Where the money gets stuck
A junk removal crew prices a job on the driveway, shakes hands, and writes the number on the back of a card. A week later the customer remembers a different number. A mechanic finishes a repair at six and does the invoice at ten that night, if at all.
Late invoices turn into late payments. Missing paperwork turns into disputes.
What you can do alone
You can clean this up with habits.
- Quote in writing before work starts, even a text, with what is included and what is not.
- Invoice the same day, while the job is fresh.
- Number your invoices so none go missing.
- Put your payment terms on the invoice, and the ways to pay.
- Take a deposit on larger jobs and say so up front.
- Follow up politely at seven days, then fourteen.
What Centera sets up
From the Centera app you can create estimates and invoices, send a payment link by email, and have a customer sign a document on their phone, such as a work authorization or an agreement. The invoice sits on the customer's card with the job and the messages.
You decide how you take payment and where it goes. The payment link opens a simple page where the customer pays by card, and the money goes to your account.
How it works day to day
You finish the job, tap to create an invoice from the booking, and send it before you leave the driveway. The customer pays from their phone. You see the status in the app: sent, opened, paid.
Estimates convert to invoices without retyping. Signed documents are stored on the customer's card so you can find them later. Payment reminders are written for you and sent by email; text reminders begin once your business texting is registered.
What goes on a good estimate and records you will thank yourself for
The work in plain words, what is not included, the price, how long it is valid, and how you take payment. For trades that discover problems once a wall is open, add a line on how extra work is approved. A customer who signs that line is far less likely to dispute the bill later.
Keep estimates short; long ones get skimmed.
Tax time, a warranty question, a customer who says they were never charged for that visit: in each case the signed document and the invoice, stored on the customer's card, settle it in a minute. Searching old texts and paper receipts takes hours. A tidy trail is also what an accountant or lender asks for first.
If a customer asks for a copy months later, it takes seconds to find. If a payment link is not opened, the app shows it, and a gentle reminder goes out. You are not chasing money by memory, and customers are not guessing what they owe.
Where to start
Look at your unpaid invoices today and call the three oldest. Then pick one job this week where you will send the invoice from the driveway. Booking feeds straight into it.
Questions owners ask
Do I pay extra to accept cards?
The card processor charges its own fee on each payment. We can explain how it appears before you start.
Can customers sign on their phone?
Yes. They get a link, read the document and sign.
Can I send an estimate first?
Yes. When the customer agrees, it turns into an invoice.
Where do the documents live?
On the customer's card in the app, with the job and the messages.