After years of assisting clients with their taxes and financial affairs, I have seen many medical invoices that don’t include simple, flexible payment options. While many medical bills are paid on the day, those that aren’t are often missing basic information such as email contact, EFT details, or a list of accepted cards.
With the exception of older patients without email accounts, I’m constantly surprised at the number of invoices still being sent via snail mail. Not only does this delay the invoice in delivery time, indirect or vague instructions can cause frustration and doubt.
For example, if the payment method relies on the client ringing the business, the transaction is restricted to business hours. It may take clients a few days before they find time or get around to calling.
The sooner your clients pay, the greater your cash flow and the more efficient your administration processes. A streamlined transaction will leave your clients with a positive experience, eliminating needless stress at both ends.
Ideally, the payment method will allow clients to pay at any time within a matter of minutes. Clear, simple steps should be outlined at the bottom of the page. You can increase the visibility by making the font size larger, adding a splash of colour, numbering the steps, or putting the message in a box. Your contact details should be listed in case clients have any questions. See examples of effective invoicing here.
Consult with your staff and trusted advisors on how to streamline your invoicing and billing systems. Once you’ve found a system that works for you, record the process. Procedure manuals make it easy for you and your staff to get it right every time, minimise training time, and raise the value of your business at time of sale.
So if you want to increase your cash flow, email invoices with clear instructions, simple and flexible payment methods, and your business contact details. Take the time to review your processes and document them once your system is in place.
Remember, easy payments make for happy patients and happy clients!
If you need help with this process, please contact our office on 1300 911 227.
https://topnotepad.com/online-invoicing-software is one of the best tool.. Simple to use with a good interface.
It provides many features : Manage expenses, manage leads , accounting , PDF’s files , Payment reminders and so on…
Thanks for your comment, Lipika. There are a number of invoicing programs available (eg. Xero, Myob, TopNote, Invoice2Go). The program people choose is between them and their accountant.