ACSP Suggestion 2008.22: Modify Invoice Reminder Messages
Suggestion
Author: Robert Seastrom
Submitted On: 26 November 2008
Description:
ARIN is sending out notices of monies owed to organization technical contacts along the lines of:
Subject: Reminder Notice for Inv#XXXXXXXXX of Your Organization [YOURORGID]
with dire-sounding language such as:
Please take immediate action as this is the second message regarding the open item(s).
These messages fail to note the due date for the invoice or whether it is overdue. This oversight causes needless alarm and internal hand waving within member organizations that likely already have a payment in process.
Proposal is:
ARIN shall modify these and any substantially similar messages to include due dates as well as the notation of whether payment is overdue. Additionally, wordsmithing so that the message reads more like a friendly reminder than a collections notice would be appreciated.
Timeframe: Immediate
Status: Closed Updated: 10 December 2008
Tracking Information
ARIN Comment
10 December 2008
ARIN is continually evaluating ways to better serve our community. You submitted a suggestion that ARIN consider changing our email invoice reminder notices because “These messages fail to note the due date for the invoice or whether it is overdue. This oversight causes needless alarm and internal hand waving within member organizations that likely already have a payment in process.” We appreciate your constructive feedback.
The message that you referred to in your suggestion is the “due now” notice, which is sent to billing, tech and administrative contacts notifying them that the invoice will reach overdue status on the first day of the next month. We send this message out within 5 days of the due date, thus the “dire sounding” wording. We feel that the organization needs to be alerted that this invoice should be paid before the resource becomes in danger of revocation. We purposely use strong language to be clear in our notification process.
In response to your suggestion that we include the due date, we will change the language in the message to make it clarify that payment is due at the end of the current month, which is the anniversary month. Please note that all invoices are currently due at the end of the anniversary month, regardless of the original date of the allocation/assignment. This suggestion will be implemented within 30 days.
As for the number of messages, ARIN is developing a customer web site that will give organizations the ability to view their resources, invoices, and payment history. When that web site is operational, our email reminders will direct customers to go online to view their invoices. This should address the remainder of your suggestion.
Again, thank you for your constructive suggestions.
Suggestion 2008.22 is now considered closed.