So you’ve sent the original invoice to your client via email or mail and still haven’t gotten a response. It’s been days, weeks, or maybe even months and the due date has come and gone. You just can’t seem to get a hold of this person to pay their balance and likely, you’re starting to sweat. You have to try something different to ask for that payment, something maybe a little more pressing and assertive but you don’t want to come off as rude… so what do you do?

LINKS:
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https://etactics.com/blog/askforpay...
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Battling to get some clients to pay their balances for services provided is unfortunately just going to be a part of your revenue cycle management duties. Some people may have just misplaced the invoice, forgotten about the due date, or don’t have the means to pay it all off at once.

When emailing and sending letters doesn’t get you in touch with someone, the next step for a lot of people is to pick up the phone and call or text.
When you compare phone calls to emails or letters, most people would agree they’re harder to ignore. Especially if you actually answer and don’t let it go to voicemail.

If you’re able to get a client on the phone, you’ll make it more difficult for them to dodge your questions or give you excuses. But this can be a bit more tricky when it comes to keeping a good relationship with an overdue client since the method of communication is inherently more direct and assertive in nature. You still want to be polite and considerate of the client’s financial situation, after all.

So, make sure you have your plan of attack ready before you call… and do take the word “attack” here with a grain of salt. When talking to a client over the phone to settle a balance, it’s important to first and foremost introduce yourself and explain why you’re calling.

Starting the conversation by just straight up asking for money is sure to rub people the wrong way and may even damage the relationship between you and your client.

Keep your reason for calling clear, concise, and polite. That means no accusations about the client not paying you and please don’t ask why they haven’t made a payment yet. Instead, simply state that they have an overdue balance and ask what the best way for them to make a payment is. They may need you to set them up on a payment plan.

When you’ve come up with a plan on how to settle the balance, make sure you summarize it back to the client to solidify all of the details of the agreement before you hang up.

No matter how that conversation goes, you’re sure to at least get more details about why the balance is overdue. For example, the client may not have gotten the original invoice due to the wrong email address being on file or the mailing address could be incorrect.

You can have a rough outline of what you want to say mapped out before you make your call. Also, some revenue cycle solutions offer automated prerecorded voice messages to be sent out to clients when the due date has passed, so you don’t have to physically make all of those calls just to end up leaving a voicemail.

Speaking of, 80% of Americans don’t answer the phone if an unknown number calls and just lets it go to their voicemail. For the majority of people who don’t answer the phone for unsaved numbers, sending a text reminder is a good option to make sure they can see the balance still owed. Starting a conversation with a client through text gives them more time to prepare and respond. Similar to an email, including your name, why you’re reaching out, the balance due, and the new due date can help you get your point across with no misinterpretations… along with a link to pay the balance online if that is an option or a number to contact for further customer service.

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