I’ve not written a personal check since Clinton was President. I’m a long-time proponent of electronic bill pay and tend to gravitate to businesses that offer e-billing. I think it’s perfectly wonderful to never use checks and never set foot in a bank. Unfortunately, I can’t say the same about my business life. It seems I’m still a check-writing, invoice sending, bank-depositing CPA --- at least, that 
is, until recently. My friend Rene’ Lacerte has been building and running Bill.com for over 5 years. And for most of that time I’ve been a vocal proponent the concept in general and the service in specific. Now, I’m a Kool-Aide drinking convert. I can now proudly announce that at both the personal AND business levels, I never use checks and never set foot in a bank. And, thanks to Bill.com my clients now pay me electronically! Life is good.
I’ve taken the liberty of reposting one of Rene’s recent blog posts entitled “6 Reasons Your Business Isn’t Too Small to Automate Bill Payment”. I think you’ll agree that it’s a great piece. Shouldn’t YOUR firm be “check-free”?
gll
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6 Reasons Your Business Isn’t Too Small to Automate Bill Payment
“We’re only a 3-person shop.”
“We’ve always done it by hand.”
“Isn’t that overkill for us?”
Sound familiar? If you’ve resisted automating your bill management and payment, we have three words for you: small benefits big. Small businesses are typically more time- and employee-strapped than big companies, making them the ones that benefit most from digitizing a process that is paper-based, time-consuming and error-prone.
Six Reasons to Switch:
1) Paper is the enemy of efficiency.
“Never let a piece of paper pass through your hands more than once.” That’s the #1 piece of advice of most every professional organizer. Even better? Never let a piece of paper pass through your hands at all, thanks to Zen (Zero Entry), from Bill.com.
2) Looking up the past robs from the present.
What hourly rate did our last web designer charge? Did we buy the purchase protection on our printer? Do we have any hours left on the retainer with that lawyer? There are countless things you need to know now whose answer resides in the past. Every time you have to dig to find what you need, you’re wasting time. And time is money. Instead, imagine finding whatever you need with a simple search in your own digital filing cabinet.
3). You’re not the first one in the pool.
It's 2010. Online bill management has been around for about a decade. It works and it’s safe. And now that Bill.com offers a complete solution created specifically for small businesses, there’s no reason to be writing checks anymore or duplicating work in your banking and accounting systems. Jump in. The water’s nice.
4). You don’t live at the office.
You and your co-workers live at home and should be able to work from there when needed. And you are on the move. You get on trains, planes and automobiles a lot (or a little) for business meetings, sandy vacations, and everything in between. You’re no longer tethered to the office – why should your information be? Why not be access everything you need from a mobile device or iPad? It doesn't have to wait until you (or the boss) are back in the office!
5). Not all checks get cashed right away.
Your bank balance tells you what’s there now, but not what’s still waiting to be paid. It doesn't help you predict into the future or make decisions. Without a full view of your actual financial position at your fingertips, you aren’t really managing cash flow, you’re just dodging a cash catastrophe.
6). Envelopes aren’t free and paper-cuts aren’t fun.
Stamps are 44 cents each. Printer toner is pricey. Even checks cost money. And it takes time to buy them and use them, even if you use an accounting system. Do you really want some of your hard-earned time and money going to things that are unnecessary in this day and age? Why not click "pay" and move on to something more important?
We’re ready whenever you are. Like now, for instance!
