IDEA: Late or short payors may be revealing other company problems; collect pastdues cautiously.

Make sure to find out why customers do not pay on time and approach late payors cautiously.  Call them courteously when they have not paid on time or when they shortpay an invoice.  Do not always assume they are just short on funds. They may be disappointed with your company’s goods or service, or the price billed, or the quantity shipped or the quality of the shipment.  You may have quality problems that are about to blow up in your face, thus approach the customer’s AP department courteously and assume they are just missing an invoice.  Give the customer the opportunity to tell you why he is late. He may not have received your invoice or he may have been instructed never to pay your company again. No matter the reason, get on the telephone and speak with the AP person today…. politely.