How Studio Halden got paid in 19 days instead of 47

The challenge

Studio Halden works with clients across Europe and the US and relies on a bench of 120 freelance designers and developers. Invoices went out as PDFs, reminders were sent by hand and payments arrived as unlabelled bank transfers.

On average, clients took 47 days to pay. Freelancers, meanwhile, expected to be paid within a week in their own currency, which squeezed the studio’s cash every month.

Why they chose Saro

Halden wanted invoices that chase themselves, payment links clients could pay by card or bank, and payouts to freelancers that did not require a spreadsheet and four bank logins.

The setup

• Branded invoices with automatic reminders before and after due dates

• Payment links on every invoice, with card, SEPA and ACH options

• Weekly freelancer payouts in 12 currencies from one batch

• Project cards for software and production spend, tagged to each client

The results

Days sales outstanding dropped from 47 to 19 within two quarters. Every incoming payment is matched to its invoice, so the finance team no longer chases unlabelled transfers.

Freelancer payouts now take one approval on Thursday, saving about six hours of finance time every week.

What’s next

Halden is using project-level spend reports to price retainers more accurately for next year’s contracts.