Credit Management

One of the most important features for Nigerian businesses is credit management. Many customers buy on credit (“give me, I pay Friday”), and SabiBooks helps you track every Naira.

Selling on Credit

1. Start a new sale

   Start a new sale in the POS.

2. Add products

   Add products to the cart.

3. Select a customer

   Tap the Customer button and choose the customer.

4. Choose Credit

   Select “Credit” as the payment method.

5. Complete the sale

   Tap the “Charge” button to complete the sale.

The sale amount is added to the customer’s credit balance. The customer profile will show the updated balance.

Caution

You cannot sell on credit without selecting a customer. SabiBooks needs to know who is taking the credit.

Tip

If a customer is buying on credit for the first time, add them as a new customer first (see Adding a New Customer), then come back to the POS.

Setting Credit Limits

Credit limits help you control how much credit each customer can have. When a customer reaches their limit, SabiBooks warns you before allowing more credit.

Setting a Credit Limit

1. Open the customer profile

   Go to the customer profile.

2. Tap Credit Limit

   Tap the “Credit Limit” button.

3. Enter the amount

   Enter the maximum credit amount in Naira (e.g., ₦50,000).

4. Save

   Tap “Save”.

Tip

Example: Alhaji Musa sets a ₦200,000 credit limit for his biggest customer, a retailer who always pays on time. For newer customers, he starts with ₦20,000 and increases it as trust grows.

How Credit Limits Work

• Credit Limit: Maximum total credit allowed (e.g., ₦50,000)
• Current Balance: How much the customer currently owes (e.g., ₦35,000)
• Available Credit: How much more credit they can take (₦50,000 - ₦35,000 = ₦15,000)

Caution

If a credit sale would push the customer over their limit, SabiBooks will warn you. You can still proceed, but the warning helps you make a conscious decision.

Recording Credit Payments

When a customer pays back some or all of what they owe:

1. Open the customer profile

   Go to the customer profile.

2. Tap Record Payment

   Tap “Record Payment”.

3. Enter the payment details

   Field	Description	Example
   Amount	How much the customer is paying, in Naira	₦10,000
   Payment Method	How they are paying	Cash, Bank Transfer, POS, Mobile Money
   Reference Number	Transaction reference (for transfers)	“TRF-12345”
   Notes	Any extra information	”Part payment, balance next week”

4. Save the payment

   Tap “Record Payment”. The customer’s balance is immediately updated.

Tip

Mama Chidi says: “Always record payments the moment the customer pays. Do not wait until later — you might forget.”

Note

Payments can be full or partial. If a customer owes ₦20,000 and pays ₦10,000, SabiBooks records the payment and shows the remaining balance of ₦10,000.

The Credit and Debtors Page

The Credit and Debtors page gives you a complete view of all outstanding credit across all customers.

To access it, tap “Credit” in the bottom navigation.

Summary Cards

Three cards at the top show:

Total Outstanding

The total amount all customers owe you right now.

Overdue (>30 days)

Amount owed for more than 30 days (shown in red).

Collected This Month

How much credit you have collected so far this month.

Credit Aging Report

The aging chart breaks down outstanding credit by how old the debt is:

Bracket	Meaning
0-30 days	Recent credit — not yet due for follow-up
31-60 days	Getting older — time to send a reminder
61-90 days	Overdue — follow up urgently
90+ days	Very overdue — take serious action

Tap on a bracket to filter the debtor list to show only customers in that age range.

Tip

Example: If Alhaji Musa sees ₦150,000 in the “90+ days” bracket, he knows he needs to take immediate action on those old debts — perhaps visiting the customers in person.

Debtors List

Below the aging chart, you see a list of all customers who owe you money, sorted by highest balance first. Each debtor card shows:

• Customer name and phone number
• Outstanding balance (in Naira)
• Days overdue
• Quick action buttons:
  • Record Payment — Record when they pay you
  • Send Reminder — Send a WhatsApp message

Sending Payment Reminders

You can send polite payment reminders to customers via WhatsApp.

Sending a Reminder to One Customer

1. Find the customer

   From the debtors list or the customer profile, tap “Send Reminder” (WhatsApp icon).

2. Review the message

   SabiBooks opens WhatsApp with a pre-written message like:

   “Hi [Customer Name], this is a friendly reminder that you have an outstanding balance of ₦[amount] at [Your Business Name]. Please settle at your earliest convenience. Thank you!”

3. Edit and send

   You can edit the message before sending. Tap “Send” in WhatsApp.

Sending Bulk Reminders

1. Open the reminders modal

   On the Credit and Debtors page, tap the “Send Reminders” button (top right, green WhatsApp icon).

2. Select customers

   A modal opens showing all debtors with checkboxes. Select the customers you want to remind (or select all).

3. Review and send

   Review the message template. Send reminders to all selected customers.

Tip

Be polite in your reminders. Good customer relationships keep people coming back. A friendly reminder is better than an angry demand.

Credit Aging Report Details

The Credit Aging Report helps you understand not just how much credit is outstanding, but how risky it is.

How to Read the Report

Bracket	Risk Level	Action
0-30 days	Low	Normal. Most customers pay within this period.
31-60 days	Medium	Send a friendly WhatsApp reminder.
61-90 days	High	Call the customer. Consider stopping further credit.
90+ days	Very High	Visit in person. Consider it a potential loss.

The report shows:

• Total outstanding amount across all brackets
• Number of debtors in each bracket
• Percentage of total debt in each bracket
• Bar chart visualisation