Tuesday, August 17, 2010

Collection Letter Writing In Plain English

Usually the best first approach to debt-collection letters is a reminder. If the reminder to pay doesn't work, you may need a follow-up letter. Occasionally, when all else fails, you may need to send a final demand letter that explains what will happen if you don't receive payment.
Checklist

1. Remember that your aim is to recover the debt and keep the customer.
2. Check the amount is right and it's still outstanding.
3. Use a firm but friendly tone.
4. Do not apologize for asking for what is due.
5. Decide how to persuade the reader:

* Benefit to customer
* Fair play
* Easy way to pay
* Penalty
* Legal action

6. Use one of these letters:

* Short reminder
* Follow-up letter
* Final demand

7. Show you are confident they will pay.
Reminder

If a customer has not paid your invoice, the first letter should be a polite reminder. Use a short, natural message to remind the customer and either send a copy of the invoice or provide the information they need to know what to pay.

Use a simple, short message to remind the customer to pay the account now. Often printed on a copy of the invoice or statement, a short card or the shortest of letters is the best approach.
Follow-up Letter

The follow-up letter needs stronger wording that doesn't offend the customer. The best approach is to appeal to the reader's sense of fairness and to give a reason for paying. From the customer's viewpoint, the reason might be to offer an easy way to solve the problem, to avoid a poor credit rating, or to avoid having to pay cash for future orders and so on.
Final Demand Letter

Your aim is now to collect the money due. Don't be afraid of upsetting the reader. You can even threaten legal action. If you do make a direct threat, do not back down. Decide on your approach:

* Sanction
* Legal action
* Debt-collection agency

Whatever strategy you use, make sure you leave room for the customer to pay the debt.

Grammar Software for Collection Letter

StyleWriter is a Word add-on. You click on a button and in seconds it has checked the whole document for the three main obstacles to understanding: long sentences, passive verbs, and hard words. It gives the document a score for the first two, and an overall score for clarity. It is a good choice for plain english writing.

If you need english grammar checking, whitesmoke grammar checker will be suitable for your colllection letter writing

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