Running an operation is not an easy task for field service professionals. Even when you do stellar work and perform the tasks as expected, you often have to chase your clients to get paid for a job well done.
But as tricky as the process might seem, it is still not without its workarounds. By following tips such as turning to merchant account providers and tweaking your invoicing practices, you can shorten the gap between completing your work and getting paid for it.
Here are 8 of the best ways in field service management (FSM) to get paid on time and to help you navigate this uncertain yet manageable world of payments.
Turn to Mobile Payment Solutions
More often than not in FSM, clients delay making payments due to an absence of cash. Sometimes, they don’t have funds readily available. At other moments, it may be due to friction in the process such as lack of time or other issues that may prevent them from paying on time.
In these situations, you can turn to mobile merchant payment solutions to help you fix these issues. By making use of mobile transaction terminals, your field service team can provide your customers with a more convenient way to quickly process a credit card payment right at the job site. This improves your customer experience and thus increases your customer satisfaction.
In addition to that, you can also make use of modern mobile app payment solutions, which let you turn any mobile device into a payment terminal. By using dedicated apps from your merchant account providers, you can even use your Apple or Android device to accept payments with ease. If you use a payments solution that integrates with your field service management software, you’ll be able to seamlessly manage your work orders from beginning to end.
Perhaps the best part of having your field workers accept mobile credit card payments? You get paid in real-time!
Know Who to Contact For Field Service Professionals
Even when you know the company or individual you have rendered your services to, it doesn’t mean that you know the actual person who is providing payment for the bills.
To get paid on time, you must know this information. Whether you are using online payment methods or mobile payment solutions, knowing exactly who to send the invoice to helps you steer clear of gatekeepers and potential delays.
This simple practice helps you get your payments processed promptly and keeps your company account from depleting when it shouldn’t have to. Store this contact’s information in your CRM portion of your field service management solution to keep it on file.
Digitize Your Invoices
Paper invoices sent by snail mail are a thing of the past. Send invoices digitally via your payment solution instead. Customers find this much more convenient. Some payment service providers may even be able to create self-service customer portals for easy, safe payments. This sort of optimization empowers you to focus on your field operations and service workers.
Keep the Invoice Simple
While it is essential to know who to contact for your payments, it is also imperative to learn how to reach out to them.
Here, it is best to keep your invoice as concise as possible. Keep things clear in terms of billable hours and rendered services. But make sure that you do not overcomplicate by adding in any unnecessary details. This applies equally to any type of payment request, whether you are using traditional merchant services or mobile merchant payment solutions.
It’s because the more details you give to your clients, the more time they will take to understand them. The simpler your invoice is, the faster it will get processed.
Don’t Feel Ashamed in Asking for Quick Payments
Regardless of the kind of services you provide, you offer them in exchange for a set compensation. You know that if you do not receive your payment on time, it can affect your business operations. Keeping this in mind, don’t hesitate to ask for your funds when you deliver the services.
As long as you keep your tone professional and courteous when asking for payment, it shouldn’t affect your relationship with a client. Find out their preferred method to pay and honestly recommend the quickest way for them, and for you, to process their payment.
When you have delivered quality work, your client won’t hesitate to turn to your preferred mobile app payment solutions to transfer payments quickly.
Keep Communication Open
One simple yet effective tip after sending the invoice is to keep yourself available for any questions or clarifications. Mentioning your availability when invoicing, along with your hours of operation, is always a good practice.
This way, your clients know that they can quickly reach out to you to get any questions answered.
Automate Your Invoices
For clients that you service on a regular basis, you can set your invoices up to go to them automatically. Not only does this streamline your back-office workflows by removing a routine chore for you, but it ensures that the invoice gets to your client in time every time. If your invoicing solution is integrated with your field service software you may also be able to set it to send the invoice at the time that your field service technicians close out a work order.
Follow Up On Unpaid Invoices
Don’t be afraid to reach out to customers who haven’t paid yet. Depending on your payments solution, you may even be able to automate notifications to their email or SMS to remind them to pay an invoice. Consider leveraging late fees, as well, when a payment is delayed past a certain date.
When coupled with a capable mobile merchant payment solutions provider that integrates with your FSM software, these tactics can help your field service operations business get your invoices processed quickly and easily, while meeting customer expectations for a modern business (particularly one with a mobile workforce). At Stax, we specialize in integrating our conventional and mobile payment services to operations of any scale, greatly increasing operational efficiency with our software solutions. A digital transformation might be just the thing you need to reinvigorate your customer lifecycle. To learn more about how Stax can help you get paid on time, reach out for a custom pricing quote today.
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