Want to get paid faster? Start with the customer experience

When businesses look to improve cash flow, the focus often lands on chasing late payments, tightening payment terms, or sending more reminders. But one key factor is often overlooked: the customer experience.

A recent survey found that 74 per cent of payment professionals believe a smooth payment process is the most important part of keeping customers happy. When it’s easy to pay and the service feels seamless, customers are more likely to pay on time. In fact, nearly half of businesses say payment delays are caused by poor automation and inefficient processes. With most buyers saying customer experience plays a major role in choosing a vendor, it’s clear that improving the experience can lead to faster, more reliable payments.

Let’s explore why this happens and how small improvements to the customer experience can help businesses get paid faster.

The psychology behind faster payments

When customers like working with you, they naturally prioritise your invoices. People are more likely to pay businesses they trust and enjoy dealing with, because if something feels smooth, respectful, and simple, they want to keep the relationship going. Paying on time is part of that.

On the other hand, if a customer finds your process frustrating, they may put off payment without even meaning to. They might think, “I’ll sort that later” because it feels like a chore. A positive experience shifts that mindset and encourages them to act sooner.

It’s not just about being friendly. It’s about making things easy. Clear quotes, accurate invoices, and simple payment options go a long way to keeping customers happy and getting you paid faster.

When things go wrong, payments slow down

If you’ve ever received an invoice with the wrong details or a complicated payment process, you’ll know how quickly it can turn into a hassle. When things like this happen, customers start to lose confidence and may begin to question what else might be wrong. They then have to spend extra time sorting out the issues before they can pay, which slows everything down. When paying becomes difficult or frustrating, it naturally drops down their list of priorities.

Slow payments are often a symptom of a poor customer experience. It’s not always about people avoiding their bills. Sometimes, it’s simply that the process you’ve given them makes it harder to pay you on time.

Make payments easy and smooth for your customers

So how do you create the kind of experience that encourages faster payments? It’s mostly about removing friction. In fact, businesses that offer seamless, multichannel payment options are better positioned to meet customer expectations, and reduce friction in the payment process.

Here are a few simple things that can make a big difference:

• Offer easy ways to pay: Give customers a choice of payment methods that suit them, like via credit/debit card, bank transfer, and financing options.
• Be clear and accurate: Send quotes and invoices that are easy to read and have the right information the first time.
• Set up automated payment reminders: A polite, timely reminder helps customers without feeling like you’re chasing them.
• Communicate well: Make sure customers can reach you if they have questions. Quick, friendly responses build trust.
• Use customer-friendly systems: If customers can log in to check invoices, track payments, and pay online, you’ll save them time and make life easier.

How technology can help improve the customer experience

Technology can take a lot of the heavy lifting out of this. You don’t need a complicated system but having the right tools in place can make the whole process much smoother for both you and your customers.

Look for solutions that:

• Let you automate quotes, invoices, and payment tracking.
• Connect directly to your accounting system to reduce manual work and errors.
• Offer customer portals where people can view and pay their invoices easily.
• Support multiple payment methods to give customers flexibility.

Automating the manual work means fewer mistakes and less time spent fixing problems. It also frees you up to give better service where it really matters.

Faster payments and healthier cash flow

When you look after your customers and make things easy for them, payments often come in faster without you needing to push. It leads to fewer payment disputes, less back-and-forth, and less time spent chasing overdue invoices.

The real win is cash flow. Faster payments mean you can keep your business moving. You can pay your own bills on time, reinvest in your business, and spend less energy worrying about outstanding invoices.

Get paid faster with Spenda

Getting paid faster starts with creating a simple, positive experience for your customers. When it’s easy to do business with you and everything is clear, customers are more likely to pay on time and keep coming back.

Spenda gives businesses the tools to streamline quoting and invoicing, simplify payments, and deliver a smooth customer experience. That means less time chasing payments and more time focused on growth.

We serve as both a software solutions provider and a business payment processor and deliver the essential infrastructure to streamline business processes before, during and after the payment event. Our connected platform displaces multiple disparate systems in favour of one collaborative solution that improves transactional efficiency between businesses.

This article is for general information purposes only. Consult a qualified financial advisor regarding any changes to or decisions about your business’s finances.