When designing your invoice, be aware that it is more than a tool for collecting payment. It is important to go beyond showing the payment due and use your invoice as a means of communication.
You should be focused on connecting with the people receiving it — your customers. Creating a customer-friendly invoice package will educate your customers about your company, the services you provide, and most importantly help to keep them loyal. You can do this by reading the following tips on integrating business and marketing goals into your bill:
Tell Them Who You Are
Customers are more likely to open mail from a company whose name they immediately recognize. Increase recognition of your company’s identity through corporate branding on your invoice. Using a color logo can increase brand awareness by 80 percent and distinguish you from your competition in the minds of your clients. Remember, your customers are bombarded with unwanted mail from other companies — make sure your mailing doesn’t get tossed aside.
Make it Easy to Read
You don’t want to frustrate customers with a layout that makes them search for information. Design an easy-to-read bill that allows recipients to find important information, such as call detail, total due and due date, without difficulty. You can make it painless to read complex data, including call detail, by formatting it into double columns. The familiar format seen in magazines and newspapers will enable customers to scan data quickly. Using double columns to maximize the space on your invoice can also reduce the number of pages, resulting in savings in printing and postage costs. We also recommend using highlight color to draw attention to important sections as it can increase payment response time by up to 30 percent.
Reduce Call Center Volume
Besides keeping customers happy good invoice design can prevent customer service calls and maximize cost savings by reducing call center volume. Creating an invoice that is effortlessly understood by your customers can prevent many of the typical questions that jam call centers. The average customer inquiry at a call center averages 3.5 minutes at a cost of $4.57 per call. When considering the expense of each call and the ability to increase customer satisfaction and retention, it’s worth your while to pay attention to your layout.
Keep Them Informed
Take advantage of the chance to communicate with your customers on their invoices. It is now possible to personalize messages specifically for each customer. Most companies print a message to welcome a new customer or update them on a new service offering. This is a simple way to show them you care about their individual needs.
Your invoice also is a powerful way to educate customers about company news or new regulations. Keep in mind that invoices are opened and read 99.9 percent of the time. Take advantage of this indispensable chance to communicate. You have their attention for only a few moments, so make the most of it.
Share New Products
Your invoice is an effective medium for reaching customers to share your company’s offerings they do not know about. Not only are you educating them on your products and services, but also taking advantage of a cost-effective way to upsell or cross-sell.
Devise a strategy that allows you to use your invoice as an instrument to reach your best new customers — existing ones. Some examples of creative ideas that have shown significant results for companies include writing messages on an invoice about seasonal promotions or even inserting advertising flyers. It is also effective to start referral card programs through your invoice to grow your customer base. Whatever you do, it provides another opportunity to reach out to your customers and give them special attention.
These tips will help you create a customerfriendly invoice that will maintain a high level of customer satisfaction and enable customers to more fully and easily understand their bill. You have only a few precious moments of their undivided attention — be sure to use it wisely. In the end it will benefit your company as well as your customers.
Ron Whaley is vice president of sales and marketing at OSG Billing Services. He can be reached at Ron.w@osgbilling.com.
