24 Tips to Get Organized in January: Tip #21, Use Client Codes

Tip #21: Use Client Codes

In our office, we assign each client or customer a number. Sometimes, it’s just a regular number, like 156 – sometimes, there’s a trailing number as well like 156.01. There is a method to our madness.

But what are the perks exactly?

For one, I don’t always do my own filing. In the beginning of my practice, I spent a lot of time going through piles of papers where it was not clear to the person who was doing the filing where the papers actually belonged. This was especially confusing if there were similar names with different matters (Erb real estate versus Erb estate planning, for example). We had always assigned client numbers but really only used them to find the files – now we use them to help our office staff figure out where to put papers.

Second, we use the same client codes for filing as for billing. When I send a FedEx that should be billed to a client, I use the client code as my reference number. At the end of the month, I am not struggling to differentiate which client to bill for which package – it’s all there. It’s also helpful for running reports to compare expenses.

I know that most businesses have client and customer codes and numbers – but how many of us actually use those effectively? Consider ways to incorporate these codes into your daily routines for correspondence, billing and other purposes. Ideas?