Udhar khata on your phone: a simple system for customer credit

Giving udhar is how a neighbourhood shop keeps its regulars. The problem is rarely the customer. It is the notebook: a missed entry, a page that gets wet, a total added wrong, or an argument about when something was taken. Each one is money you never see again.

Write it the moment it happens

Most khata mistakes happen because an entry is written later, from memory. Write every udhar while the customer is still at the counter, with the date and what they took. Write every payment the same way, even a small part payment.

When the bill and the khata are the same thing, there is nothing to copy. In LokMilo you put the customer on the bill and mark it as udhar. The bill, the stock and the khata update together.

One page for each customer

Search a customer's name and you should see every udhar, every payment and the balance in one place. That single page settles most arguments: the dates are there, and so are the items.

Because each entry changes the balance at once, there is no adding up at the end of the month and no double counting.

Decide your limits before you need them

• Set a limit for each regular, based on what they usually buy in a week or a month.
• Ask for something back before giving more once a customer reaches the limit.
• Be careful with large first-time udhar. Trust grows with each payment.
• Agree on a payday with customers who are paid monthly.

Remind on time, and politely

Look every morning at who owes you and since when. A short message with the exact amount and the date it started works better than a vague "please clear your dues". Something like: "Namaste Suresh garu, ₹840 is pending from 24 May. Please pay when you come next."

LokMilo shows how much money is due to you and who paid today on one screen, so the people to remind are easy to find.

Credit that brings customers back

Credit and rewards work well together. A customer who pays on time and keeps buying from you can earn an offer you set, like ₹500 off after ₹10,000 of shopping. LokMilo counts what each customer spends and shows you who has earned it.

Start your free khata with your top ten credit customers this week. Once their balances are on your phone, you will not go back to the notebook.