Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/117828
22 ��� APRIL 2013 ��� WORLD FENCE NEWS How to utilize the ���customer satisfaction��� collections process BY TOM LUBY, PROFIT BUILDERS INTERNATIONAL As I mentioned in last month���s column, excessive accounts receivable will sink any company, and the best as- surance that you will get paid when the job is complete is the one that addresses collections at the earliest pos- Get It Up Every Time With PulJak! THE FENCEMAN���S FRIEND STRETCHES ��� LIFTS ��� ALIGNS ��� CLAMPS MODEL A���21���2 �� FOR: TIGHT CORNERS, SHORT PULLS, GATES ONLY Designed for those ���Impossible��� jobs $95.90 PulJak�� Company LLC P.O. Box 449 ��� Branford, CT 06405 PHONE: (203) 500-2520 ��� FAX: (203) 738-1088 E-mail: puljak@comcast.net Visit us on the Web at www.puljakusa.com sible stage and is consistent and thorough in dealing with past due accounts. Earlier we talked about the initial collections procedures for both residential and commercial accounts, and now I want to talk about the follow-through process. For any fence job, your first responsibility for collecting money due is to be sure the customer is satisfied with the job and crews and overall work. It is virtually impossible to collect money from unhappy customers, so do not assume anything about the job ��� call and ask. Also, this call must be perceived as a ���customer satisfaction call��� and not a call to collect money. Naturally, your intention for making the call is primarily to get paid, but this must not be obvious; just the opposite. The customer ��� commercial or residential ��� must feel you consider them to be very important, and their satisfaction is paramount. Remember, this is to be done via phone or in person, not via the internet by e-mail or by post. This must be a person-toperson conversation. This call then serves to promote two very important goals: establishing good will and a professional image in the mind of the customer, and helping collect your money as quickly as possible in the process. The customer satisfaction call made in a timely manner is among the most important calls you can make. During the call, you want to make sure that everything is satisfactory with the job and service. When that is accomplished, then and only then (and more as an ���after thought,���) you are to check to see if the invoice was received and that payment is anticipated as per the terms of the invoice. Problems must be addressed and corrected before an invoice is due for payment, or for residential customers, as soon after the job is completed as possible. Here is an example of what you might want to say when calling a delinquent customer for the first time: ���This is (your name), from Your Fence Company. I am calling to make sure everything is satisfactory with your job.��� Pause and wait for a response. If the customer has a complaint, this must be addressed immediately. This is the first phase of the call ��� the Tymetal has been providing the highest quality gate systems to fence contractors for over 25 years Fortress Cantilever Slide Gates Fortress Heavy Duty Overhead Slide Gates Fortress Heavy Duty Swing Gates Crash Rated Cantilever Slide Gates Crash Rated Beams Crash Rated Bollards ���We Close Openings���