Insights · Financial
Invoices and debtors: collecting without losing the relationship
An outstanding invoice is only revenue once the money is in. A fixed process from invoice to collection shortens your payment cycle and keeps the customer relationship intact.
The average payment term in Dutch business is well over thirty days. For small entrepreneurs that is a double standard: you pay your own invoices on time, but wait for your money. A tight debtor process starts with the invoice itself.
An invoice that gets paid quickly meets a few requirements: a clear description of the work, correct VAT, a visible due date and payment instructions including a payment reference. The fewer questions the invoice raises, the faster the payment.
The follow-up process works best with fixed steps and fixed moments:
- Day 0: send the invoice, immediately after delivery
- Day 14 (due date): check whether it is paid
- Day 16: friendly payment reminder by e-mail
- Day 30: reminder by phone — personal, professional, solution-oriented
- Day 45: formal notice of default with a final deadline
- Day 60+: review the file — collection partner, credit insurance or write-off
The phone moment on day 30 is the most important: most late payments are not unwillingness but a missed invoice or an administrative error. A friendly call solves that in minutes. If it becomes structural, discuss a payment plan or prepayment — do not let it linger.
If you structurally deal with late payers, credit insurance or factoring can take the pressure off. We calculate what it costs and what it returns, because the margin differences between sectors are large.
In short
Call on day 30: most late payments are missed invoices, not unwillingness.
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