Keep track of who owes you
GuideALYR teamPublished
In short
Record every credit sale when it happens, with the date, the amount and who took it, and tell the customer the new balance each time. Once a week, list who owes what and for how long, oldest first. Remind those more than 30 days behind, friendly at first and firmer as the debt ages, never twice in a few days. Agree a limit for each regular, record every promise to pay, and take each payment against the oldest purchase first. A credit book works if one person keeps it; ALYR Accounts does it from one line on the staff phone.
Why credit gets lost
Credit is a favour to a regular, so it is written down quickly, by whoever is at the counter, in their own way. A month later nobody is sure of the total, and asking feels like an accusation. What fixes it is a record both sides trust.
Record it the same way every time
At the moment of the sale
The date, the customer, what they took, the amount and who served them. Mistakes come in when it is written later.
Tell the customer each entry
Send what was added and the new balance, the same day. A customer who sees each entry has little to dispute at the end of the month.
One record, one keeper
One book kept by one person, or one screen. Two notebooks never agree.
Know how old each debt is
Sort what is owed by age: up to 30 days, 31 to 60, 61 to 90, and over 90. The oldest amounts matter more than the total, because the longer a debt waits, the harder it is to collect.
Remind on a schedule
Pick a day each week
Remind everyone more than 30 days behind on the same day, so it is a routine for everyone and nobody feels singled out.
Let the tone follow the age
A friendly reminder first, and firmer after 60 days. Never more than one reminder in a few days.
Ask for a date
Let the customer answer with the day they will pay, write the promise down, and look at it again on that day.
Stop when asked
If a customer asks you to stop the messages, stop, and settle it face to face.
Limits and payments
- Agree a limit for each regular, and stop new credit when it is reached.
- Take each payment against the oldest purchase first, and tell the customer what is left.
- Give a receipt for every payment, even part of one.
With ALYR
ALYR Accounts keeps this record for you, and we go through your book with you at setup.
- Your staff record a credit sale or a payment with one line from their phone, and the customer is told the entry and the new balance.
- A customer can ask for their balance in the chat at any time.
- What is owed, by age, with who promised to pay and when.
- One press sends reminders to everyone 30 days or more behind, with the safeguards on the ALYR Accounts page.
- A payment settles the oldest purchase first.
- ALYR Agent shows promises that have passed and accounts over their limit.