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Chase an overdue customer invoice politely, then firmly

money.chase-overdue-invoice·version 1.0.0·draft4 to verify

Chase an overdue customer invoice politely, then firmly

The invoice is paid or the company has a dated escalation trail (reminder, second reminder, final demand) and a decision on the next step.

InetaCredit Controllerruns itProfile ›
Whenon an event — an invoice passes its due date unpaid (invoice-overdue event from the money module)
Who actsthe agent acts after approval
Time10–20 min active per reminder; 1–6 weeks elapsed depending on the customer
CountryLatvia
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When to use

A customer has not paid an issued invoice by its due date. Not for creating or sending the invoice in the first place — use money.issue-invoice. Not for an invoice the company owes to a supplier — use money.process-incoming-invoice. If the customer turns out to be insolvent or the debt is clearly dead, this playbook hands over to money.write-off-bad-debt.

Before you start

  • The invoice exists in the money module with a due date and a customer contact.
  • Delivery is documented: signed acceptance, delivery note, or a written "thank you / works for us" from the customer.
  • The company's payment terms and any late-interest clause in the contract are known.
  • Reminder templates exist in the mail module (polite / firm / final demand).

What a run requires4

  • Approval · S4 · ownerthe run stops until a named person records the decision
  • Approval · S6 · ownerthe run stops until a named person records the decision
  • Approval · S7 · ownerthe run stops until a named person records the decision
  • Approval · S8 · ownerthe run stops until a named person records the decision

Any step can wait until a date and reopens by itself; every closed step leaves evidence (a note, a link, a number).

The trail9 steps

  1. Detect and list the overdue invoiceagent

    Read the invoice-overdue event; pull the invoice from the money module: id, amount, due date, days overdue.

    Done when the invoice appears on the overdue list with its age in days.

  2. Check the facts before any mail goes outagent

    Confirm delivery and acceptance, the correct billing contact, and search mail and tickets for a dispute, a payment promise, or a payment already received but unreconciled.

    Done when a two-line note per invoice says: delivered (how known), disputed (yes/no), any promise found.

    ⛔ An invoice under a genuine dispute must not enter the reminder ladder — route it to the owner instead.

  3. Draft reminder 1 — polite assumption of an oversightagent

    Use the polite template: invoice number, amount, due date, a re-attached copy, one line asking for a payment date if there is a problem. No interest, no threats.

    Done when the draft sits in the mail module with the invoice attached, addressed to the billing contact.

  4. Approve reminder 1ownerneeds approval · owner

    Approval · S4 · owner — the run stops until a named person records the decision

    The agent shows the draft and the S2 note.

    Done when the owner approves (or edits) the draft and names the recipient.

    ⛔ If the S2 note shows a dispute, the owner decides here whether to chase at all.

  5. Send reminder 1 and log itagent

    Send from the company's role address, record sent-date and recipient on the invoice.

    Done when the reminder trail on the invoice shows the first entry. If payment arrives, stop: reconcile in the money module and record the outcome in S9.

  6. Send reminder 2 after the grace periodagentneeds approval · owner

    Approval · S6 · owner — the run stops until a named person records the decision

    Default grace: 7 calendar days after reminder 1 with no payment and no promise. Firmer tone; state that statutory late-payment interest applies from the due date (⚠ verify the rate and article for the contract's jurisdiction before naming a figure).

    Done when reminder 2 is sent and logged with its date.

  7. Send the final demand after a further silenceagentneeds approval · owner

    Approval · S7 · owner — the run stops until a named person records the decision

    Default: 7–10 days after reminder 2. Final-demand template: full amount, interest to date, a stated deadline (⚠ verify a reasonable deadline — commonly 7–14 days — and any formal demand wording required before court in Latvia; check likumi.lv and the company's lawyer's standing guidance), and the statement of the next step.

    Done when the final demand is sent and logged.

  8. Decide escalationownerneeds approval · owner

    Approval · S8 · owner — the run stops until a named person records the decision

    Options: payment plan, hand to a debt-collection service, court claim, or write off. The agent prepares a one-paragraph summary: amount, trail dates, customer history, cost of each option.

    Done when the owner has picked one and the decision is recorded on the invoice.

    ⛔ Handing the debt to a collector or filing a claim is a third-party action by the company — only on the owner's named decision, never the agent's.

  9. Record the outcomeagent

    Update the invoice status (paid / in collection / written off); compute interest actually claimed or waived; link the write-off to money.write-off-bad-debt if chosen; add a task for any promised payment date.

    Done when the invoice shows a closed status and the trail is complete.

Checks — how we know it worked

  • Read the trail back: every reminder has a date, a recipient and the approving owner's name.
  • The money module shows the invoice in a terminal state — nothing left "open" silently.
  • If interest was claimed, the amount matches the rate and article noted in the source check.
  • The customer's ledger balance in the money module agrees with the invoice status.

If it goes wrong

SymptomResponse
Customer answers with a dispute mid-ladderStop the ladder; record the dispute; owner decides between fixing the issue and continuing the chase.
Payment received but not matching the amountReconcile in the money module, ask the owner whether the shortfall is interest, a discount or an error — do not guess.
Bounce or no reply from the billing contactFind a second contact (signed offer, account manager); resend once; note the dead address in the trail.
Customer promises a date, then misses itOne restart of the ladder from S6 with the promise quoted back; no third reminder without the owner.
Customer is in insolvency proceedingsStop chasing entirely — claims go through the insolvency administrator; escalate to the owner the same day.

What each step leaves behind

  1. S1the invoice appears on the overdue list with its age in days.
  2. S2a two-line note per invoice says: delivered (how known), disputed (yes/no), any promise found.
  3. S3the draft sits in the mail module with the invoice attached, addressed to the billing contact.
  4. S4the owner approves (or edits) the draft and names the recipient.
  5. S5the reminder trail on the invoice shows the first entry. If payment arrives, stop: reconcile in the money module and record the outcome in S9.
  6. S6reminder 2 is sent and logged with its date.
  7. S7the final demand is sent and logged.
  8. S8the owner has picked one and the decision is recorded on the invoice.
  9. S9the invoice shows a closed status and the trail is complete.

Evidence to keep

Invoice id and amount · every reminder's sent date, recipient and approving owner · the S2 delivery note · the final demand copy · the escalation decision (who, when, which option) · any payment plan terms.

How this playbook improves

After every 10 runs ask: how many days from due date to payment on average, and which step added the most delay? How many invoices reached S7 — is the final demand working, or should the grace periods change? Did any chase hit a dispute S2 should have caught? Did any claimed interest rate turn out to be wrong? A new version changes the step behind the delay or the miss, and says so in its change note.