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Monthly Statements

A monthly statement is summary of all outstanding invoices. It is a "friendly reminder" about overdue invoices. Unfortunately, some customers will deliberately ignore the due dates listed on their creditors' invoices and will only pay once a statement is received showing invoices as past due. Credit professionals must strongly discourage this practice in order to protect their company's cash flow.

If a customer insists on paying only against account statements consider generating statements weekly to that customer - even if the statements must be printed individually (rather than in batches). The objective is to eliminate the customer's excuse for withholding payment.

Always include this key information on your monthly statements:

  • Your remittance address
  • Your telephone number
  • An invitation for the customer to call to report problems or request supporting documentation
  • A reiteration of your terms of sale
Source: Michael Dennis, author of "Credit and Collection Handbook" available at the NACM Bookstore.
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