Excuse #1

Start with the following introduction – YOU: Hello, may I speak to [customer name]? This is [your name] from [company name]. CUSTOMER: Hi YOU: Hi [customer name], this is regarding [invoice #] for [$$] due on [date]. I am calling to find out if this invoice has been processed and the check mailed? Excuse #1 CUSTOMER: ?I haven?t received your invoice.? YOU: Thank you for informing me. Can I please verify the email address I should send the invoice to? CUSTOMER: [email address] YOU: Sure, I will issue the invoice again while I have you on the line. Could you please confirm if you have received it? YOU: [If the customer did not receive the invoice] Could you please check your junk folder to make sure our invoices aren?t getting blocked? YOU: [If the customer has received the invoice] Great! Now that you have received the invoice, can we agree on a payment date? CUSTOMER: Okay. I can pay by next Monday. YOU: Thankyou! I will make a note of that in our system and follow up with a reminder email this Thursday. Have a great day.

Excuse #2

CUSTOMER: ?I haven?t paid because you?ve invoiced me incorrectly.? YOU: I am sorry. I did not know there was a problem with the invoice. Can you tell me more about the issue? CUSTOMER: [explains the problem] YOU: [If the customer is unable to share all relevant details, ask specific as well as open-ended questions to get the maximum details] Can you please share the reason code? What is the amount you are disputing for? YOU: Thank you for sharing all the information. I have forwarded the details to our deductions management team. [Create a pre-deduction & forward to deductions team] CUSTOMER: Okay. YOU: In the meanwhile, can you process the invoice for a partial payment against the amount you are not disputing? CUSTOMER: Yes, I can do that but not before next Monday. YOU: Sure, I will make a note of that in our system and follow-up next week if I haven?t seen the payment come through. Have a great day.

Excuse #3

CUSTOMER: ?The payment is approved but the signatory is unavailable.? YOU: When would he/ she be back in the office? CUSTOMER: I am not sure. YOU: Can I get his/ her direct contact information? CUSTOMER: I do not have it. YOU: Oh! Well, it would be a great help if you could introduce me to someone else at your company who could sign the check. YOU: [If the customer gives the information, contact that person and get a payment commitment] Thanks for your help! I would contact [name]. Have a great day. YOU: [If the customer says he/ she does not have the information] I understand. But we are in a tight spot here. It is important that we get this resolved as soon as possible in order to avoid your account being placed on credit hold and prevent your next order from getting blocked. [Create a sense of urgency] Can we discuss a payment agreement for next week.[Validate your customer?s intentions with some type of immediate payment or action] CUSTOMER: Okay. YOU: [Negotiate the payment plan] Thankyou! I will make a note of that in our system and follow up again. Have a great day.

Excuse #4

CUSTOMER: ?I have the invoice but we are facing a cash crunch.? YOU: I am sorry to hear that. How is business? CUSTOMER: [explains the cash flow problem] YOU: Thank you for sharing that with me. I really appreciate your honesty. Cash flow is a constant headache for business these days. Well [customer name], we have had a great business partnership over the years and would love to continue doing business with you. But it is important that you make some payment to ensure that your line of credit and next order are unaffected. I think a payment plan would help us both. What do you think? CUSTOMER: What does that mean? YOU: It means that we agree on partial payments until the invoice is paid in full. That way we can both manage our cash flow better. CUSTOMER: Okay. We could do that. YOU: Explain your suggestion. Get a payment commitment. [Negotiate as you have an upper hand, get some partial payment at the earliest] CUSTOMER: I am okay with that. YOU: Thank you for committing to making those payments. I?m glad we could sort that out together. I?ll make a note in our system and follow-up next week. Have a great day.

Excuse #5

CUSTOMER: ?Payment has been/ will be processed.? ( Broken P2P ) If the payment has been made- CUSTOMER: I have already paid for this invoice. YOU: Great! Can you tell me the check number and the payment date? [Get all relevant details] CUSTOMER: [Shares the details] YOU: Thank you for sharing all that information. I have forwarded all the relevant details to our cash application team. They will look out for the payment and notify once it is received. I have set an alert on our system and will follow-up with you in case we do not receive the payment by next week. Have a great day! If the payment has not been made- CUSTOMER: I will be processing the payment soon. YOU: [Inquire if there is an obstacle to the payment] Alright. Can you tell me if the invoice has been received and approved? If yes, has it been scheduled for payment? Are there any claims or disputes you would like to raise? [Let the customer answer before moving to the next question, make note of them] Please let me know if you facing any problem in processing payments for this invoice. CUSTOMER: [Answers the questions] YOU: You have been a great customer so far. But, it is really important that we get this resolved today in order to avoid your account being placed on credit hold and prevent your next order from getting blocked. You really need to help me here. CUSTOMER: I understand CUSTOMER: [Suggest e-payment options] [Validate your customer?s intentions with some type of immediate payment or action]