Hmm. Late-paying customers. They're not always easy to deal with. Some clients and customers are also business associates, peers, colleagues and even friends. Lots of emailed reminders or phone calls can get a little awkward... Besides, every customer deserves great service. We've previously addressed using QuickBooks well, and how QuickBooks can send automatic payment reminders to your customers and clients. Sending email reminders to overdue customers is one technique to keep your company's cash flow healthy.
Cash flow is a problem for most small organisations. How can you get clients to pay on time, or within a reasonable amount of time after the due date? Some of the possible solutions have been discussed previously. Accept credit/debit cards as well as bank wire transfers. Send statements on a regular basis. If it makes economical sense, provide a discount for early payment. Tips like that.
Automated reminders are another feature available in QuickBooks Online for speeding up incoming payments. You won't have to spend as much effort keeping track of past-due remittances if you set things up. It's simple to set up, and you may customize your messages. If you come across a single customer that needs a nudge, you can do it manually.
What about personal reminders? QuickBooks Online does not have a to-do list where you can record things that must be completed. However, there are still methods to tie a digital string around your finger to keep you from falling behind on your own important tasks.
If you think you're being too invasive by sending out payment reminders, consider how you'd feel if you received one. Who hasn't had a financial responsibility completely slip out their mind? We've all done it! You may even welcome such an email or letter if you wish to preserve a good working relationship with your vendors.
Automating the Process
Click the gear button in the upper right corner to get started. 'Account' and 'Settings' can be found under 'Your Company'. Scroll down to 'Reminders' under the 'Sales' tab. Toggle the pencil symbol to the right to reveal the options, then toggle the on/off switch next to 'Automatic invoice reminders' to turn them on. To open the template, click the down arrow next to 'Default email message' for invoice reminders.
You can customize email templates for late payment reminders in QuickBooks Online.
If you've ever done a mail merge, you'll recognise this. The content in [brackets] is replaced with data from your company file by QuickBooks Online. As a result, it will create an email for each past-due customer, replacing the bracketed material with your own customer and company names, as well as invoice numbers. Of course, you don't have to personalize the emails, but it's more likely to be effective. Everything in the template can be changed, and you can request a copy by checking a box.
Three reminder-scheduling blocks are located beneath this email template. Click 'Reminder 1' on by clicking the button next to it. You'll see that you can send clients a reminder on the due date or a preset number of days (3, 7, 14, 30, or 90) before or after the due date.
QuickBooks Online examines your invoice due dates and automatically sends an email reminder to everyone who fulfils the requirements. Even if you didn't send the original invoice through email, if a customer record contains an email address, a reminder will be sent.
You can set up automated invoice reminders for any customer who fulfils the criteria you set.
In the 'Reminder 2' and 'Reminder 3' blocks, you can create additional, distinct reminders. Remember to click 'Save' when you're finished, or no one will be getting those reminders! You can always go back and change things. Click 'Sales' in the left vertical toolbar, then 'Invoices' to check who received reminders. In the 'Status' column, the term 'Reminded' should show.
If you'd rather not send automatic reminders, QuickBooks Online allows you to do so. Select 'Send reminder' from the drop-down arrow next to 'Receive payment' at the end of the row on the same 'Sales | Invoices' screen. If you want to send reminders to numerous customers, tick the box next to each customer's name. Select 'Send reminder' from the drop-down arrow next to 'Batch actions' above the table.
Create a To-Do list to remind yourself of tasks
You know what would be cool... We wish that QuickBooks Online had a feature similar to QuickBooks Desktop's reminder feature, which welcomes you when you activate the software and lists tasks that need to be completed. (Does anyone have QuickBook's CEO on speed dial?) However, there are still ways to remind yourself that your invoices and bills are past due. All you have to do is make it a habit to check particular data displays on a regular basis.
For instance, go to:
• The home page's 'Business Overview' section. There's an income graph that indicates how much money is owed to you and is caught up in past due invoices (and open invoices).
• The 'Invoices and All Sales' screens, which can be accessed by selecting 'Sales' from the left vertical toolbar.
• 'Reports', like 'Accounts receivable ageing detail', 'Open Invoices', 'Unbilled charges', and 'Unbilled time'.
If you've only recently begun using QuickBooks Online and are having some trouble, we can set up training sessions and answer your questions. And, of course, we're always here for our loyal customers. Many small businesses are still affected by the COVID-19 outbreak, and we understand you may be having difficulties. Some of us have set up our own businesses, and have only recently become freelancers (again, a result of the pandemic!) Please contact us if we can assist you in making better use of QuickBooks Online to manage your finances.
