You run your business with integrity, which is why your clients come back to you on a regular schedule. You provide a service and lay out your terms effectively, allowing your client to have expectations, which are met regularly. Then it comes time for the bill, and this is where you can lose your clients with whom you worked so hard to gain trust. Suddenly, details are missing, billed hours are more than expected, and the overall process of receiving a bill took much longer than anticipated. The problem many businesses have is the idea that the job is done – before the final bill is provided and paid.
Your Bill is Part of Your Brand
Typically, a client expects to receive a bill for the same amount or less than the amount originally quoted for a service. Otherwise, they expect to receive an update prior to the bill notifying them that the cost will be more than expected and to be asked if work should continue. However, many companies do not work like this. As a matter of fact, many companies simply send a bill and forget about it. If the bill causes sticker shock for the client, it may go unpaid and never resolved. At the same time, the client will call a competitor for the next assignment.
On the other hand, those companies that look at the bill as a part of their overall brand find that communication with clients must always continue through the final payment of the bill. These businesses understand that the final impression will be a lasting impression, and they want that impression to be great. Therefore, not only is thorough communication essential, but also the bill must be as expected, with no surprises.
Assistance Is Available
Using a reliable billing program can help a business maintain integrity and accuracy in their billing and continuation of their brand. One additional benefit is the ease of communication. If a customer’s bill remains unpaid, your software can notify you to alert you to a billing issue. This allows you to stay on top of the billing process and not miss an opportunity to provide continued customer service, while also ensuring you are paid for your services. By reaching out to the customer before a late fee is incurred, your customer knows that you are on top of every aspect of your business and that you care about your customers as much as you care about your business. In addition, you are providing a forum for your customers to dispute a charge or total that may have otherwise gone unanswered and ignored.
Once you have spoken with your client to determine if there is an issue, you can simply open the software, make adjustments as needed, and resend your invoice to your client – without ever missing a beat. The adjustment may be as simple as sending it again because it got lost in email or a little more complex, like issuing a credit. Either way, your client will appreciate the ease of dealing with a problem and the fact that a confrontation was avoided. To learn more about making sure your bill and billing practices reflect your brand in the manner you desire, contact the experts at ReliaBills at 1.877.93BILLS (877.932.4557).
