7 quick wins you get from calling over (e)-mailing your customers

Any time not spent communicating with your customers in credit management is not adding value to your business. Customer contact makes your customers pay faster, and cash is the fuel of your organisation. In our years of experience offering customers credit management software we have seen a large portion of organisations spending time in pre-call preparation and prioritisation. By the time you’re ready to contact you customer, it might be tempting to just send a reminder. Depending on how your policies are set up and which type of relationship you (want to) have with your customer, calling might be more effective than sending an (e)-mail. Our software helps you prioritise which communication is appropriate for your customers. By automating part of your administrative tasks you free up time to pick up the phone and call the customers that need direct contact. Here are 7 reasons why direct customer contact is the better way to achieve results within credit management:

1. Proactiveness

Calling is a more proactive approach than an email or a letter. By calling the customer you show that you are committed to your own cause as well as the customers’: collaboratively removing barriers that are preventing them from paying invoices.

2. Gettings the right person

When you call, chances are higher that you will get the right person on the phone. This is important if you are dealing with open invoices and payments. Getting the right person on the phone gives you instant access to all the facts and details about the barriers mentioned above.

3. Direct result

In our experience, no other medium achieves direct results like a phone call. When you have your customer on the phone, you can do business instantly, rather than waiting for a response to an email or a letter. It takes the hassle off of putting next steps in place or letting the customer decide the next move.

4. Two-way commitment

Sending a letter asks a customer for commitment, but it does not mean that he will give you that commitment. If you call your customer and discuss options with him / her, you will end up with a two-way commitment, rather than a one-way request.

5. Tracking dissatisfaction

When you have your customer on the phone, he can feed back any dissatisfaction that could stem from an invoice he has received. In this way you can move quickly to the root cause of the customer not paying, provide a solution and move on.

6. Building customer intimacy

You have an agreement with your customer. Stick to your policies and processes and let your customer know that you are expecting him to keep his promises. Communicate in a pragmatic business way but keep your communication friendly and personal. So stick to your agreements but don’t forget to apply the personal attention that a customer needs.

7. Picking up the less obvious signals

Speaking to someone allows you to pick up on emotions and behaviour. You might be able to detect “hidden messages” and ask that extra question to get to the bottom of the situation. In writing you do not know whether what you are reading is fact or fiction.

All the above steps have something in common. By creating customer intimacy you start nudging the customer in the direction you want him to go by communicating and understanding. It is about achieving success through mutual commitment rather than pushing through a process which could lead to conflict and jeopardise the long-term relationship.