Udhaar Management: How to Manage Credit Customers at a Petrol Pump

For many pumps, credit customers are the backbone of diesel sales: transporters, contractors, schools, factories and local businesses who fill every day and pay at the end of the month. Udhaar builds loyalty and volume. It also locks your working capital in other people's pockets. Petrol pump udhaar management is about getting the first without being hurt by the second.

Decide the terms before the first litre

Every credit account should begin with two numbers, agreed with the customer:

• Credit limit — the maximum amount that may be outstanding at any time.
• Credit period — the number of days within which a bill must be paid.

Also record who is allowed to take fuel on the account: which vehicles, and which drivers. Most disputes begin with fuel given to a vehicle the customer says was not his.

Record every credit transaction at the time of fuelling

A credit sale is a sale without money. If it is not recorded at the nozzle, it becomes a cash shortage for the attendant and an unbilled sale for you. For every credit fill, note:

• Customer and vehicle number
• Product, quantity and amount
• Date, shift and attendant

Keep a ledger for each customer

The customer ledger lists every credit transaction and every payment, with the running balance. With a proper ledger you can answer the two questions customers ask most — what is my balance, and what is it made of — without searching through slips.

Watch the age of the outstanding, not only the amount

An outstanding of ₹2,00,000 that is ten days old is business. The same amount ninety days old is a problem. An ageing report groups what each customer owes by how long it has been due, so you follow up the oldest amounts first.

Send statements regularly

A statement at a fixed interval, with vehicle-wise detail, prevents arguments at payment time. Customers pay faster when they can check the bill against their own vehicles.

Follow a collection routine

1. Review outstanding and ageing on a fixed day every week.
2. Remind customers who are close to the limit or past the credit period.
3. Record every payment against the customer the day it is received.
4. Decide who in your team may allow credit beyond the limit — and keep a record whenever it happens.

Common mistakes

• Credit given on the word of a driver, without a record.
• No limit, or a limit that nobody checks.
• Ledger written once a week from slips.
• Payments received but adjusted later.
• One total bill for a fleet owner who wants vehicle-wise figures.

How Sanchay helps with udhaar

In Sanchay, credit customers are registered with their mobile number, credit limit and credit period. Credit transactions are recorded against the customer — and for fleets, against the vehicle. The customer ledger, outstanding amount, payment history, ageing report and customer statements are prepared from these entries. A credit limit override can require approval.

Your customers get their own mobile app: they log in with the registered mobile number and see fuel purchased, transactions, outstanding balance, payments and vehicle-wise transactions. Fleet customers can even send a fuel request for a specific vehicle. See credit customer management, fleet and fuel requests and the petrol pump app.

In short

Udhaar works when the terms are clear, every fill is recorded, the ledger is always up to date and old amounts are followed up first. Give your customer the same figures you see, and most disputes never start.