A big part of running a successful business is making sure the payment of an invoice is as easy as possible for your client. When you make the payment process longer or more complicated than it need be, your cash flow suffers and the relationship between you and your client may take a hit. Maintaining a strong client relationship is an important aspect of running a successful business. PaidYET was designed to help merchants who send invoices maintain those strong ties with their customers and to help your business get paid quickly and easily without the hassle, expense and security concerns of traditional payment processing. Consider the additional tips below to help your customers pay on time, every time.
Use Attractive Easy-To-Read Invoice Designs
Invoices need to be easy to read. After all, the primary goal of an invoice is to convey the relevant information so the client can pay quickly and accurately. Any communication errors resulting from a hard-to-read invoice can result in payment delays, cash flow problems, and a frustrating experience for your busy client. Professionally designed invoices ensure all the important information your client needs is presented in a clear format with matching brand design elements. An attractive, easy to read invoice goes a long way to solidifying the expertise and exceptionalism of your business.
Details Matter
A primary reason why payments are delayed is because there is missing information and confusing or conflicting details within the invoice. For example, a business address might be incorrect, a service detail too opaque, or a payment due date that might be different than what the client expected. Such errors mean payments are delayed and clients can become frustrated – especially if they happen repeatedly. Always ensure the invoices you create and send are free of errors. Check things like the client details, payment due date, invoice number, department code, your itemized breakdown of services, and of course the payment total.
Add Relevant Third Party Files
You can fit quite a bit of information into an invoice, especially when writing an itemized list of the different services you’ve provided for your client. However, there’s often more information you’d ideally want your client to see prior to, during, or after a payment process. Invoicing software allows you to attach third party documents directly to the invoice itself. The documents you can attach might include: a project proposal (perhaps included with a deposit invoice); a contract; terms and conditions; project schedules; timesheets; delivery details; project files; photos; and more. Including these 3rd party files with your invoice email allows the client to easily access multiple and related documents all at once.
Open A Client-Side Portal
A great way to offer your clients peace of mind is by providing them with access to a client-side portal of your invoicing system. They get to see a client version of all the invoices they have paid and all the invoices that are due. They also see various statistics and information related to their payments and your time working together. This portal lets your clients see all their transactions with you in one glance, which adds a whole new level of transparency few other businesses will provide. This can be a great way to build extra trust and confidence between you and your client.
Enable Client Signatures And Approval Checkboxes
Enabling an invoice approval checkbox forces a client, upon opening the email invoice, to approve terms before paying, either by clicking a checkbox or creating a digital signature. This benefits companies where managers might want to check and approve the payment of an invoice before handing the payment responsibilities to the finance department. The client approval mechanism prevents any unauthorized payments being made and also ensures the client double-checks the invoice before payment, thereby preventing any misunderstandings. Such mechanisms portray your business as highly professional and make things a lot easier for companies which are accustomed to such procedures.
Making Life Easier For Your Client And Yourself
When you make paying invoices easier and faster for your client, you receive the connected benefits. You enjoy a healthier cash flow. Your brand – your business – is seen as more professional. Your client is more likely to stick with you than be tempted by a competitor. People like things made easier and this includes busy clients who would rather not spend extra minutes responding to an inaccurate invoice. By ensuring your invoices are perfect, in terms of design, content, and deliverability – while also implementing a secure and state of the art payment platform like PaidYET – you make things easier not just for your client but also for yourself.
