One of the main challenges in the business sector, especially for entrepreneurs with micro, small and medium-sized companies, is knowing how to handle situations where it is necessary to send a collection message, aiming to control and reduce defaults.
The good news is that there are ways and even technological solutions that aim to make this practice much more assertive and optimized, valuing, above all, maintaining the bond with the client. After all, we know how difficult it is to reconcile management demands with communication.
So, if you want to know in depth what a collection message is, how to plan it, what type of system can help with this task and practical models and examples of phrases, continue reading and check out the following post.
What is a collection message?
The collection message is a form of communication architects email lists aimed at notifications related to the signaling of pending payments , warning of approaching due dates, sending of bills or even for the beginning of debt negotiations. In this way, it presents offers and payment possibilities that can be accepted and made by consumers.
When considering the national context and market consumption trends, it is possible to observe that these messages are made in text format, sent, for the most part, via messaging applications. WhatsApp, which holds the record for users in the country, stands out as the main method.
See also — WhatsApp Business: understand what it is and what it is for
And for them to be truly effective, they necessarily need to evaluate the following aspects:
Definition of the means of communication through which they will be sent;
Level of formality and language to be chosen;
Consumer audience profile;
Time of issue.
It is important to remember that this is a practice intrinsic to the process of marketing products or services, which can only be considered complete after completion and payment.
The accuracy, objectivity and positioning of collection messages are the perspectives that enable you to successfully complete your sales cycle.
Read later: Steps to improve customer service in your company
Businessmen doing calculations and using laptop
How to charge a customer via WhatsApp?
Even though this may seem like a difficult inconvenience to overcome, you cannot ignore how essential it is for maintaining the financial health of your business. Therefore, check out the guidelines below for planning and executing the collection message.
Consider your audience profile
Regardless of the size and niche of your company, it is mandatory to outline and define a profile of your target audience. To do this, consider key traits and data such as demographic information, gender, economic class and purchasing trends.
All this knowledge is what structures and strengthens the construction of all your actions and will consequently impact your collection actions. This is because, in practice, it helps you visualize your consumers' needs and preferences, influencing and dictating the way in which communication will be carried out.
For example: does the defined profile prefer a more informal or formal approach? Or even what are the main needs and possible factors that can directly affect the purchasing capacity and credit maintenance of these customers? Consider these questions.
Plan a collection message template tailored to your needs
The debit notification message does not need to occur only after the payment is due. You can create a project that determines the triggering of notifications with the aim of helping your audience remember the approaching date, taking advantage of this tool and using it as a post-sale methodology, considering the payment dates.
This action will also influence the prevention and mitigation of rates for non-paying consumers .
Also check out: Everything you need to know about providing good customer service
Set a friendly tone of voice and language
Care with language and tone of voice are essential and need to be adjusted to the entire line and pattern of communication of your business. If more formal writing is already part of this relationship, there is no reason not to resort to it at the stage of signaling pending issues.
For this type of solution, the main guidance is regarding the risk of sounding impersonal. However, if informality is what structures the dynamics, care must be taken to be aware of the need to demarcate the importance of what is being transmitted.
Keep a low profile
Your dialogue should only be with the person responsible for the collection. Therefore, do not resort to the intermediary of other individuals or seek them out. Also, try to make sure that the contact number or email address actually belongs to this consumer.
Plan negotiation proposals
Even if your client has an outstanding debt, remember that the main focus should be on maintaining this relationship.
In view of this, look for possibilities, within what may be viable and healthy for your business, of offering other forms and opportunities for payment, thus signaling how much you respect, consider and value it.
Be clear about payment options
There must be no doubts or possible barriers to payment being made. To do this, indicate the dates clearly and objectively , expressing the payment methods and negotiation alternatives, maintaining an open channel of communication and service.
Also think about the practicality for the user when sending invoices and barcodes, in order to make all the details of the transaction clear.
Maintain good customer service
The customer service standard and profile must be maintained throughout your relationship with the public, to significantly and assertively demarcate all dialogues to be established, even in situations such as billing or requests for feedback and service evaluation .
Therefore, provide high quality service to all your customers , even those with outstanding debts.
Count on the help of technological solutions
Did you know that you can count on technology solutions that aim to facilitate and optimize communication between companies and consumers? They are also linked to the choice of the communication channel to be adopted and, therefore, their consideration and choice are of utmost importance.
Whatever the option, such as sending emails, communications given directly when logging into the website, SMS or others, the selection of each one needs to reflect your audience.