Collections

As with any business, the process (pardon the pun) of invoicing and collections is critical.  You have to have constant cash flow in order to continue operating.  And sometimes just waiting for a check to arrive is not such a good idea.  Best not to hold your breath!

Don't get me wrong.  I'm not saying that attorneys don't pay their bills.  Some do, some don't.  Attorney clients are just a reflection of all customers, regardless of the industry or the service.  Some are quite conscientious, others not so much.  So how do you go about billing for your service and actually getting paid.

There two basic models in the process service industry for receiving payment along with variations on those models. 

The first is to receive your money "upfront".  This is actually quite desirable when dealing with new clients who have not established a payment track record with you.  It's also well advised to do this when accepting any assignment from anyone that is located out of state or even outside your normal market (city/county).  If you don't and they fail to pay, collection efforts become difficult and costly.  The only glitch with getting money upfront, though, is what if the assignment entails conducting services that were unforeseen at the time you accepted it and this causes costs to exceed the "pre-paid retainer".  Your basic remedies are to invoice the costs that are over and above the retainer and hope to get paid, or simply do not conduct any services above and beyond until you have gone back to the client to receive the additional funds to continue.

The second model is to simply invoice the entire assignment after completion without payment upfront.  Again, this is a not recommended with new clients in your area or any clients that are located outside your normal service area.  However, once you have established a payment record and a good relationship with a recurring client, invoicing is perfectly acceptable.  It allows for the assignment to move forward quickly without having to stop every fifteen minutes to get approval to expense more on an assignment that has become difficult due to various factors. 

But then comes the interesting part of this second model.  Some clients will pay the invoice almost immediately.  Others will wait a full thirty days before sending payment.  And still others will not pay until you have begun calling, emailing, and visiting their firm.  In the case of those that pay you right away, that is obviously an excellent situation to be in and you should be most sensitive to the needs of those types of clients.  In regards to those who wait thirty days to pay you, keep track of them in the accounts receivable so that they remain on track, and if they slip a bit, send them courteous reminders.  They're good clients, but most likely their cash flow situation is what is causing them to delay payment.  As for the last category of client, you have to be quite relentless if you so choose to continue to keep them as clients.  My personal recommendation is that you don't keep these types of clients.  Those who purposely slow pay and wait for you to ask them for payment are the type of clients who really don't respect you, or they have serious cash flow issues and they are most likely carrying out this sort of practice with all of their subcontractors/vendors.  If you keep these types of clients, then be relentless.  Send them past due notices as invoices come up past due.  Send emails to the legal assistant and call to keep the pressure on.  This is obviously not a desirable situation to be in, one that I have encountered many times in the past.  But if found in that situation, be consistent, diligent, and polite.  Your last resort with this type of client (other than choosing not to have this type of client) is to begin charging late fees or returning this client to a pre-payment retainer system.  The late fees will cause the client to step it up or the client will no longer be a client.  The pre-payment retainer way to go is rather remedial in nature and may also have the effect of causing the client to not be a client, either.  Then again, you must do what you must, otherwise you will be working for free, and we're not in the business to do that, are we?

Want to know more about creating a successful Process Service business? Follow this blog to learn how it’s done.  Also, check out The Business End of Process Service – Running a Process Service Company from the Ground Up”, available in hardcopy or Kindle edition on Amazon.com. http://www.amazon.com/Business-End-Process-Service-ebook/dp/B008E8RBHK/ref=sr_1_8?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1407774550&sr=1-8&keywords=bob+hill. Also available is CounterSpy, The Industrial Counter-Surveillance Manual, http://www.amazon.com/CounterSpy-Bob-Hill-ebook/dp/B00BTJYU1Q/ref=sr_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1407774644&sr=1-3&keywords=counterspy/