For decades, the 90-day payment term has been a bedrock of B2B commerce. Deliver the product or service, send an invoice, wait a while for payment. It was predictable, standardized, and relatively easy to manage.
Today, the 90-day payment term is becoming a relic. The forces reshaping revenue management—from digitalization to customer expectations—are making traditional business terms and cycles too slow, too rigid, and too costly for modern enterprises.
What’s driving the change?
1. Bespoke contracts are now the norm
No two customer relationships look the same. Enterprises across industries—from logistics and transportation to technology and services—are negotiating custom terms, unique bundles, and complex discount structures.
- A trucking company may structure contracts with tiered fuel surcharges, stop-off charges, and dynamic detention fees.
- A software provider might blend subscriptions, usage tiers, and outcome-based pricing in one agreement.
Rigid payment cycles don’t align with dynamic contracts and terms. Companies need billing and collection systems that flex with the contract, not the other way around.
2. The rise of real-time payments
With FedNow and other instant-payment rails gaining traction, customers increasingly expect the option to settle invoices in days or even minutes. On the flip side, vendors need faster access to cash to maintain liquidity in volatile markets.
Clinging to static, more than 90-day billing cycles means delayed cash flow, higher DSO, more revenue leakage, and riskier working capital positions. Enterprises that move to real-time or event-driven billing not only get paid faster but also create competitive differentiation.
3. Revenue streams are multiplying
In nearly every sector, companies are diversifying how they monetize:
- Subscription + usage models in software
- Accessorial fees in transportation
- Shared-revenue models in ecosystems
Each new revenue stream adds complexity, and each one erodes the viability of traditional payment terms.
4. Compliance and audit pressures
Regulators and auditors increasingly demand granular, event-level revenue records. It’s no longer enough to show a monthly invoice; you need to prove revenue recognition aligns with delivery, usage, or contractual milestones.
This means every invoice must be accurate, transparent, and traceable—qualities that legacy systems and static payment cycles struggle to deliver.
What it means for modern enterprises
Businesses will need to rethink billing and revenue management as strategic levers. Here are a few examples:
- Move from quarterly to event-driven billing.
- Automate the capture of every contract nuance, usage event, and compliance requirement.
- Shift revenue operations from back-office accounting to front-line value creation.
A different way forward
The future belongs to enterprises that treat revenue as a dynamic asset, not an afterthought. By adopting unified revenue management platforms like RecVue, companies can:
- Unify billing, revenue recognition, and compliance in one system.
- Capture every dollar of value delivered—from bespoke contracts to accessorials.
- Build trust and transparency with customers through accurate, audit-ready invoicing.
Billing and invoicing are no longer business as usual. The traditional 90-day payment term may not disappear overnight, but its dominance is over. Modern revenue management platforms like RecVue RevOS will help finance automate the most complex billing models with precision and control. The companies that adapt will not only protect their margins but also position themselves for profitable growth in the new era of revenue complexity and customer experience.
Contact one of our experts to learn how you can unify your operations, from quote to cash, by running your revenue on one intelligent platform.
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