Customer service extends to all points of contact with your customers. One point of contact that’s often not considered as customer service is invoicing customers. If you want your customers to feel good about your business, making your invoicing and payment systems as easy as possible is essential.
Here are 6 things you can do when invoicing customers to have your invoices paid promptly
Make your invoices look professional
If your invoices look professional, your customers will think of your business as a professional business. These days, there is no excuse for not having professional invoices. Programs like Xero or Wave allow you to set up customised invoices that are branded to your business. Or if you’re not wanting to use an accounting program, you can use programs like Microsoft Word or Google Docs to create a professional looking invoice.
Check legal requirements – and make sure your invoices comply
Most countries have standards that must be met for invoices to comply with the relevant legislation. It’s up to you to make sure that your invoices comply. In Australia, the Australian Tax Office publishes guidelines for what must be on an invoice. If you’re not sure what you need to include, here are two articles that give some great information: Issuing Tax Invoices and Setting Up Your Invoices.
Clearly include your bank account details
If you want people to pay promptly, make it easy to find your bank account, Bpay or other details your customers will need to make payment. If you issue a lot of invoices, you should also clearly say what you want in the reference section. Some people may want an invoice number, some may prefer the customer name.
If you offer online payment methods such as PayPal, include a link on the email
If you are going to allow customers to pay online using a credit card or PayPal, make sure to include a link to the payment gateway on the invoice. The link will prompt customers to pay immediately when the invoice hits their inbox. It also makes it easy for customers to pay, and anything that makes it easier helps you get paid sooner.
Make it clear what the invoice is for
When you send an invoice, make it clear what it’s for. Not just that it’s from your business, but which products or services the charges are for. If a customer has to come back to you for clarification, that will delay the payment of the invoice. It can also make customers feel less trustful when it’s not clear what an invoice is for.
Clearly display the due date
Ideally, your customers pay their invoices as soon as they’re received. In practice, that’s not usually the case. So make sure to include the due date on the invoice so clients know when they do need to pay. In my opinion, an actual due date is far preferable to a statement such as “7 day terms” or “Payment due 30 days after invoice date”.
Confirm receipt of payment
Finally, when your client pays you, send an acknowledgement that you’ve received the payment. Most invoicing systems have a facility to acknowledge receipt of payment. If yours doesn’t, a quick email is plenty. You can even just set up a line of auto-text saying something like “Thank you for your payment” and send that once the payment hits your bank account.
