Glossary

What is DSO?
Days Sales Outstanding

Days Sales Outstanding (DSO) is the average number of days it takes a company to collect payment after a sale is made. It measures how efficiently your accounts receivable team converts credit sales into cash.

How to Calculate DSO

The DSO formula divides your total accounts receivable by total credit sales, then multiplies by the number of days in the measurement period.

DSO Formula
DSO = (Accounts Receivable / Total Credit Sales) × Number of Days

Example Calculation

A company wants to calculate its DSO for Q1 (90 days):

Accounts Receivable $500,000
Total Credit Sales (Q1) $2,000,000
Number of Days 90
Calculation ($500K / $2M) × 90
DSO Result 22.5 days

What Is a Good DSO?

DSO benchmarks vary by industry, but these ranges apply to most B2B companies:

< 30 days
Excellent
Strong cash flow. Highly effective collections process.
30–45 days
Average
Industry standard. Room for improvement.
> 60 days
Action needed
Cash flow at risk. Collection process needs attention.

Why DSO Matters for Your Business

DSO directly impacts your cash flow, borrowing costs, and ability to invest in growth. A high DSO means your money is tied up in unpaid invoices instead of working for you.

Cash Flow

Every day of DSO ties up working capital. A 10-day reduction on $5M AR frees up ~$167K in cash.

Forecasting

Consistent DSO makes revenue predictable. Volatile DSO creates cash flow surprises that disrupt operations.

Bad Debt Risk

Invoices past 90 days are 6x more likely to become uncollectible. Lower DSO means fewer write-offs.

Investor Signal

Investors and lenders evaluate DSO to assess financial health. Lower DSO signals operational excellence.

How AI Collection Reduces DSO

Traditional AR teams follow up manually, if at all. AI agents start the moment an invoice is overdue and never stop until it is resolved.

30–50%
Average DSO reduction
Day 1
First contact on overdue invoices

AgentCollect AI agents call, email, and text debtors automatically. No manual follow-up. No forgotten invoices. No excuses.

Calculate Your DSO

Use our free DSO calculator to see where your AR stands and how much cash you could free up by reducing your collection time.

Open DSO Calculator

Related Glossary Terms

Reduce your DSO

AgentCollect cuts DSO by 30–50% with AI agents that never miss a follow-up. Success-only fees.

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