What Do Spring Cleaning and Paperwork Have To Do With Each Other

What do spring cleaning and paperwork have to do with each other?

Hopefully not much.

Remember when computers were the solution to reducing paperwork…well, yeah, we all know how that worked. For a while there, we had even more but for the last couple of years the advances in technology have really started to disconnect the idea of payment and paperwork. I see it every day. I help create these solutions every day. Yet, sometimes people are stuck in that world of “paper” and they can’t seem to get out of it.

Today, know that there really is a solution and even though it feels like spring is just starting…

again…

the clean up, from spring clean up, is still taking place.

It has been more than 6 weeks since spring lawn and landscaping clean up season started.  Can you believe it?

I can.

You know why?

In my networking meetings all this week, I’ve had seasonal business owners tell me that they have to get back to the office and process paperwork. (After all, isn’t that what they are supposed to do on a rainy day?)  They kind of were complaining, but more matter of fact with their comments that they’re still waiting for payments from clients who had landscaping clean up service completed in March and April.

March and April invoices still unpaid?

I had to ask them (I couldn’t help it!)

“Well, does your credit card processing system allow you to electronically invoice your customers?”

I went on to inquire about their ability to process online payments:

Can you send them an e-mail and have them pay their invoice remotely?

Do you send out your crew leader with a mobile device that allows them to talk to the client, in person and obtain a card-in-hand mobile transaction the day of service?

Or, and this one seems to get them even more interested,

Can you set up automated recurring payment processing for the weekly lawn and landscaping clients?

These services have been available for years, reducing the paperwork and clutter and streamlining the payment collection process – yet I still hear of local businesses who do not consider the cost of sending paper invoices to their customers.

Some of the companies I have seen grow, year over year, have implemented simple technology solutions to help collect payments with very little effort on a monthly basis – and far less paperwork.

TranstAct solutions for service based companies can help collect payments and help businesses grow with a steady stream of revenues – which is pretty much the most important aspect of a successful business after delivering a great service to your customers and clients!

I now have several discussions taking place with some of my networking counterparts – with a few days of rain in the forecast – they have decided now might be the perfect time to stop adding paperwork to their regular clean up efforts. I promised them I would only take 20 minutes of their time to review their options, then they could get back to the office and get that spring billing cleaned up.

~ Mary Ann