5 ways to encourage your customers to pay by Direct Debit
You can make things a whole lot easier for your customers by allowing them to pay you using Direct Debit. Find out why.
Making life easier for your customers is at the heart of good client service, and one way to make things a whole lot easier for customers is to encourage them to pay by Direct Debit.
We probably all know what Direct Debit is, in principle. But have you ever sat down to think about the core value to your customers? It’s not just another run-of-the-mill way for your customers to pay you. In fact, it’s a way to process payments that adds a whole bundle of benefits for your customers – benefits that add to the value and quality of service you’re already delivering.
So, to help you get across the true value to your end customers, we’ve pulled together GoCardless’ top 5 reasons for customers to pay by Direct Debit.
1. It’s easy to set up
Consumers love ease of use. A payment method that’s fast and hassle-free is a big selling point to customers, and setting up Direct Debit payments couldn’t be easier.
Once your business is signed up with a Direct Debit provider, there’s a one-off process to get customers ready for payment collections. Your customers simply enter their bank details online, you send an email to prompt them once this is done and they give you the authority to take payments from their bank account. With GoCardless, payment pages are optimised for mobile so customers can sign up on the move. It’s as simple as that.
2. It saves time for customers
Your customers all lead busy lives and finding the time to stay on top of bills can sometimes be a challenge. With their payments set up using Direct Debit, everything happens automatically and efficiently.
Once the customer’s payment mandate is set up, they don’t have to do anything more. It’s this ease of use that’s resulted in 80% of Brits having at least one Direct Debit and the average person having six! Customers won’t waste time with cheques or online banking, and there’s no need for them to remember when payment is due. You just collect the right amount of money on the agreed date.
3. It takes away the hassle of late payment
There will be times when customers forget to pay you on time. We’ve all been there, but late payments needn’t be an issue – with Direct Debit, your customer pays on time, every time.
With agreed payment dates, and the whole process of collection taken care of automatically, customers need never miss a payment again. That means no disruption to the customer’s service, no awkward chase-up emails and no embarrassment for your customer when being asked to pay their bill on time in the future. This all goes without mentioning the reduction in debtor-tracking time for your business.
4. It’s secure and protected by the Direct Debit Guarantee
Using the Direct Debit system is an extremely safe way to pay, with modern encryption and secure firewalls used to protect customer information.
Bank account details are encrypted at source, so customers can rest assured that their data is safely stored and that every possible effort is taken to keep their bank details secure.
All payments are covered by the Direct Debit Guarantee. This gives customers complete cover for payments made in error or taken fraudulently, making Direct Debit by far the safest payment method for UK consumers to use.
5. It saves money for customers
Using Direct Debit brings plenty of time, admin and cost savings to your business. Passing these savings on to the customer, by means of incentives and discounts, can be another way to make it an even more attractive proposition to your end user.
You could offer more attractive payment plans for higher cost goods, giving customers the option to pay back a large sum with more affordable monthly instalments. With regular payment collections set up, your customers can also avoid the cost of possible late payment fees or bank charges for overstepping overdraft limits.
By offering an incentive to sign up to regular Direct Debit payments, your customers get a more flexible repayment plan, and the core benefits of a faster, more efficient method of payment.
GoCardless: the best Direct Debit solution for your customers
At GoCardless, we make it as easy as possible for your customers to pay by Direct Debit.
●It’s fast and simple to set up. Our setup process is all completed online. There’s no paperwork and no tedious, hard-copy forms to fill out. Your customers just complete our online Direct Debit mandate and give you authority to collect payments.
●Flexible ways to pay. We’ve built flexibility into our payment dates and upper payment amounts, so it’s easier to find payment instalments and collection dates that work for your customers. And our payment pages are compatible with mobiles and tablets, making it easier for customers to pay.
●Military-grade security. All customer information is encrypted using 256-bit SSL encryption techniques for complete military-grade security. Bank account details are all encrypted to make our Direct Debit solution as safe as houses. Want to talk to us about using GoCardless to take payments from your customers by Direct Debit?
Find out more about how Direct Debit can help you get paid on time every time at