Been thinking about this lately since I’m handling everything myself right now. Wonder how bigger operations train their people to deal with late payments consistently.
Seems like having a solid process would make a huge difference in getting paid on time.
Create word-for-word scripts for every step. Don’t let people improvise. I’ve seen one guy practically beg clients while another came off too aggressive. Now my whole team uses the same scripts. New people get trained in five minutes. This way, we collect payments faster since clients know exactly what’s coming.
Had two employees for three years and learned this the hard way. Biggest thing? Make sure everyone knows WHY we do each step, not just what.
When people get that a friendly 7-day reminder helps clients avoid late fees, they sound genuine. Same with the 15-day call - it’s not pushy, it’s solving problems before they blow up.
Everyone needs to know our payment terms cold. Can’t train someone to collect if they don’t understand what’s owed or when it was due.
Role playing different responses helped too. Angry clients, excuse makers, people who forgot - when staff can handle each type, they don’t panic and screw up.
Took an hour to train properly, but worth it. Collection time dropped from 45 days to 25.
Started this when I had two guys working with me last year. Simple checklist - first reminder at 7 days, call at 15, final notice at 30. Everyone has to use the same words and timeline. No exceptions or judgment calls. When people know what’s coming, they usually pay before things get messy. Training’s just walking through it once and sticking to it.
Most payment problems happen because there’s no system, not because people want to screw you.