The outreach process is the sequence of steps that begins when a client requests a Financial Health Rating (FHR) for your company and ends when your company has received that rating. The process has four phases: receiving and responding to the invitation, joining the FHR Exchange as a member, submitting financial data, and receiving the FHR. This article describes what happens in each phase so you know what to expect from start to finish.
Why your company received an outreach email
Your company received an outreach email because one of your clients asked RapidRatings to produce a Financial Health Rating for it. Clients request FHRs to evaluate the financial stability of the suppliers, vendors, partners, and counterparties they rely on. The outreach email identifies the specific client that initiated the request.
Who contacts your company during outreach
RapidRatings' Member Services team manages all outreach communication. Member Services is the team responsible for guiding companies through the rating process, answering questions, and resolving issues that arise. Outreach communication arrives primarily by email, with follow-up by phone if needed.
What happens after you respond to the invitation
After you respond to the invitation, you are directed to the FHR Exchange portal to create a member account. Account creation establishes your company as an FHR Exchange member and opens the workflow for submitting financial data. Within the portal, you confirm basic company details and are guided to the financial submission step.
Joining the FHR Exchange is free at the Basic tier and is required to receive an FHR.
What financial information is requested
The FHR is generated from your company's financial statements. The required documents are a balance sheet and an income statement. A cash flow statement is included if your company produces one. Annual statements are sufficient as long as they are dated within the past twelve months, and providing a recent interim period in addition is best practice when available.
Financial statements do not need to be audited. RapidRatings accepts unaudited, internal, and draft financial statements.
The Financial Submission section of this Help Center describes the requested data in detail and explains the available submission methods, including direct data entry, the Structured Template, QuickSync accounting software connections, and file upload.
Financial data submitted to RapidRatings is used only to produce the FHR and is governed by strict confidentiality and data security controls. The Privacy & Security section of this Help Center describes how submitted data is handled.
How long the outreach process takes
The total time from invitation to rating depends primarily on how quickly your company submits its financial data and which submission method is used.
Some submission methods produce a rating immediately. Entering financial data directly into the FHR Exchange portal or submitting through the Structured Template allows the FHR to be generated as soon as the submission is complete. Submissions made by uploading financial files for manual processing typically generate a rating within three to five business days after the files are received.
RapidRatings aims to complete each outreach request within thirty days of the company receiving its initial invitation. Companies that need more time can place their submission on hold from within the FHR Exchange portal, which pauses outreach reminders until the submission is resumed.
What your company receives at the end of the process
At the end of the outreach process, your company has a Financial Health Rating, access to a dynamic FHR Report explaining the rating and the financial drivers behind it, and an active FHR Exchange membership at the Basic tier. The client that requested the rating receives a copy of the FHR. Your company retains its own copy and continues to have access to it through the FHR Exchange portal. Higher membership tiers are available and unlock additional features, including ActionPath sharing.
What to do if you have questions or concerns
RapidRatings' Member Services team is available to answer questions at any stage of the outreach process. Questions about the legitimacy of the request, the financial data being requested, timelines, or any other aspect of outreach can be directed to Member Services through the contact channels included in the outreach email.