As an accounting and human resources professional at a construction company, Joan Elmore has a lot on her plate. In fact, anyone working in billing, collections, or accounts receivable in the construction industry has a huge responsibility: making sure that their company is paid, and paid on time.
For Joan, this responsibility felt overwhelming until she started using software to manage receivables and lien rights processes such as, sending notices, tracking lien deadlines, and sending payment reminders.
“Levelset takes on all of the little tasks that were so frustrating and crazy. I feel like using a service that is actually helping you to collect the money that you’re owed, and that does it so well, is completely worth the investment. It feels like Levelset is on our team and on our side,” said Joan.
To give you a better idea of what it looks like to manage lien rights with software, Joan has shared three ways her job got easier since she started using Levelset.
1. Access to accurate job information
Joan sends out preliminary notices at the beginning of every single job (click here to find out why she sends them!), and it is much easier for her to send these notices when she has the right job information on hand. Also, if Joan needs to file a lien, she needs quick access to project details.
“In the past, I wasn’t using a service like Levelset. When I would file a claim of lien, I would sit there and try to fill out the paperwork myself. I had no idea how to even find all of the people it was supposed to go to. It was just completely overwhelming,” said Joan.
Now, Joan is confident that all of her liens and notices contain the right information and are being sent to the right people. Levelset’s Scout Research feature fills in missing information (such as the property owner, general contractor, or lender) using a comprehensive database of construction jobs.
With on-demand Ultimate Research, Levelset’s team of professional researchers help out with reviewing documents and tracking down hard-to-find information.
“I’ll just click that Ultimate Scout Research box in my account, and then I know that the job will get completely researched. The Levelset team will make sure that it goes to all of the correct people. It’s so easy,” said Joan.
2. An automated receivables process
Before Joan was using software to simplify her processes, she spent an average of four hours per week on collecting receivables.
“There was so much research that had to go into collections, and there was so much back-and-forth with customers,” said Joan. “The disorganization made me really unsure when it came time to collect payments. I felt like I was floundering, and it took a lot of time.”
In Joan’s ideal world, she didn’t want to spend more than an hour per week on receivables so that she could focus on other areas of her job. Within a few months of using Levelset, Joan had hit her goal.
“Levelset gives me reminders when job deadlines are coming up, so it’s easy for me to keep track of lien and notice dates. Since this whole process feels so much more under control, I haven’t been overwhelmed about it,” said Joan.
“Also, I use QuickBooks and it integrates with Levelset. So in QuickBooks in my notes for that job, I just put the date that Levelset says I need to file the claim of lien by if we haven’t gotten our payment. And then it’s easy. I just check those dates and the whole process takes me about an hour — sometimes less — and I do it once a week. That was my goal, and I’m so thrilled.”
3. More positive conversations with customers
Another thing that was often difficult for Joan was calling customers to collect payment and then dealing with their confusion or frustration.
“Sometimes, people’s teeth come out at the time of collection where maybe you didn’t see that side of them before,” said Joan.
Once Joan started using Levelset to send notices on every job, most of those difficult conversations went away. Along with the notice, Joan sends an email explaining that the notice is a friendly document sent to provide transparency.
“I have this email that I send out automatically through Levelset, which really cuts down on those calls. Most people see the email, and they know what the notice means,” Joan said.
Now, in those few situations when customers are upset or confused, it’s much easier for Joan to resolve any tension.
“Out of every ten people, we get probably two or so who will call in and are concerned that we’ve filed a lien on their property. But we quickly explain that it is not a lien, and explain what the notice is,” Joan said. “And for those who didn’t see my email or didn’t understand my email, I explain over the phone. And even if they call in upset, as soon as I explain it, we always get off the phone and they’re happy.”
Read more: Preliminary Notices Will Not Scare Your Customer
Not sure if lien rights management software is right for you?
If you’re considering Levelset but not sure that it’s worth it, Joan has some parting words for you:
“You get nervous about spending money on something new because you don’t know if it’s going to work or if it will be worth the investment. For me, Levelset has been so worth it. I can go back through all the ways it has saved my time, which equals dollars. And then I think about the money I’ve collected with Levelset. Because it doesn’t matter how much we made on a job if we’re not receiving that money. Collecting all of those payments and the mental freedom I’ve gained have made my work so much easier.”
To learn more about how Levelset can work with your business to make sure you get the money you’re owed and take the stress out of collecting receivables, schedule a demo today!
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