Key points
- It covers reminders, follow-ups, escalation and payment updates.
- The first reminder should go before the due date.
- Tone firms up gradually; good customers rarely see more than one message.
- It works alongside your accounts package, not instead of it.
- Credit decisions stay with people.
What accounts receivable automation does
Accounts receivable is the money your customers owe you. Automating it means the routine steps between “invoice raised” and “invoice paid” happen on their own:
- a friendly reminder before the invoice is due
- firmer reminders on a schedule once it’s overdue
- an alert and a call task for a manager when an account stays late
- your team told when payment lands, so nobody chases a paid invoice
A typical reminder schedule
| When | Message |
|---|---|
| A few days before due | Friendly heads-up with a copy of the invoice |
| On the due date | Short reminder with a simple way to pay |
| 7 days overdue | Firmer reminder |
| 14+ days overdue | Manager alerted, call task created |
The timings and wording are yours. Most good customers pay after the first message and never see the rest.
Why it works
Late payment is rarely deliberate. Invoices get buried, approvals wait on someone, and nobody reminds them. A reminder that arrives every time, at the right moment, fixes most of it. The rest are the accounts that genuinely need a conversation, and that’s where your credit controller’s time should go.
Doing it alongside your accounts package
You keep your accounts package. The automation reads invoices and payments from it and handles the chasing. See accounts receivable automation for what we set up, or our guide on how to automate invoice chasing.
Questions people ask
Does accounts receivable automation work with Xero, Sage or QuickBooks?
Usually, yes. We connect to the accounts package you already use and read invoices and payments from it.
Will it replace our credit controller?
No. It takes the routine reminders off their plate so they spend their time on the accounts that need a phone call.
Can it chase unfinished trade account applications too?
Yes. Applications that are started and never finished get reminders until they're completed.
