Every business has had its share of clients who give troubles when it comes to timely payments. While these make managing accounts very tough, it also hampers the cashflow in any organization. To find ways to deal with such customers, should be one of the primary objectives of every business.
Using free billing software is a popular choice nowadays for ensuring smooth payments. When a business receives smooth payments, it can easily run the business in a more channeled way. Companies rely on their payment schedules very much and need funds to run their day to day expenses.
Here are a few ways to avoid late payments from customers
Be considerate while choosing your customers:
One of the first steps to ensure that your customers do not delay the payment is choosing the customers wisely. Before choosing a customer, you must research thoroughly and check the background of the customer. If they have a history of delaying payments, you must not keep them on your priority list.
Discuss the payment terms beforehand:
One of the biggest reasons why customers delay the payments is because they do not understand the payment terms fully. It is recommended to discuss the payment terms with the customers before you sign any deal. You must also have late payment consequences clearly mentioned on you your payment terms & conditions. Use wording that is easy to understand and not ambiguous, if possible discuss these terms with the customers in person.
Set reminders:
As we mentioned earlier, invoicing software also helps businesses maintain their payment schedule. You can always create payment reminders and stay updated on any upcoming payment. With the best free billing software, you can also send these reminders to your customers and make them aware of the due payment date.
Incentivize early payments:
Offering an incentive to the early payers is another way to promote timely payments. When you offer an early payment discount you encourage your customers to pay on or before the due date. However, you need to make sure that the discount you offer is according to the amount of work and the payment. Accordingly, you can offer different discount slabs.
Offer different modes of payment:
Many times customers quote that they were unable the payment because of the choice of the payment mode. To sort this issue, make sure you offer your customers a number of payment options. From cheques to demand drafts and online payments, you can extend as many options to your customers as you want to.
These are some of the ways you can try to ensure you receive timely payments. When you get timely payments, you have ample funds in and to plan for your operations and invest in different aspects of the business. Payment management is very important and automating this process is a very effective way. Register with billing software today and put your late payment concerns to rest.
