What Are Services Provided By Billing Consultants

By Lila Berger


Billing consultants enables you to effectively undertake billing process. This is largely dependent on the agreement made by your client. It may be inform of a written contract or any other form of agreement denoting billing and payment process.

For example, a contract may be set up to pay an individual as he or she completes a given milestone. Such as completing one quarter of a project or submitting a draft report of a specific recommendation. Then you invoice your client upon the completion of each milestone.

However, individual may choose frequently do billing to the client according to the number of hours or days worked for. This may include the cost of expenses such as photocopying, traveling among others. He or she notes the charges and bills them to the client according to the agreed period or at the end of billing cycle. This may be done on a monthly basis or according to the period agreed.

The following can be done to promote effectiveness of your billing process. Front load your billing. While you can chose to invoice your client after reaching milestones, it is important to load your fee into the front of the project rather than doing so at the end.

This can be effectively done by pushing for advance payments to aid you start the project or making the first initial payments higher than those which will be due later during the project. This will enable you to get financial head start as well as minimizing risks such as, client paying on the later days of the project. The amount of money can also be used to cater for the cost of the project.

Often billing is essential. Often billing enables you to ensure frequent payments and cash flow. Even though standard consultants usually prefer monthly payments however, hourly or daily is preferred as it increases cash flow of individuals.

Invoice your client immediately. On completion of each milestone or at the end of your billing cycle. It important to send to your client the invoice, this will ensure sooner payments by the clients. This makes you better off financially.

Use email whenever possible. In the past invoices were snail mailed to the client, this used to take up to weeks to arrive. However, currently many clients welcome invoices sent via emails. This cuts delivery time from days to seconds as well as the cost. Significantly it is important to make email part of your business thereby encouraging the clients to do the same.

Motivating the clients to pay promptly is important. Therefore, you should consider offering discounts to the clients who makes prompt payments. Cost incurred in giving discount is lower than the returns brought by immediate payments. The discounts can be offered to the clients who make the payments within 10 to 20 days or less.

Monitor client payment closely. It is important for the billing consultants to monitor the status of their invoices to make sure that the clients pay their bills on time. Making phone calls in necessary to ensure that payments are made on time as well as initiating collection procedures.




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