Of course it’s all very well sending out your invoices and hoping for the best. Unfortunately sometimes we need to follow up with our customers and remind them that they have overlooked paying an account.

Xero has several tools to manage that. There is a very good report that can be printed that shows whether a client has been sent or viewed an invoice. From the report we can drill into individual invoices to see the detail. At a quick glance we can see where things are at and who we need to have a chat to. Here we can see that City Limousines have looked at their invoice and what’s owing. The report can be changed to add or remove the information you want to see, such as the customer’s contact details or expected payment dates.

Always take note of who you talked to and what was said. Then if you need to have another conversation you’re armed with the details of the last call. In the Awaiting Payment screen you can add a note and expected payment date to individual invoices. This is very visible and easily accessed to help you save time.

Another great feature is invoice reminders. Automatic reminders can be sent out as a gentle reminder before or after an invoice is due. You can set the criteria to suit your business and suppress reminders for invoices under a certain dollar amount.

Sending statements is also a good idea. Email them monthly and your customers can clearly see what they owe.

Click here for an interesting article with the top 7 tips for invoice payment terms.

Remember; the old adage “the squeaky wheel gets the oil” so don’t give up.

All of these features and tools can be found in the Sales and reporting areas of Xero. If you’re having trouble keeping track of your customer invoices or want to know more about online invoices in Xero then feel free to give us a call.

To find out more, contact Kim Hamill today on 03 307 8448 or kim@yoa.co.nz.