How do I chase unpaid invoices automatically?
Short answer
Set a reminder ladder that starts politely on the due date and escalates over the following weeks, with a payment link in every message. Stop the sequence the second payment lands and escalate the stubborn ones to a person rather than a seventh email.
Before you start
- Invoices issued from the system with due dates.
- An online payment link on every invoice.
- Your late fee policy, if you have one.
- Who makes the collection call.
Step by step
- 1
Make paying trivially easy
Every invoice message carries a one-tap payment link that works on a phone.
Most late payments are friction, not refusal.
- 2
Remind on the due date
A short, friendly text with the amount and the link.
Day-of reminders collect a surprising share of the balance.
- 3
Escalate on a ladder
Three days, ten days, and thirty days, with the tone firming up each time.
Escalation without a schedule turns into nagging or silence.
- 4
Stop instantly on payment
Payment received is a hard stop on every remaining reminder.
Chasing someone who already paid costs you the next job.
- 5
Escalate to a human at thirty days
Create a call task with the invoice and history attached.
After a month, only a conversation moves the balance.
- 6
Watch aging weekly
A receivables report by age, reviewed on the same day each week.
Collections is a rhythm problem before it is a policy problem.
What good looks like
- Invoices get paid faster with no manual chasing.
- Nobody gets reminded after they have paid.
- Genuinely difficult accounts reach a person quickly.
- Receivables aging is visible every week.
Common mistakes
The ways this goes wrong in money, and what to do instead.
Reminders without a payment link›
Telling someone they owe money without a way to pay adds a step.
Do this instead: Put a one-tap payment link in every reminder message.
No stop condition›
Paid customers keep getting past-due notices.
Do this instead: Make payment an immediate stop trigger on the whole sequence.
Email-only chasing›
Invoice emails are the easiest thing in the world to ignore.
Do this instead: Lead with text for the first reminders and reserve email for the formal record.
Frequently asked
5 questions about automate payment remindersRelated guides
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