagroep.
Greater visibility in less time with TRUST IT
To optimize its accounts receivable processes, FD implemented TRUST IT from TKB in 2016.“With TRUST IT, we’ve automated our accounts receivable management, giving us a clear overview of outstanding invoices at all times,” says Yaron. “We use it every day—it’s indispensable. It provides valuable insights, shows us exactly which actions to take for each customer, and even prepares draft emails and documents for those actions. This enables our relatively small team to send large volumes of communications every day. In addition, TKB’s specialists support us by following up with customers by phone. Those activities are also managed and recorded within TRUST IT. If a customer ultimately fails to pay, the case can be transferred to collections with the click of a button.”
Improving the payment experience with PayByLink
To make it easier for subscribers to complete missed payments, FD added PayByLink to the process in 2025. “This allowed us to further improve the service we provide to our subscribers,” Yaron explains. “Most subscribers pay by direct debit, but occasionally a payment fails for various reasons. Previously, they could only settle the invoice through a manual bank transfer—there was no option to pay with iDEAL (Wero). That resulted in longer processing times, additional administrative work, and a less customer-friendly experience, especially at a time when consumers expect fast, digital payment options.” “For FD Mediagroep, a seamless payment experience is an important part of the overall customer relationship. When a direct debit fails, we want to give subscribers a quick and effortless way to continue their subscription without unnecessary friction.”
The power of TRUST IT and PayByLink
The first step was technical. FD wanted its ERP system to identify private subscribers and automatically place them into a dedicated customer segment. “That allowed us to treat this group differently,” says Yaron. “We could decide exactly when reminders should be sent, what they should look like, and whether they should include a payment link.” Today, the entire process is fully automated. As soon as the bank reports a failed direct debit, the ERP system marks the invoice as unpaid. TRUST IT immediately detects this and starts a predefined workflow. Two days later, the first reminder is automatically sent, including a personalized PayByLink payment link. Subscribers whose direct debit has failed can then complete their payment quickly and easily. If payment is still outstanding, a second reminder—with another payment link—is sent automatically.
Higher payment success rates
The combination of TRUST IT and PayByLink has had an immediate positive impact on FD’s cash flow and payment cycle. “We’ve made paying incredibly easy for our subscribers, and we’re seeing invoices being settled much faster,” says Yaron. “Right from the start, we’ve achieved a success rate of more than 20 percent—meaning that more than one in five payment links results in a completed payment. That’s even better than we expected. Outstanding balances decrease more quickly, leading to shorter payment cycles and a lower DSO. That’s exactly the outcome we were aiming for with this automation.”
More efficient administration and customer service
The solution has also improved internal efficiency. “Within TRUST IT, we can immediately see when an invoice has been paid through PayByLink—even before the payment has been fully processed by our bank and reflected in our ERP system. That means when customers call us, we can instantly confirm whether their payment was successful and, if necessary, send them a new payment link.”
Yaron and his team rarely need to access the PayByLink portal directly. “We only log in if we need to investigate an issue or can’t find something. But that hardly ever happens. The platform is intuitive and works exactly as expected.” He is equally positive about the collaboration with TRUST IT. “They always respond quickly to day-to-day questions. And when we have more complex requirements or want to implement something new, we work closely together to find the best solution.”
Building trust throughout the payment journey
Yaron also values the professional appearance of the payment process. “The landing page that subscribers see after clicking the PayByLink payment link was fully customized. Our marketing department was closely involved in its design,” he explains. “The page perfectly reflects FD’s branding and visual identity. That familiarity gives subscribers confidence and reassurance, which is essential when it comes to online payments.”
Higher customer satisfaction, Lower DSO
After successfully implementing TRUST IT in 2016, the decision to introduce PayByLink in 2025 came naturally. “During our conversations with PayByLink, it quickly became clear that they were an excellent fit for our organization. Their personal approach, proactive mindset, and deep expertise really stood out. They also shared strong customer success stories.”
Yaron has no hesitation in recommending the solution. “Especially if you’re already using TRUST IT, the implementation is relatively straightforward and delivers significant value. The result is a better customer experience, shorter payment cycles, higher customer satisfaction, and a lower DSO.”
