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.
I just call when bills are late honestly.
Most people pay if you just show up at their door.
Track what actually works. Training means nothing without measuring results.
Keep records of:
Adjust training based on real data. Maybe friendly beats aggressive. Maybe emails work better than calls for certain clients.
I’ve seen teams use training that sounds good but fails completely. Your best collector might know something others don’t.
Train people to spot “can’t pay” vs “won’t pay” clients fast. Saves time and stress for everyone.
No formal training needed. Just keep it simple.
Put clear payment terms on every invoice. Pick specific follow-up days and stick to them. Use the same message each time.
Consistency beats perfection. Don’t let busy periods derail your process.
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.
I just ask nicely when someone’s running late.
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.