To ask for payment professionally, businesses, whether small or large, should always forward their payment requests using polite tone but in a straightforward language. Give the client the benefit of doubt and make sure they received the invoice in question. Small businesses should follow up periodically by email to ask for payment and if the client still does not clear the outstanding dues, the next step should be to speak to the customer by phone before considering cutting off future relations with the client or filing a lawsuit.
To ask for payment professionally to clients with outstanding bills, businesses, small preferably, should follow the steps below:
Ensure Whether the Customer received the Invoice or Not
To request payment professionally, it’s better to make sure there is no error or miscommunication regarding the invoice or the due date. Send a polite email to your customer explaining that it’s been long since the due date passed and confirm that they received the initial invoice and there were no such problems with it.
Send A Brief Email Requesting Payment
If they don’t answer you after your first notice or if your customer acknowledged that they received the bill but still takes no prompt action against it, follow up with a short, professional email. Highlight the due date of the invoice and how many days have passed since the due date. Remind the customer of any late fee charges included in your payment terms and inform them that you’ll be charging them for late payment. Remind them of the ways they can pay their dues and attach the original invoice again to the email before sending it to the customer.
Speak To the Client by Phone
The situation might become awkward and sort of intimidating, but if your email requesting payment doesn’t come through getting the customer to pay the debts, the best course of action is to get your customer on call to solve the underlying problem. When calling, introduce yourself and explain calmly and politely that you’ve tried to reach out multiple times by email about a late payment. If you get a chance, try to collect payment over the phone by credit card or direct transfer. If that’s not possible, get a firm commitment on the next deadline and method of payment. Act professional and friendly throughout the call, thanking the customer for their time.
Consider Cutting Off Future Work
If the word of payment that you secured is not fulfilled by your customer, or if you’ve had to chase this customer for payment several times before, you may want to consider cutting ties with the customer or company and declining future work. If you’ve already started working on other projects with this client, you may want to stop working before the project is finished, keeping in mind the terms of the agreement if you’re contractually allowed to do so. Cutting off future trade until you get your payment can motivate your client to pay you on time, so the work they’re relying on you for actually gets done on time.
A Digital Solution to Get Your Udhaar Back
Udhaar App is an instant solution for payment collection from your customers. If you’re a shopkeeper who sells goods to thousands of customers on credit, then the Udhaar app is for you.
It’s simple and easy to use. Once you enter a customer name and number, the app sends auto-reminder messages periodically and maintains daily weekly and monthly account statements. It eliminates the need for registers and diaries to note your business Khata. It will save you some time and money as well, so make sure you utilize this free of cost solution for your business.
