Thus, when managing clients , one must be very careful when, for some reason, they fail to pay their obligations on time.
Therefore, we have selected these 8 tips on how to politely charge customers by email:
- Get ahead of default
- Be polite always!
- Keep an eye out for legal issues
- never make threats
- What if the customer doesn't respond to the email?
- Who should send the email?
- And after the second email?
- When to use professional billing
8 tips on how to charge a customer by email
1. Anticipate default
Before worrying about how to charge a customer via email, how about using some tactics to avoid default ?
Many times, the customer simply forgets to pay a bill . And, if you send an email three days before and also on the due date, in the morning, this possibility decreases a lot.
Also, imagine that a customer has two bills to pay and only has the funds to pay one of them. If he receives an e-mail from you (a polite reminder), he may prefer to pay his bill.
2. Always be polite!
A billing email, even after it's due, should have a friendly tone .
As we said, sometimes the customer simply forgot to pay and may even thank you for the reminder, thus avoiding a larger fine or even a protest.
Let them know in simple, to-the-point language, something like:
Dear Customer,
It appears in our controls that the invoice due on that day was not paid on the scheduled date.
Could you check to see if there has been a setback at your company and arrange payment?
If it has already been done, please disregard this message.
Did you see how charging a customer with education can be easy?
3. Keep an eye out for legal issues
It is not enough to be polite, it is necessary to pay attention to legal issues. Billing a customer improperly can be considered an embarrassment. Especially if it becomes public.
Therefore, check carefully whether there really is an outstanding debt. Also, check the values and the person who will receive the message.
Sending a charge to a person outside the company can be very harmful to your business.
And, as we said before, be sure to include the disclaimer: If it has already been done, please disregard this message.
4. Never make threats
It is worth insisting: threats are not made when charging a customer! There's no way to charge a customer with politeness by making threats, right?
Imagine that you want to resume the relationship with that customer in the future. How are you going to do that if you threatened him? Even the issue of interest and fines should be announced as warnings, and even then only after a second contact with the customer.
Default in the B2B market can happen for several reasons . Companies' cash flow is sometimes affected by factors that are unforeseen to the financial management of the business. And in this case, the ideal is to maintain the best possible relationship with the customer.
As soon as the customer recovers, he can go back to making excellent purchases from your company. Therefore, insist on good management of the relationship with them .
5. What if the customer doesn't respond to the email?
If the customer does not respond to your first email, wait 2 days and send a second reminder.
Well, this is for companies that have a not very large number of customers and that have the time available to do this follow-up.
If your company is at this level, it is worth insisting on a second email before taking tougher measures.
The e-mail is impersonal, therefore, an employee of your company is not stigmatized.
6. Who should send the email?
There is no way to charge a customer by email and not generate a certain discomfort. Even taking all precautions, this can always happen.
Therefore, the charge should not be made by the seller who serves this customer. But, preferably, by a collaborator in the financial area.
7. And after the second email?
In that case, it's time for a phone call. Following the same guidelines as above, a financial employee should contact the other company and try to find out what happened.
It never hurts to try to remedy the situation, giving a short deadline and avoiding charging fines.
But, if there is new non-payment on the second chance, then it is time to take more energetic measures.
8. When to use professional billing
When reaching the point mentioned above, the ideal is not to wear out the company and simply protest the title (if there is such a possibility). And if the debt is not settled, transfer the case to companies specializing in collection.
This is not the focus of your business, charging customers, right?
So, outsource it from the moment this task becomes too delicate .
Just be careful that this company is professional and doesn't embarrass your customer.
Is it clear to you how to charge a customer politely? So, put these tips into practice and do what you can to ensure that your customer relationships are not affected by a mere occasional delay.