What Is Spike Handling?
Spike handling refers to managing workload surges when submission volumes rise sharply. In MCA and small business lending, spikes are common because brokers often send large batches of ISO submissions at the start of the week or after deadlines.
Spike handling typically appears as an operational challenge when manual teams fall behind due to backlogs. Operators use it to maintain service levels even when daily volumes double or triple.
How Does Spike Handling Work?
Spike handling involves strategies and systems that keep queues from overflowing during volume surges.
- High-volume intake: Large batches of submissions arrive at once, usually in shared inboxes.
- Load balancing: The system prioritizes and distributes work evenly instead of letting queues clog.
- Automated checks: Completeness reviews, deduplication, and classification run in parallel to reduce bottlenecks.
- Cleared backlog: Submissions move quickly into underwriting, preventing spikes from rolling over into the next day.
Heron’s workflow is designed to handle spikes automatically.
- Rapid capture: Hundreds of ISO packets can be pulled from shared inboxes at once.
- Automated scrubbing: Heron performs completeness checks, fraud flags, and document organization at scale.
- Direct CRM write-back: Results are written instantly into the CRM, cutting hours of manual triage.
- Ready-to-underwrite routing: Even during surges, deals are prepared for underwriting in minutes, not days.
Heron makes sure peak volumes are absorbed without additional processors or offshore teams.
Why Is Spike Handling Important?
For brokers and funders, spike handling is essential to prevent delays during peak days. Without it, backlogs build quickly, deals are delayed, and turnaround time suffers.
Automation allows teams to scale with demand. By smoothing out volume surges, Heron helps teams keep commitments, close more deals, and avoid the cost of temporary or additional staff.
Common Use Cases
Spike handling shows up wherever deal volumes rise sharply.
- Processing Monday morning surges of ISO submissions without creating backlogs.
- Handling month-end peaks when brokers send extra deals to close funding cycles.
- Managing multiple funder decision emails arriving at the same time.
- Preventing delays when new brokers onboard and increase submission volume.
- Scaling smoothly when deal flow grows over time.
FAQs About Spike Handling
How does Heron support spike handling?
Heron automates intake and scrubbing so submissions flow directly into the CRM, even when hundreds arrive at once. This removes the bottleneck of manual triage during peak periods.
Why do spikes occur in MCA deal flow?
Spikes often happen on Mondays, at month-end, or when brokers submit multiple packets together. Without automation, these surges overwhelm staff and create backlogs.
How does spike handling impact underwriting teams?
By smoothing out surges, underwriters receive ready-to-review packets without delay. This keeps turnaround time consistent and prevents workloads from stacking up after peak days.