8 Invoice Dispute Interview Questions (With Sample Answers) walk
Billing specialists and people who work in accounts payable need to know how to dispute bills. When hiring for these jobs, many hiring managers ask candidates how to dispute invoices to make sure they know how to check for mistakes on bills and invoices. If you want to work as a billing specialist or accountant, it might help to look up some of the questions you might be asked about invoice disputes.8 Invoice Dispute Interview Questions
In this article, we list eight common questions about invoice disputes, explain why interviewers might ask them, give tips on how to answer them, and give sample answers to help you think of your own.
8 Interview Questions and Sample Answers About Billing Disputes
Here are eight interview questions about invoice disputes, along with tips on how to answer them and sample answers to help you think of your own:
1. What would you do before agreeing to pay an invoice?
Billing experts often need to be able to check that invoices are correct. It can keep companies from paying too much or twice. Interviewers might ask you this question to see how well you understand the billing cycle and how well you can work for the company.
When answering this question, think about giving just enough information to show that you know what you’re talking about while keeping your answer short. Start by writing down the exact steps you would take to make sure an invoice is correct before it could be paid. Then you can talk about why the process is important and how it will help the company.
Here’s what I mean: “I’d start the approval process by comparing the invoice to the company’s order details and receipt records. Next, I would look at the dates on the bill and compare them to dates on previous bills to make sure there weren’t any charges that were repeated. Lastly, I would check with the people who placed and got the orders to make sure that everything was as expected. I would plan to pay the vendor after I did these things. I did this for every invoice at my last job to make sure my boss didn’t pay for things they didn’t need to.”
2. What would you do if your boss paid you twice for the same bill?
In some cases, a business may pay a bill more than once, which could cost them a lot of money. Billing experts have to work hard a lot of the time to figure out how to handle these situations. Interviewers may ask you this question to see how well you know how to handle common invoice disputes and to get a feel for how you might do on the job.
When you answer, it’s usually best to talk about specific steps to show how sure you are and how much you know. Start your answer by briefly going over each step of how to get in touch with the collector and get your money back. If you’ve been in a similar situation before, telling what you did to fix it might help.
Here’s what I mean: “If I heard that my company made a payment more than once, I would first look at the company’s transactions to make sure. Next, I would call the vendor to tell them about the double payment and ask them to give us either a credit or a refund. In the jobs I’ve had before, this was always enough to solve the problem. If there were a lot of repeat payments, I would make sure that an employee checked and approved all invoices before they were paid.”
How would you work out a disagreement about an invoice?
There are often disagreements about invoices, and it’s not always because someone paid twice. A supplier might send a client an invoice for the wrong delivery or for too much money, for example. This is a question that hiring managers might ask to see how you would handle a big bill dispute at work.
Since the question is pretty broad, giving an example might help to make it clearer. For example, you can ask your question in response to an invoice that overcharges your company. Then you can describe in detail how you would fix the problem. You might be able to answer this question better based on your own experience with invoice disputes, or you could use information from past jobs.
Here’s what I mean: “My response would depend on the type of invoice dispute, but from what I’ve seen, most invoice disputes are caused by overcharges. When I had to deal with overcharges in the past, I would first ask the person who placed the order about the extra money. Then, as soon as I could, I would send an email to the vendor. The invoice, a full explanation of why we were rejecting it, and what the vendor needed to do to fix it would all be in the email. During the process, I would make copies of all important documents and communications.”
4. Please tell me how bills are made.
A billing cycle is a way for businesses to spread out the work of billing over time. People who work in billing and collect money from customers often need to know this. This is a question an interviewer might ask to find out how well you understand common billing practices and how much you know about sending invoices.
To answer this question, first explain what a billing cycle is. Then you can talk about why setting up a billing cycle is important and list some of the benefits it gives. Then, using your own knowledge, you can make a list of the steps that usually make up a billing cycle.
Here’s what I mean: “A billing cycle is the schedule that a business uses to charge customers for regular services or products. At my last job, most of the clients were billed once a month, but some were only billed once a year. Most of the time, the cycle includes figuring out how much services cost, making and sending invoices, and getting paid. Some cycles have a short grace period before late fees are added to the bill.”
5. How would you describe work that can be billed and work that can’t be?
A company’s client services usually fall into two categories: those that can be billed and those that can’t. This difference is often important for billing specialists because it helps them figure out how much to charge their clients or how much their clients should pay when they get an invoice. Interviewers might ask you this question to see how well you understand how billing works and why people dispute bills.
Start by explaining what billable and non-billable work means and why it’s important. Then, you can think about giving an example to show that you know what you’re talking about and to make your answer clearer. You might also want to say what these ideas have to do with invoice disputes, if you can.
Here’s what I mean: “Billable work is what a company can charge its clients for, and non-billable work is what the client doesn’t have to pay for. Things like repairs, staff events, and fixing mistakes, as well as work that isn’t covered by a contract, can’t be billed for. In the past, I’ve gotten invoices with charges for work that wasn’t billable and needed to be fixed before I could get paid.”
How would you make sure that bills get paid on time?
How quickly invoices are paid affects a business’s cash flow and its relationships with customers. Billing disputes can also be avoided if businesses make sure invoices are paid on time. Hiring managers might ask you this question to see if you can help them improve how they handle invoices. Your answer can also show if you know how to avoid and solve invoice disputes.
When answering this question, try to be as specific as possible and list more than one way to make sure invoices are paid on time. You might find it helpful, as with other questions, to think about things you’ve done or seen in the past. This can help you give a more detailed answer and show that you understand how billing works.
Here’s what I mean: “When I start working in a new department, the first thing I do is set clear rules about invoice payment, late fees, and collection. I then share these rules with all vendors. I also make sure that when we meet a new vendor for the first time, I explain what our rules are. If payments were late, I would make it a rule that the vendor would be called often, starting the day after the deadline. I would also make sure that my department’s bills are correct, set up payment plans, and try to get along better with vendors if I wanted people to pay.”
7. Why is disputing an invoice so important?
This is an example of a more general question that an interviewer might ask you. This question can help the person interviewing you figure out how you handle invoice disputes and if you’d be a good fit for their accounting team. When answering this question, try to think about how important invoice disputes are for daily business and how they will affect your business in the long run. Consider explaining how well-handled invoice disputes can help a business make more money and keep good relationships with its customers.
Here’s what I mean: “The important task of disputing invoices can help a business stay healthy. Invoice disputes are important because they make sure that employees get the goods and services they need to do their jobs. It can also help a business avoid wasting money on things like double payments or overcharging. Invoice disputes can help a business stay in business and make money in the long run.”
8. Explain some common causes of invoice disputes.
Disputes over invoices can happen for a number of reasons, like wrong charges, switched orders, or repeated payments. People who work in billing or accounting often need to know why things like this happen. Hiring managers may ask you this question to see how well you know the basics of billing and how well you can solve common problems. When answering this question, you can list some of the most common reasons why people don’t agree with an invoice, as well as ones you’ve seen in the past.
Here’s what I mean: “As a specialist in billing, I’ve seen many different kinds of invoice disputes. Extra fees, duplicate payments, unhappy customers, orders that aren’t finished, and late fees are some of the most common. I have also had disagreements with clients because they didn’t get an invoice or didn’t have the money to pay at the time.”
