5 Things That Prevent Checks From Looking Professional
Maintaining a high level of professionalism in all business communications is imperative for both new and established companies. Business checks are important financial instruments that should convey a high level of professionalism, credibility, and accuracy, as well as work compatibly with other marketing materials to reinforce your logo and brand.
Business owners who are just starting out, or those who are trying to grow a small side business into something bigger, may not give a lot of thought to how their checks appear—but those checks help create an impression of the company to every vendor, supplier, client, employee, and affiliate that the business pays.
If you want your company to be taken more seriously, and not seen as just an amateurish venture, avoid five things that downgrade the professionalism of your checks:
1. Handwritten checks
A large number of small businesses have few or no employees, and thus, the checks issued are typically written and signed directly by the owner. Hand-written checks underscore the small size of the operation and suggest to recipients that the back-office operation is DIY. Printing checks from your office not only saves time and money, but printed text in a business-styled font enhances a check's overall appearance and grants each check a more professional air.
2. Low-quality check stock
While you can issue checks on a wide variety of different paper types, premium check stock greatly enhances the overall professionalism of your business checks. A first-rate paper stock for your checks shows recipients that your business invests in and prioritizes quality, a value likely to extend to other areas, such as quality of product and service.
3. Personal checks
Checks written from a personal account do not convey the same level of professionalism as those issued from a dedicated business account. Personal checks are likely to contain the owner’s name and home address instead of the business contact info; they will also lack the color business logo that typically accompanies professional checks drawn from a dedicated business checking account.
4. Checks that lack documentation
Professional checks often contain attachments and enclosures to underscore their purpose and professionalism. Sending checks without discernible reasons or supporting documentation can leave recipients confused and can lead to bookkeeping and accounting errors that frustrate everyone. Including invoices, invoice tables with balance breakdowns, and other explanatory documents streamlines the bookkeeping and reduces opportunities for error. Sending promotional materials, when appropriate, maximizes the marketing opportunity, as well, each time your company issues a payment.
5. Checks with errors
Accuracy is of vital importance when you are issuing payments. Errors on checks may invalidate them, hold up the payment and delivery process, and frustrate the customers, vendors, employees, and bookkeepers who have to correct them. Payment errors suggest a very low level of care, and they create an unfavorable and unprofessional appearance for a company, which makes people reluctant to trust in the quality of their services and products.
Checkeeper can transform unprofessional business checks into powerful branding tools
Details matter. When you want professional, on-demand business checks that contain all the necessary check elements and the MICR-encoded font that bank computers recognize, Checkeeper is the answer. Do away with outdated checkbooks, paper registries, and hand-written entries in favor of streamlined check printing, mailing, and recording that can put a professional business check in your hands—or in the mail—as soon as you need.
Checkeeper offers business checks a professional upgrade:
All check fields can be formatted and printed in your chosen font instead of hand-written.
Routing and account numbers are automatically formatted in the MICR font required by banks.
Checkeeper works with any check stock on the market, enabling users to select high-quality paper in the preferred layout that best suits their bookkeeping and documentation needs.
Checkeeper enables custom uploading of designs, backgrounds, images, and logos to give your checks unique branding elements that complement your marketing strategy.
Checks can be sent with necessary or helpful documentation, including: invoice tables, pay stubs, benefits explanations, and marketing materials.
Checkeeper can link to other accounting and payment software to convert unpaid invoices directly into check payments with attached invoice tables.
Checkeeper can connect with other accounting software programs to sync data for cleaner, more accurate bookkeeping records.
All check details are automatically stored in an online registry that can be searched by any check field, as well as printed, downloaded, or exported in part or in full.
Checks can be professionally printed and mailed for you so that no time or supplies are needed from you.
Thousands of companies have given their business checks a professional upgrade through Checkeeper. The template allows virtually limitless options in check design, and you can change your check layout or edit the printed information as often as you need. Checkeeper helps business owners take the professionalism of their checks and attachments to the next level by offering: check customization features, priority mailing services, invoice-to-check conversion options, and limitless check printing for businesses of all sizes and types.