What is a recommendation?
A recommendation is ApplyEasy’s suggested next step for an application.
It helps you quickly identify whether an application:
Looks suitable to progress
Needs further review
Meets criteria that may warrant declining it
Recommendations support your assessment but do not make the final decision for you. You can approve or decline an application regardless of the recommendation. Each recommendation includes one or more reasons showing which rules contributed to the result.
The CreditorWatch implementation team configures these rules during onboarding and can update them on request. You and your team do not need to build or maintain the rules.
Possible recommendations
Most ApplyEasy application forms use three recommendations:
Approve
None of the configured rules identified a concern. The application looks suitable to progress.
Refer
One or more rules identified something that requires manual review, such as:
A low credit rating
A recent payment default
A director change
Reject
One or more rules identified criteria configured as grounds to decline, such as:
An inactive company
A fraud indicator
In addition to the three standard outcomes above, forms can also include up to two custom decision statuses with their own related recommendation labels. If you're seeing labels other than Approve, Refer, or Reject on your applications, that's a form-level customisation set up by the CreditorWatch implementation team. Check with your ApplyEasy administrator or CreditorWatch account manager for the meaning of a custom status.
Where to find recommendations
On the application overview
Open an application and find the Assessment card. The card displays:
Recommendation: The overall recommendation, such as Approve, Refer, Reject or a custom label.
Recommendation reasons: The rules that contributed to the recommendation and the values returned by the application.
For example, a reason may display:
Rule: Credit Rating equal C3 | Value: D1
This means the rule checked for a credit rating of C3 or worse, and the applicant returned a D1 rating.
In the application list
You can display the recommendation as a column in your ApplyEasy inbox.
You can also use recommendations to:
Filter applications by recommendation
Find applications recommended as Refer during a selected period
Sort applications by recommendation
In exports and reports
The recommendation and its reasons are included in application exports.
You can also download a recommendation PDF for record-keeping or to share with your credit committee.
Downloading a recommendation PDF
The recommendation PDF contains a one-click summary of the overall recommendation and each reason that contributed to it.
You may use it to:
Attach supporting information to a case
Share the recommendation outside ApplyEasy
Store the result with your customer records
Before you begin to download the recommendation PDF:
The feature must be enabled by your ApplyEasy administrator.
You must have the View recommendation permission.
You must have the Download application permission.
How to Download the PDF
Open the application in your ApplyEasy inbox.
Find the Assessment card.
Click Download Recommendation.
If you cannot see this option, ask your ApplyEasy administrator to check whether the feature is enabled and whether you have the required permissions.
Who can see recommendations?
Recommendation visibility is controlled by the View recommendation permission.
Without this permission, you cannot see recommendation labels or reasons, even if ApplyEasy has run the rules in the background.
Ask your ApplyEasy administrator to review your permissions if:
A recommendation is not appearing as expected
You need access to recommendation labels and reasons
Recommendation visibility needs to be restricted for certain users
Some users need permission to download recommendation PDFs
How recommendations are calculated
ApplyEasy calculates one overall recommendation when an application is submitted.
1. The application is submitted
ApplyEasy captures:
The applicant’s answers
Information automatically retrieved from available sources, such as the credit report, ABR and ASIC
2. The rules are evaluated
ApplyEasy checks each rule configured for the application form.
Each rule compares information from its data source against the condition configured for the form.
3. Recommendation reasons are collected
When a rule’s condition is met, the rule:
Proposes a recommendation
Adds a reason explaining the result
If the condition is not met, the rule may propose an otherwise recommendation if one has been configured. Otherwise, it contributes nothing.
4. Recommendation priority is applied
If several rules propose different recommendations, ApplyEasy selects the recommendation with the highest configured priority.
The typical priority is:
Reject
Refer
Approve
The CreditorWatch implementation team configures the priority for your form.
❗ Recommendations are calculated at the time of submission
A recommendation uses:
Information submitted by the applicant
Information automatically retrieved when the application is submitted
The result is stored with a timestamp.
The underlying information may change after submission. For example, a company’s credit rating may change from C1 to D1. However, the original recommendation will not update because it reflects the information available when the application was assessed.
A new application must be submitted if a new recommendation is required.
How AND / OR conditions work
Rules aren't limited to a single condition. Each rule can contain a group of conditions combined with AND or OR — and groups can nest. The implementation team can set up things like:
Credit Rating is C3 or worse AND (Years Trading is less than 2 OR Number of Defaults is greater than 0).
If the whole condition tree evaluates to true, the rule fires and proposes its matching recommendation. Otherwise, it proposes its otherwise recommendation (if configured) or contributes nothing.
Rule catalogue
ApplyEasy supports the following rule types, grouped by data source. Your form may use any combination of these — check with the CreditorWatch implementation team or your CreditorWatch account manager to see which are active for your form.
Time window. Many rules sourced from the CreditorWatch credit report (defaults, court judgements, mercantile enquiries, director changes, adverse directorships) support a configurable lookback period — for example, "check for defaults within the last 12 months." If no window is specified, the rule checks all-time records for the applicant. Time-window behaviour is shown in the tables below, where applicable.
A. Company and credit profile
These rules use information from the CreditorWatch credit report associated with the applicant’s ABN or ACN.
Rule | What it checks | Time window |
Credit Rating | The applicant’s CreditorWatch credit rating.
The scale runs from A1, the highest rating, through A2, A3, B1, B2, B3, C1, C2, C3, D1, D2, D3 and E to F (the lowest rating) | Current rating |
Company Status | Whether the applicant’s ASIC-registered company status is Active or Inactive. | Current status |
Years Trading | How long the business has been trading, calculated from its registered date when the rule runs. | Registered date to the date of assessment |
GST Registered | Whether the business is Registered or Not Registered for GST. | Current status |
Adverse Directorship | The number of adverse directorship incidents recorded against the company in ASIC records. | Configurable lookback period. If omitted, all available records are checked. |
Director Change | The number of director changes recorded for the company based on ASIC 484E filings. | Configurable lookback period. If omitted, all available records are checked. |
Risk Alert | Whether the CreditorWatch Risk Alert service has identified a current risk, such as ceased trading, external administration, deregistration, being struck off or an insolvency notice. Returns Yes or No. | Current status only |
B. Payment history and payment defaults
These rules use payment behaviour and adverse information from the CreditorWatch credit report.
Rule | What it checks | Time window |
Number of Defaults | The number of registered payment defaults against the applicant. | Configurable lookback period. If omitted, all available records are checked. |
Value of Defaults | The total value of registered payment defaults. | Configurable lookback period. If omitted, all available records are checked. |
ATO Tax Defaults — count | The number of ATO-reported tax payment defaults against the applicant. | Current value |
ATO Tax Defaults — value | The total value of ATO tax payment defaults. | Current value |
Court Judgements — count | The number of court judgements recorded against the applicant. | Configurable lookback period. If omitted, all available records are checked. |
Court Judgements — value | The total value of court judgements recorded against the applicant. | Configurable lookback period. If omitted, all available records are checked. |
Mercantile Inquiries | The number of mercantile or collection enquiries recorded against the applicant. | Configurable lookback period. If omitted, all available records are checked. |
Payment Predictor | How many days overdue the company is when paying invoices issued to it. | Current value |
Possible Bankruptcy | Whether the applicant has an active bankruptcy indicator. | Current status |
C. Industry-specific rules
These rules use information from industry-specific sources. They only apply where the application form is used for applicants in the relevant industry.
Rule | What it checks |
Liquor Licence — Validation Status | Whether the information provided by the applicant matches a record in the relevant registry. Validated means a record was found but does not mean the licence is active. Invalidated means no matching record was found. These terms are planned to change to Verified and Unverified in a future release. |
Liquor Licence — Recorded Status | The status of the matched licence record. If validation fails, the result is Invalid. If several records match, the result is Multiple. A single matched record may return Active, Change of Name, New Licence, Provisional, Transfer, Removal, Transfer Interim - Licence, Surrendered or Suspended. Only Surrendered and Suspended are treated as inactive. |
D. Application history and form answers
These rules use information held within your ApplyEasy account.
Rule | What it checks |
Previously Applied | Whether the applicant has previously submitted an application through your ApplyEasy account. |
Form Field Value | Whether an answer provided in the application matches a configured value, such as a requested credit limit above a specified threshold. |
E. Fraud and behavioural rules
These rules use information about how the application was submitted.
Rule | What it checks |
IP Address Country | Whether the applicant’s IP address resolves to Australia or New Zealand. This can identify applications submitted from outside Australia or New Zealand. |
Domain Age | The age of the domain associated with the applicant’s email address or website. |
Domain Updated | When the applicant’s domain registration was last updated. |
Request changes to recommendation rules
Recommendation rules are configured separately for each application form by the CreditorWatch implementation team.
ApplyEasy users and internal administrators cannot add or edit these rules directly.
To request a change, contact your CreditorWatch account manager or the CreditorWatch implementation team and describe the outcome you want.
For example:
Refer applications with a credit rating of C3 or worse.
Refer applications with more than two payment defaults.
Refer applications with more than $10,000 in ATO tax payment defaults.
Change the credit rating threshold from C3 to C1.
Turn off the Years Trading rule.
Add an internal exclusion list as a Customer Data List rule.
Each configured rule has:
Name: Displayed in the recommendation reasons.
Matching recommendation: The recommendation proposed when the condition is met.
Otherwise recommendation: An optional recommendation proposed when the condition is not met.
Condition tree: One or more conditions combined using AND or OR.
Enabled setting: Allows the rule to be paused without deleting it.
Frequently asked questions
Why did ApplyEasy recommend Refer when the application looks suitable?
Review the recommendation reasons on the application.
Each reason identifies the rule that was met and the value compared. If the rule is producing unexpected results, ask the CreditorWatch implementation team to review its condition or threshold.
Can I override a recommendation?
Yes. A recommendation is a suggestion, not the final decision.
You can manually progress or decline the application regardless of the recommendation.
Why is a rule missing from the recommendation reasons?
Only rules that were met appear in the recommendation reasons.
Rules that were checked but not met are not displayed.
Does ApplyEasy run the rules again if the applicant’s information changes?
No. Recommendations are calculated when the application is submitted, using the information available at that time.
Can two rules propose different recommendations?
Yes.
When rules propose different recommendations, ApplyEasy uses the highest-priority recommendation. The CreditorWatch implementation team configures this priority for your form.
The typical order is:
Reject
Refer
Approve
Can I see every rule that was checked?
No. The recommendation reasons only show the rules that were met and contributed to the recommendation.