How to obtain them: the habit to build
Do not collect them invoice by invoice
That is a losing race. Asking for a routing code as you send the invoice means calling someone who no longer has any reason to answer quickly: the order is placed, the work is done.
Ask at the order, not at the invoice: that is where the delay is decided.
Collect this information when the commercial relationship opens, when your customer has every reason to reply.
Two places, and the problem disappears
| Where | Why there |
|---|---|
| In your terms letters | The customer fills it in while committing. |
| In your quotes | The same section, on every new piece of business. |
That way, by the time the first invoice goes out the information is already in Cydoo. Nobody has to chase anything.
Wording you can use as it stands
Electronic invoicing. Our invoices will be sent to you electronically. Please provide the delivery details to appear on our invoices:
Recipient's registration number: .................................
Routing code / receiving department: .................................
Reference to quote on our invoices (order number, supplier code): .................................
Without this information our invoices are liable to be rejected by your platform, which would delay payment.
The last sentence does the work
It is not a threat, it is a fact: a customer who reads that a payment delay may come from an empty box fills the box in. That wording gets the best response rate.
And for customers already on the books?
A single campaign is enough. Farida sent a standard e-mail to her 55 active customers, with the section above. She had most of the replies within ten days, and chased the rest at the time of their next quote. The matter was closed within a month.
In closing
Never collect a code at the moment of sending the invoice: it is too late, and nobody has any reason to answer quickly. Ask for it at the order stage, while your customer still needs you.
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