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Industries

Accounts receivable built around how your industry gets paid.

Not every overdue invoice has the same reason behind it. A construction invoice may be waiting on project approval. A staffing invoice may be waiting on a timesheet. A distributor may be waiting on remittance detail. A consultancy invoice may be sitting with a budget holder. Steinfin finds out what is blocking payment and manages the right next action.

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Every industryInvoice
  • ConstructionProject approvalPODocuments
  • StaffingTimesheetBilling approval
  • WholesaleRemittanceDeductionVolume
  • Professional servicesBudget ownerScope query
One Steinfin process
  1. Follow-up
  2. Promise
  3. Query
  4. Payment
  5. Cash application
Same outcome, different blockers.
Is it a fit?

The label on your industry matters less than how you get paid.

Steinfin is most useful where accounts receivable is real operational work. If several of these describe your business, outsourced AR is likely to help, whatever sector you are in.

How you bill

  • You sell B2B and invoice on payment terms
  • Invoices recur every week or month
  • Some invoices are high value

What sits between invoice and payment

  • Customer AP departments
  • Purchase orders and supporting documents
  • Approvals from several people

What happens after

  • Payment promises that need checking
  • Disputes, deductions and partial payments
  • Payments that need matching to invoices

Your side

  • A finance team with limited capacity
  • Customer relationships worth protecting
  • Follow-up that needs to be more consistent
Where the pressure sits

Different industries, different operational pressures.

A typical pattern, not a rating. Your own business may look different, which is why we start by looking at your ledger.

Pressures that are often significant in each industry
IndustryVolumeValueDocumentsApprovalsDisputesMatchingRelationships
Construction
Staffing
Wholesale and distribution
Manufacturing
Professional services
Marketing agencies

Often a significant pressure Varies by business

01 Construction

Invoices that wait on approval before they are ever late.

Construction billing runs through projects, people and paperwork. An application or invoice can sit unpaid because a PO is missing, a project manager has not signed off, or a supporting document has not arrived.

Where payment tends to get stuck
  • Project-based billing and applications for payment
  • Purchase orders and job references
  • Supporting documentation and approvals
  • Change orders and variations
  • Several contacts on one project
  • Retention or retainage, depending on the contract

Liens, adjudication, contract interpretation, retention terms and legal recovery stay with you and your advisers.

See the construction page
Relevant services
  1. Invoice or applicationIssued on the agreed terms
  2. PO and project approvalSigned off on siteOften stuck here
  3. DocumentationBackup the customer needsOften stuck here
  4. Customer queryLogged and routed
  5. Next actionOwned and dated
  6. PaymentReceived and recorded
A construction worker handling steel on site
02 Recruitment and staffing

Frequent invoices that depend on approved timesheets.

Staffing businesses invoice often and pay workers before clients pay them. Invoices depend on approved timesheets and correct billing detail, and each client can have its own AP process and contacts.

Where payment tends to get stuck
  • Weekly or frequent invoicing
  • Timesheet approval before billing
  • Placement and contract billing
  • Several billing contacts and locations
  • Disputes over hours or rates
  • Relationship-sensitive follow-up
See the recruitment and staffing page
Relevant services
  1. TimesheetSubmitted by the worker
  2. ApprovalSigned off by the clientOften stuck here
  3. InvoiceRaised on approved hours
  4. Customer APMatched and scheduledOften stuck here
  5. Promise or queryTracked to the date
  6. PaymentReceived and recorded
03 Wholesale and distribution

High volume, trade accounts and payments that need matching.

Distributors run many trade accounts with frequent invoices. Customers often pay several invoices at once, short-pay or take deductions, and send remittance detail late or not at all. The work is as much about matching cash as chasing it.

Where payment tends to get stuck
  • Many customer accounts on credit terms
  • High invoice volume
  • Consolidated payments
  • Short payments and deductions
  • Missing or late remittances
  • Unapplied cash
See the wholesale and distribution page
Relevant services
Many invoices, one payment, example
  • INV-8801£4,200$5,250€4,900C$7,150
  • INV-8807£2,650$3,300€3,100C$4,500
  • INV-8812£3,150$3,950€3,700C$5,350
One customer payment£9,700$12,100€11,350C$16,500With remittance
  1. MatchingTwo invoices paid in full
  2. ExceptionINV-8812 short by £300$400€350C$500: deduction logged for your decision
  3. Clean accountEvery invoice has a status
A distribution warehouse with stocked shelving
04 Manufacturing

PO-driven invoices where price, quantity and delivery all have to agree.

Manufacturers invoice repeat trade customers against purchase orders. Before paying, a customer checks the PO, the delivery and the price, so a mismatch on any of them turns into a query or a deduction.

Where payment tends to get stuck
  • PO-driven invoicing
  • Shipment and delivery documents
  • Pricing and quantity discrepancies
  • Large-value invoices
  • Deductions
  • Several customer sites
Relevant services
  1. Purchase orderFrom the customer
  2. ShipmentWith delivery documents
  3. InvoiceAgainst the PO
  4. Price and quantity checkBy the customerOften stuck here
  5. Deduction or paymentRecorded, routed to youOften stuck here
  6. Cash appliedTo the right invoice
05 Professional services

Payment conversations that need to stay commercially sensitive.

Consultancies, advisory and technical firms bill by project or milestone. Invoices wait on a budget owner or a finance approval, and payment conversations often fall to senior people who would rather not have them.

Where payment tends to get stuck
  • Project and milestone billing
  • Client sign-off and budget owners
  • Purchase orders
  • Scope questions
  • Senior staff handling payment conversations
  • Inconsistent follow-up
See the professional services page
Relevant services
  1. Project deliveredMilestone reached
  2. InvoiceRaised to the client
  3. Budget ownerConfirms the workOften stuck here
  4. Finance approvalScheduled for paymentOften stuck here
  5. Query or promiseHandled in your tone
  6. PaymentReceived and recorded
06 Marketing agencies

Retainers, campaigns and scope changes, followed up without straining the account.

Marketing, creative and digital agencies bill through retainers, project and milestone fees and additional scope. Invoices wait on budget owners and POs, extra work gets queried, and account managers end up as the reminder system.

Where payment tends to get stuck
  • Monthly retainers
  • Campaign and milestone invoices
  • Scope changes and additional work
  • POs and client procurement
  • Production and pass-through costs
  • Account managers chasing their own clients
See the marketing agencies page
Relevant services
  1. Client engagementRetainer, project or extra scope
  2. InvoiceRaised to the client
  3. Budget owner or POApproval or procurementOften stuck here
  4. Scope querySent to your Account DirectorOften stuck here
  5. PromisePayment run tracked
  6. PaymentReceived and recorded
A person working at a desk in a design studio
Also a strong fit

Transport and logistics.

High invoice volume, proof-of-delivery questions, customer portals and many shipper contacts make follow-up heavy work. The same approach applies: find the blocker, route it, follow it up.

Outside these categories?

You do not need to fit one of them.

If your business sells B2B on payment terms and your receivables need regular follow-up, Steinfin may still be relevant.

Get a free AR health check
One discipline

Different industry, same AR discipline.

Whatever the sector, good accounts receivable means knowing what is outstanding and why it has not been paid, who was contacted and what they said, what happens next and when, what needs your input, and when the payment arrives.

You get clear, regular reporting on every account: status, customer responses, promises, open queries, next actions and anything that needs your input.

Your customers

Customer relationships matter differently in every business.

How we follow up depends on customer value, relationship sensitivity, account history, the invoice itself and any past disputes. Above all, it depends on your instructions. Steinfin follows the rules you agree.

A subcontractor following up a main contractorAn agency following up a long-term client
Formality

Formal, reference-led

Warm and personal

Frequency

Tied to application dates

Lighter touch, agreed cadence

Escalation

To your commercial manager

To the account lead first

Documents

Application, approvals, backup

PO and sign-off where needed

Illustrative examples. Your rules are agreed with you.
Beyond the label

Your industry is not the only thing that matters.

Two companies in the same sector can have completely different AR. What really shapes the work is the receivables operation itself.

Distributor A
  • Few large customers
  • 60-day terms
  • Rare disputes
  • Payments arrive with remittances

Mostly steady follow-up and promise tracking.

Distributor B
  • Hundreds of trade accounts
  • 30-day terms
  • Frequent deductions
  • Consolidated payments, little detail

Heavy on disputes and cash application.

What we look at
  • Invoice volume
  • Average invoice value
  • Number of customers
  • Payment terms
  • Customer concentration
  • Disputes and deductions
  • Payment methods
  • Team capacity
  • Accounting system
  • Where your customers are
Free AR health check

The quickest way to know if Steinfin fits is to look at your receivables.

Tell us a little about your invoicing and we send back an honest read within one business day: where payments are held up, and whether outsourced AR makes sense for you.

Get a free AR health check
Relevant services

Start from what is blocking payment.

Markets

Where we work.

Steinfin works with B2B businesses in four markets, each in its own currency and business language.

Questions

Industry fit, answered.

Which industries does Steinfin work with?

Steinfin focuses on B2B businesses where accounts receivable is real operational work: construction, recruitment and staffing, wholesale and distribution, manufacturing, professional services and marketing agencies. We also work with transport and logistics firms and other B2B companies that invoice on payment terms.

Does Steinfin only work with the industries listed here?

No. These are the industries where we see the clearest fit, not a closed list. If you sell B2B on payment terms and your receivables need regular follow-up, Steinfin may still be relevant.

Which businesses are a good fit for outsourced accounts receivable?

Usually B2B businesses with recurring invoices on payment terms, customers who need approvals or documents before paying, some disputes, deductions or partial payments, and a finance team without the time to follow everything up consistently.

Can Steinfin adapt customer follow-up to our industry?

Yes. Before we start, we agree the tone, timing, contacts, documents and escalation points with you, and we can set different rules for different kinds of customer.

Does Steinfin understand invoice disputes and approval workflows?

Yes. Much of the work is finding out what is blocking payment, such as a missing PO, an unapproved timesheet or a pricing query, then routing it to the right person and following it up. Commercial decisions stay with you.

Can Steinfin work with our existing finance team?

Yes. Some businesses hand over all routine AR work, others a defined part. Your team keeps invoicing, terms and commercial decisions, and Steinfin reports back regularly.

What if our receivables process is unusual?

Start with the free AR health check. We look at how your receivables actually work and tell you honestly whether and where Steinfin would help.

How do we know which service we need?

Start from what is blocking payment. If invoices go unanswered, follow-up is the gap. If queries hold payments up, it is dispute management. If payments arrive unmatched, it is cash application. The AR health check helps you pinpoint it.

Whatever your industry, find out what is blocking payment.

It starts with a free AR health check and an honest read on your receivables.

Get a free AR health check