We need a dedicated seat to own our Client Billing Disputes and Collections workflow because unpaid invoices are hurting our working capital, but every project manager and sales rep on our team absolutely hates dealing with money conversations and refuses to take it on. How do we fill this critical seat when everyone is ducking it?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

Every single seat on your Accountability Chart must have a single owner who genuinely Gets, Wants, and has the Capacity to do the job. If you try to force billing collections onto a project manager or sales rep who hates conflict, they will push it to the bottom of their priority list. This results in mounting accounts receivable that will tank your valuation during a buyer's due diligence. You must stop trying to paste this role onto existing seats where it does not belong. Instead, recognize that Client Billing Disputes and Collections needs its own distinct, specialized seat on the Accountability Chart. Look at your structure first. If the seat does not justify a full-time hire yet, you have two options. You can either outsource this to a fractional collections and billing specialist, or you can temporarily place it under the Finance seat or Operations seat as a clear, standalone accountability with its own Measurables and Rocks. Do not let the responsibility float aimlessly between sales and account management. Assign the seat to someone who has the financial discipline and emotional distance to manage it, even if you have to look outside your current staff.