samf95•4mo ago

My main client's payment system crashed right before my invoice was due

It happened last Thursday, the day their monthly batch was supposed to run. I had a $2,800 invoice for a project I finished in April. Their accounting portal just showed an error message for two days. I called my contact, who confirmed their whole payment processor was down. I immediately sent a PDF invoice directly to their accounting email as a backup. It added a week to getting paid, but at least the ball was rolling. Has anyone else had a client's internal tech fail like this, and what's your backup plan?

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murray.troy4mo ago

Honestly your backup plan is smart but I'd take it even further. I always send a PDF invoice to both my contact and their accounting team the same day the portal invoice goes out. Tbh I've had too many late payments blamed on "system issues" that were really just someone forgetting. Ngl it adds maybe five minutes to my process but it cuts down on payment delays big time. You basically create your own paper trail before their tech can fail.

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mia7274mo ago

Yeah @murray.troy, that's the move. I started CC'ing the project manager on those accounting emails too. Last month, a client's payment got stuck because accounting said they needed "project approval" before cutting the check. Since the PM was already on the thread, they replied "approved" in two minutes. It closed the loop instantly.

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