Guides · Customer credit
How to track customer credit in your shop (deni, deyn) without a notebook
· 5 min read
Most shops in East Africa sell on credit to the customers they know: deni in Swahili, deyn in Somali. It builds loyalty, but a notebook gets lost, gets wet, and cannot tell you who is three weeks late. Here is a simple way to keep credit under control.
Set your rules before you give credit
- Who gets credit: regular customers you know by name and phone number.
- How much: a limit per customer that you would be comfortable losing.
- For how long: for example, paid by the end of the week or the end of the month.
- What happens when they are late: no new credit until the old is paid.
Record every credit sale and every payment
Write down each credit sale with the customer, the date and the amount, and each payment when it comes in, even a small one. The balance is then always right, and when a customer says "I already paid", you can show them every entry.
Know who is late, every morning
The question that matters is not "who owes me" but "who is late". Sort your customers by how long they have owed. Call the oldest first; a debt that is three months old is much harder to collect than one that is three weeks old.
Send reminders that get paid
- Be polite and specific: the amount, since when, and how to pay.
- Send it by WhatsApp or SMS, where people read their messages.
- Send a statement with every entry when a customer disputes the amount.
- Thank them when they pay. It keeps them buying.
Do not forget what you owe
Your shop also buys on credit from suppliers. Keep their balances in the same place, so you know what is coming in and what has to go out this week.
Questions
Is there a free app for customer credit?
Yes. Kaydro's Deyn Book is free forever: record who owes your shop and who your shop owes, see who is late, send reminders by WhatsApp or SMS and print statements.
Does it work without internet?
Yes. You can record credit and payments with no connection, and they sync when the internet is back.
What if I later want a full point of sale?
Move up to a full Kaydro plan and your customers and their balances come with you; credit sales at the till then go straight onto their accounts.