05.25.2017 | Posted by Jasmine

Phone? Email? Snail Mail? Which Method Provides the Best Results?

Clients often ask what the preferred method of collecting on an invoice is. A phone call? An email? Or, snail mail?

A company’s receivables are the lifeblood of the organization.

They pay the bills, cover the employee payroll and allow for growth. Your AR team is tasked with the important responsibility of collecting money in the quickest time possible but often have trouble doing so. Knowing which methods of contacting customers will yield the best response time is more valuable than ever with the current retail environment.

The telephone should be used as your primary method of contacting customers.

While email has its advantages from time to time, for the purposes of collecting invoices, the telephone is still the most beneficial.  It allows you to get a feel for whether or not the customer is economically stressed by the things they say or the sound of their voice.  Occasionally a customer will provide you with additional information that is useful but you didn’t necessarily ask about.

With e-mail or snail mail, you generally only get a response to the questions you ask.

Having to fill a conversation on the phone can elicit information from your customer that you may not be privy to otherwise. Much of the collection process is getting a feel for how your customer is responding in order to better protect your company from bad debt.  Email or snail mail should only be used if requested by the customer or if you are not able to reach your A/P contact by phone.

Just making a call does not necessarily complete the job.

Encourage your AR Specialists to dig a little deeper at times. We suggest thinking outside of the box and taking extra steps to try and reach customers that are non-responsive. Ideally, after 2-3 attempts to reach someone unsuccessfully you should change tactics.

Here are a few surefire ways to make your collection calls more successful:

-Confirm that you have the correct contact

-Avoid trying to reach the same contact over and over if they aren’t responding

-Try calling at a different time of day than you normally do. Perhaps your AR specialist will have more luck at the end of their shift versus the beginning

-Try dialing 0 for the operator. Explain why you are calling and who you have been trying to reach. Ask if there is anyone else in A/P that can assist you or if you are able to speak with a live A/P person at this time. If they aren’t in, ask to speak with another A/P person in the department, the controller or the CFO. Reaching out to multiple people may help you get a response sooner

– Ask the sales rep to reach out to their contact or the buyer for better contact info or assistance reaching out

-If all else fails, ask for an A/P Supervisor

Here at Axim, our AR Specialists are the first line of defense for our clients and are very successful at collecting money in the fastest time possible while offering professional and courteous customer service. On average we collect invoices one week faster than industry standard.  This is achieved through the utilization of our proprietary collection system, the methodical and timely follow up on invoices following specific parameters, and with the experience of our seasoned collectors. We pride ourselves on our ability to get your invoices paid in a quick and efficient manner.

Have further questions or issues with your receivables? We’d love to hear from you! Visit our website, find us on social media or give us a call for more information!