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Win work you can deliver profitably · Chapter 3 of 4

Set payment terms and control customer credit exposure

Credit work changes your risk before an invoice is created. Exposure can include unpaid invoices and accepted work that has not yet been billed. Decide what your policy counts, how disputed amounts are shown and who may authorise an exception. A customer with a long relationship can still have a payment problem. Credit decisions should combine verified identity, agreed terms and current evidence rather than the optimism of a new sales order.

HiVAM product guides · About 3 minutes to read, plus practice · Reviewed

Your learning goals

What you’ll learn

  • Define what counts as credit exposure.
  • Make blocks and overrides explainable.
  • Separate collection disputes from new service decisions.

Useful terms

Credit limit
The approved exposure ceiling under a documented policy.
Ageing
Outstanding amounts grouped by time since the relevant due date.
Override
An authorised exception with scope, reason and expiry.

Step-by-step operating routine

  1. Verify the commercial identity

    Confirm the contracting and paying parties, billing address, tax identifiers where relevant and authorised contacts. Use controlled access for sensitive documents. Match references to the correct party rather than similarly named branches.

    Record or confirm
    • Legal party
    • Payer
    • Billing address
    • Authorised contact
  2. Agree payment and evidence terms

    State due-date basis, invoice submission method, required POD and dispute procedure. A “30-day” term must explain whether it begins at invoice, acceptance or another agreed event.

    Record or confirm
    • Term basis
    • Due period
    • Submission channel
    • Required evidence
  3. Define exposure calculation

    Specify unpaid invoices, unbilled eligible work and other obligations included. Keep receipts, credits and disputes traceable. Avoid reducing exposure merely because someone marked a booking complete.

    Record or confirm
    • Exposure components
    • Credit limit
    • Currency
    • Dispute treatment
  4. Set approval and block rules

    Define the action blocked at each threshold and who can review it. Any override should state amount, affected work, reason and expiry. The workflow must still protect staff from accepting undocumented promises.

    Record or confirm
    • Blocked action
    • Approver
    • Override amount
    • Expiry
    • Reason
  5. Review and collect consistently

    Review ageing with finance and account owners. Agree next actions, record customer commitments and follow actual receipts. Reassess limits when payment behaviour or customer circumstances change.

    Record or confirm
    • Outstanding amount
    • Due date
    • Collection owner
    • Commitment
    • Review date
Worked example

Exposure before billing

A customer has ₹80,000 unpaid invoices and ₹30,000 accepted unbilled work under a policy that includes both. Exposure is ₹1,10,000 against a ₹1,00,000 limit. A new job is held for authorised review. Recording a verbal payment promise does not reduce exposure; a verified receipt or approved policy decision does.

  • Use the stated exposure components.
  • Explain the hold to the responsible staff member.
  • Retain an override separately from actual payment.

Exceptions and mistakes to avoid

  • Do not count one unapplied receipt twice across invoices.
  • A disputed invoice remains visible even when its collection action changes.
  • Sales staff should not gain unrestricted access to payroll or bank details to evaluate a customer.
Put it into practice

Credit review worksheet

Apply one documented policy consistently and retain the review date. Use separate rows for disputes and authorised overrides.

Illustrative row—replace it with your own private operating information.
CustomerUnpaid invoicesIncluded unbilled workApproved limitNext action
Customer A8000030000100000Hold new work for review
Download CSV worksheet

Includes the illustrative row and blank rows. This is a planning worksheet, not a HiVAM import format. Keep your completed copy private; do not add credentials.

Check your understanding

Try answering first, then open the explanation. Use the worksheet and source records to practise the task.

Does a promise to pay reduce exposure?

No. Record the commitment, but reduce exposure only through a verified financial event or the documented policy treatment.

Why include unbilled work?

Where the policy requires it, accepted work has already created risk even though an invoice has not yet been posted.

Connect the workflow

Put it to work with HiVAM

Use these connections to explore the relevant product workflows. Confirm access in your deployed release; API capabilities require an integration or an available interface.

Compare all capabilities and availability

Keep your learning moving.

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Try the workflow with your team.

Bring a representative job and an exception to a HiVAM demonstration. Review saved records, permissions and handoffs alongside the interface.