Collections is a focused, streamlined workflow for handling past-due accounts, documenting communication, and processing payments smoothly, eliminating the need to mark up paper printouts or switch between multiple screens. It guides you step by step in managing your payments effectively and staying informed about your business's financial health.
You can access the Collections Page from the left-hand menu in CRO Billing. If you are using Quickbooks this feature won't be available.
The Collections Main Page
The main collections page gives you an overview of your business, identifies accounts that need attention, and starts a session for those accounts using the collections basket.
Key Metrics: View the average days past due, total number of accounts that are falling behind, and graphs that display month-over-month trends.
Accounts List: A comprehensive list of all accounts with outstanding balances and AR details.
Collections Basket: Once you decide which accounts to focus on, add them to the Collection Basket on the right-hand side, then start a focused session.
Organizing Your Workflow: "The Basket."
Instead of jumping between random accounts, you can now curate a specific "worklist" using the Collections Basket feature.
Filtering: Search for a specific customer or sort accounts by "Days Past Due" (e.g., 1–30 days, 60–90 days).
Multi-Select: Select multiple accounts simultaneously and add them to your basket.
Pending Baskets: You can create specific baskets for different account types (past due 30, 90, etc.) to further organize your work and access them later.
Taking Action: Statements & Sessions
Once your basket is ready, you have two ways to move forward:
Batch Statements: Send a general email with a statement attachment to everyone in your basket at once, giving them a chance to make their account current.
The Collection Session: Click Start Collection Process to enter a focused view that steps through each account.
The Collections Basket
When you start a session, the collection screen lets you work through the list of accounts one by one and provides a focused view of each account, including its contact information and any unpaid invoices. You are now ready to react to a recent email, make a call, take a payment, and log notes for this account.
During the Call: Tools & Record Keeping
As you go through each account in your basket session, you have everything you need for a collection call on one screen:
Account Details: View the total outstanding balance and individual invoices. Each invoice is accessible by clicking its invoice number in the table. Any text in the grey bubble is clickable and allows access to more details about this invoice.
Update Details: If a customer has updated email or contact information, you can update it by clicking the location name; there's no need to navigate back to the main customer list. Once finished, refresh the page to see the updated information.
Activity Logs: Add notes during the call (e.g., "Customer promised payment by Tuesday"). This builds a permanent history of contact attempts and promises.
Payment Processing: You can take payments directly using either the Post Payment button or by clicking on the balance amount for each invoice. This gives you access to the familiar CRO billing screens and workflow, all without leaving the collections session. Successful payments automatically update outstanding session totals in real time.
Finalizing the Session
As you work through your basket, you can mark each account as Completed or Skip, and provide the outcome and notes for this action.
Once the last account is processed, the Complete Collections button will become active, allowing you to finish the session and return to the main page.
We also have a video of the Collections Process that will walk you through the flow.
A Note for QuickBooks Users: This feature is not available if you are not using CRO billing to process your invoices.
If you have any more questions, please feel free to reach out for additional training or support.