Just like Business Pages, the ProZ.com Blue Board works as a business card. Not only are Blue Board records an important risk management tool for language service providers since 2001, but they also show a company's reliability in terms of payment and commitment.
Many outsourcers, whether big LSPs, medium-sized regional language companies, boutique agencies or end clients, want to have a 5 star record because it helps when reaching out to potential service providers and also when trying to attract and meet new clients.
Also, as per ProZ.com's termination policy, an outsourcer's job posting and messaging rights can be revoked due to non-payment issues on their Blue Board record.
So, how can you solve your non-payments faster?
Don't get a non-payment report in the first place
As silly as it may sound, it's always easier to clean up a mess before it's made than after the milk has been spilt.
You should always keep channels of communication with your freelancers open! If you can't make their payment in time or there have been issues with the delivered projects, let them know.
More often than not, your service providers just want to know what's going on. If you can't make the payment deadline in time, tell them in advance and then continue to keep them in the loop. If there have been quality complaints, let them know and try to work out a solution that can leave both parties satisfied before they feel the need to go to your Blue Board record.
Use ProZ*Pay
In many cases non-payments result from miscommunication and conflicting payment methods: for example, outsourcers have policy of using PayPal and their service providers don't have an account or PayPal doesn't operate in their countries.
For cases like these, ProZ*Pay may prove valuable to outsourcers and help to save time and efforts. Once a non-payment is entered, outsourcers can see a direct link to ProZ*Pay in the entry to solve the issue right away.
ProZ*Pay can also be used to pay many vendors at once. Also, credit worthy outsourcers, especially ProZ.com business members with Blue Board ratings of 4.2 or higher, are eligible for adding payments to fund later. Don't let payment issues get in the way - email payments@proz.com for more information.
Contact ProZ.com's support center
If the non-payment report on your Blue Board record doesn't meet the conditions stated here, you should contact site staff as soon as possible.
Please note that for site staff to look into the matter, you should always include:
- Full correspondence with service provider (PO, invoice, and other emails) to contest their entry —don't forget to include the full headers!
- Proof of payment if payment has been made already
Finally, 
Business Members have the benefit of having their non-payments made invisible as soon as they are made for a couple of days to either issue the payment or contest the entry.
This post was originally authored and posted by Rocío Tempone.
