See what your customer’s trade references experience when completing a trade reference request via an application powered by Credit Pulse.

This guide outlines the full process your applicant's trade references will experience—from the initial outreach to reminders and successful form completion.

Our goal: make the process fast, secure, and simple for trade references while giving your credit team standardized, reliable data for smarter credit decisions.

Depending on your settings, trade reference requests can be sent in two ways:

• Automatic – Sent immediately when a credit application is submitted.

• Manual – Sent manually from your dashboard with a “click-to-send” action.

In either case, the experience for the trade reference remains identical.

💡 Tip: To check or change your settings, reach out to support@creditpulse.com

When the first outreach to request completion of the questionnaire is sent, they receive a branded email request which includes:

• Sender → Clearly identifies your company and the applicant (your customer).

• Content → A secure link to the Credit Pulse trade reference form.

• Subject line → Clearly states it is a trade reference request.

👉 Example Email Text: "[Applicant Company] has listed you as a credit reference. Please complete the brief questionnaire about your business relationship."

💡 Tip: Trade reference emails are designed to be trusted and recognizable—minimizing confusion and increasing completion rates.

When they receive our email, the trade reference will click to access the secure link and be taken directly to the form.

• No login or account creation required

• Mobile-friendly design

• Average completion time = 2–3 minutes

Sample questions included in the form:

• Length of relationship with the customer

• Average monthly purchases

• Payment history (on-time, late, disputes)

• Notes or special considerations

View an example questionnaire here or below:

💡 Tip: Forms are standardized based on credit manager research and best practices, so you get consistent, comparable data across all references.

If the form isn’t completed after the first request:

• Automated reminders are sent at set intervals.

• Friendly language encourages quick completion.

• Hands-off for your team to kick-off the process.
  

Teams who leverage our trade reference automation benefit from:

• Faster credit approvals: Automated outreach reduces turnaround time.

• Higher completion rates: Easy, mobile-friendly forms lead to more responses.

• Better risk insights: Standardized questions collect and verify responses.

• Less manual work: Free your team from chasing references and paper.

Do trade references need an account or to login?
No, they simply click the secure link and fill out the form.

How long does it take to complete?
On average, less than 3 minutes.

Can I change the questions on the form?
The form is standardized to maintain consistency, but reach out to support@creditpulse.com for customization options.

What if a trade reference doesn’t respond?
Teams can send reminders as often as needed until the form is completed. There is also an option to quickly request additional trade references from the applicant.

💌 Reach out to our support team anytime at support@creditpulse.com

🚀 New to Credit Pulse? Book a demo with our team today.