Things to Consider When Deciding to Outsource Billing

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The research has been completed and you have decided that your practice could benefit from a professional outsource billing service. Increased income, less distractions in the workplace, timely billing and follow-up are all advantages that your business simply cannot do without. However, there are a few things – beyond the basic benefits – that you should consider when choosing an outsource billing provider.

Who's Got the Money?

Ask how incoming funds will be posted. In short, where will people mail their payments? This is a vital thing to iron out for both parties. Obviously, as a manager, you want your funds as soon as possible. However, if your outsourced billing service is out of sync with your business' records, it can undermine the whole system. Consider having a Post Office Box associated with all of your billing, statement processing, and follow-up correspondence. Unopened pieces can be forwarded to the billing company at agreed upon intervals to preserve the integrity of your receivables and record keeping. No need to waste money paying your billing service to chase money that has already been retrieved. This is often a scenario which occurs with poorly implemented proprietary systems – a better route is to choose a company that integrates your current data output seamlessly.

Performance Reviews

Once you have decided who to work with, you can establish an equitable contract by including the measures by which you will evaluate the company's performance. Determine the benchmarks you want to see in collections over your own efforts. Ask a billing outsourcing firm to show you concrete data about companies that they have helped and make sure that they can offer you a clear benefit.

Letting Go

Many believe choosing outsourcing your billing means losing complete control of your billing and compromising customer contact. Discuss with your billing partner how much customized control over transactions you prefer. For example, you may want to review payments and transactions before they are processed or you may prefer to have transactions processed immediately for quick turnaround. Some owners also prefer to review and approve customers up for collections notices before they are initiated. Others want their outsource billing company to handle all claim submissions and completely insulate their own customer service departments from the process. These are very common examples of service modifications. Talk to your billing company and make your preferences known at the outset. They can usually be adjusted as you work more and more with the new system.

Making the move to outsourcing billing and your accounts receivable management can move your business forward in ways you may not have even imagined. Think about how your employees can maximize customer care, innovative marketing strategies, and overall office efficiency if they were able to focus their attention and effort on their core competencies. What could your practice do with the improved morale and increased cash flow? Perhaps today is the day to stop wondering and start looking at the numbers.
Gabe Mata is a Statement Processing specialist. Implement cash flow solutions that get the maximum results.