During cash-tight times, customers will lean towards prioritizing payments based on their needs, personal relationship with your firm and your firm's position on credit and collections.　 You can't influence customer needs nor your personal relationship with them at this point, so you may want to adjust your attitude toward credit and collections.

The key is to continually remind customers that payment is expected and consequences for not paying per credit terms.

To accellerate receivables turnover: 

1. Invoice customers at the earliest possible date. 
2. Avoid delays by making sure invoices include sufficient details and are error free. 
3. State on invoices early payment discounts, payment due dates for discounts and late payment penalty terms. 
4. Send follow-up statements every 15 days and with accrued service charges. 
5. Be flexible on payment methods; accept electronic checks, credit or debit cards or any other method that gets you paid faster.

Monitor customer receivables and changes in the average number of day receivables are outstanding.  Sudden changes in a customer's payment pattern may warn of trouble ahead.