Companies are faced with constant challenges that require both perspective and increasing adaptability: changes in the regulatory framework, successive health or geopolitical crises, organizational transformation or CSR issues.

In this uncertain and changing economic environment, risk assessment in the management of third parties in B2B becomes even more sensitive on a daily basis. If financial data is the basis for analysis and decision making in the optimization of business relationships, its cross-referencing with so-called weak signals can enrich the knowledge that we can have.

The weak signal is "early warning information, of low intensity, which may herald a trend or an important event". It offers valuable additional information to anticipate a development opportunity or a crisis, in order to foresee the different scenarios and to support the decision.

It is still necessary to identify the relevant information, capture it, verify it and finally exploit it.

What types of data?

This may involve external data, based in particular on a good knowledge of current events. The media is thus a key source of information, both for increasing control over the macro-economic and sectoral environment and for providing insights into companies that may have an impact on the balance of its management.

What are "weak signals" for?

The use of information specific to the company, such as its payment behaviour, its financial links and its geographical location, can also be an indication of the risks to which it is exposed. Taking this information into account can help to prevent financial and reputational risks more effectively.

For these reasons, Ellisphere's solutions integrate this information, known as weak signals, which is essential for decision-making and for managing third-party portfolios in B2B (customers, suppliers, intermediaries), via alerts or dedicated indicators: the Press Indicator for the media source, PayRank and Paytrend to monitor and compare payment times, the Resilience Index in the face of successive crises, etc. These are all tools for making better decisions.