Why I Only Take Online Payments for Freelance Work
I started doing freelance work online a couple of years ago as a side hustle to make extra money. From day I started to take online payments for my work. I’m so glad I made that decision.
Online payments have so many benefits over other forms of payment.
Here are a few reasons why I only take online payments for freelance work instead of other forms of payment.
Take Online Payments — Get Paid Fast
One of the reasons I only take online payments for freelance work is because it enables faster payment. Some freelancers may be willing to wait for a check that might get here 4 or 5 days after it’s mailed, if it’s mailed at all. I am not one of them.
To increase the speed with which you get paid use an online payment system like I do. My online payments happen nearly the moment the transaction is completed by my clients. What does this mean for me? No more waiting on snail mail that may or may not ever get here if the check gets destroyed or lost in transit.
Easy
A nice feature of online payments is that it is an easy way to get paid. Setting up an online payment system for my business was not at all difficult to do. I am able to generate invoices and send them by email as well as track payments. I can also send reminders to clients when necessary all with the click of a button!
Online Payments Eliminate Paper
By taking only online payments from my clients I am able to eliminate paper. The benefits of this are pretty clear. It takes less time filing invoices, less paper and ink wasted printing invoices, and I never have to worry about running out of stamps!
Accurate Invoicing
Receiving payments online means I also send online invoices. This allows me to clearly list the payment terms on the invoice. I can also bill regularly, and list my accepted payment options. It’s also easy for my clients to understand exactly what they are being billed for.
Generate More Business with Online Payments
Most customers like the convenience online payments provide. It is as easy and fast for clients to make their payments to me as it is for me to receive them. Customers don’t have to take the time to write out checks and envelopes, stuff them, add stamps, and then drive to a post office to mail them.
In fact, if you are using the antiquated way of sending paper invoices and receiving checks by mail, you could cause your client to drop you. Certainly some will not choose to do business with you when they could be doing business with someone who values their time more.
The speed and convenience of paying online increases client satisfaction and gain me more clientele. The more clients I have, the more my business and my income both grow.
No Bounced Checks
Another benefit of receiving online payments is that you no longer have to deal with bounced checks. When you receive payments strictly through an online payment system of some type there is no fear that the client’s money is not there to cover the transaction. With checks, on the other hand, you may have to make a second trip to the bank.
Cut Down on Unpaid Invoices
Getting paid for the work you do is important if you want to be able to stay in business and pay your own bills. Unfortunately, unpaid invoices is a common problem that many freelancers face. Using an online payment system can cut down on the number of unpaid invoices you carry at any given time, reducing your accounts receivable balances and allowing you to pay your own bills on time.
Lowers Costs
It costs gas money and time to make the first trip to the bank to deposit payments made via checks. If for any reason you have to go a second time to have a check run through again it can cost you even more of both.
Additionally, banks are trying to get more and more people to make and receive their payments online. The reason for this is clearly because it also costs them more money to process checks than it does to process online payments and deposits. Those costs are passed on to you, the consumer, in the form of higher transactions fees.
Other costs of receiving payments through the mail include labor, supplies, and postage. It takes time to generate paper invoices, do bookwork and make deposits. This takes away from time I could be spending doing actual freelance work, and time is money. It also takes added supplies in the form of paper, ink and envelopes. Postage to mail invoices is another thing that drives up your costs. Most of these costs can be avoided by using online payments.
Security
Security of data, including financial data, is of peak importance to many people. One way to ensure your financial data and that of your clients is protected is to use online payments. Choose a system that offers security and fraud prevention as well as encryption, which traditional forms of payments can’t provide.
Fees
Depending on the choice you make for your online payments there may be fees associated with invoices and payments. However, when compared with many of the costs listed above, including supplies, labor, postage, bad debt, and more, the fees are quite low. In addition, if you research carefully before you begin using an online payment system you can avoid hidden fees some companies charge.
Volume
The volume of work I do is another reason I only take online payments for my freelance work. When I first began freelancing I could have easily sent invoices and received payments by mail. It wouldn’t have taken long with only a few clients. But my business has grown, making paper invoices an unrealistic option.
Reports
Some online payment systems provide different reports you can utilize. One of the ways this can help your business is through tracking of late payments. Another is to capture information on non-payments. You can also see how much business you are doing with different clients.
How does this information help you? It provides you with the ability to make sound business decisions. As an example, you might decide to drop one consistently late-paying client and begin doing business with someone else who pays you on time.
Reports from my payment system also make tax preparation so much easier each year.
You can see there are a lot of advantages to taking online payments for freelancing work. If you also have a freelance business or are just thinking about starting one you should look into utilizing online payments for the work you do. Most likely neither you nor your clients will be sorry you took the time to set it up.
Why I Only Take Online Payments for Freelance Work was originally published on Due by Kayla Sloan.
