Common Reasons Customers Fall Away

There’s nothing worse than customers who don’t pay. However, before you get fed up with your customers, you’ll want to make sure that the fault for non-payment isn’t yours. Believe it or not, some of the most commonly given reasons for non-payment are the fault of the company, not the customer!

A Malfunctioning Payment Platform

Sometimes, customers try their best to pay...and can’t. It’s surprisingly common for those oh-so-convenient online payment platforms to work incorrectly from time to time. This could happen because of an overloaded system, a hacker attack, or for a wide range of other reasons. As such, you’ll want to make sure your online payment platforms are up to par and then re-check them regularly.

Also, even for traditional payments, you’ll want to keep things simple and accurate. Always make sure that every invoice clearly states how to pay and includes the correct address for mailing payments.

Dissatisfaction

If people don’t like your products or services, guess what? Many of them aren’t gong to pay. If your client is grossly unhappy with a product or service and feels he has been cheated, that’s a pretty good reason not to get a payment.

You can fix these issues before they even start by following up on all product complaints  

immediately. And, even if a customer does happen to slip through the cracks, you can always follow up with a phone call or email. Reaching out and asking why a payment hasn’t been made and if there’s a problem is always a better first approach than making angry demands.

Financial Problems

This last issue isn’t really the fault of the company; it’s just a fact of life. If customers run into financial difficulty and are unable to pay, hopefully they will feel comfortable contacting you to work something out. You can make yourself seem more approachable by always being kind and polite to customers and perhaps even by attaching an “if you can’t pay, there are other options” type of message to bills and other collections notices.

Being willing to work with clients, even if it means getting paid less in a given month, is always going to benefit you more than harsh, threatening sales requests. Remember, your job isn’t just to collect money but also to protect your business’s reputation.

You can increase your earnings and your good name by remembering these simple tips.