Chasing timing

When should you chase an unpaid invoice?

Chase an unpaid invoice as soon as its due date has passed, then at regular intervals, a little firmer each time. A Muzau agent reads the due date of each invoice in your Google Sheet or your invoice file. It follows up once the due date has passed, or earlier if you ask, Monday to Friday at 9 a.m. by default. It stops as soon as the customer replies, and you choose whether each follow-up waits for your approval.

Why the timing of an invoice follow-up matters

A late invoice is not always a refusal to pay. Often it got lost in an inbox, is waiting for an internal signature, or never reached the person who pays. The later the first follow-up goes out, the longer that blockage lasts, and the more awkward the conversation becomes.

The hardest part is not knowing that you need to chase, it is doing it on the right day, invoice by invoice, when due dates fall on different days and your day is taken up by today's customers. Your team keeps the relationship and the decision to go further; the follow-up calendar is something the agent keeps.

How the agent goes about it

Input

Your invoices, one row per invoice with its due date

It does

Spots past due dates, or upcoming ones if you ask, and places each follow-up on a run day

It delivers

Dated follow-ups, which stop when the invoice is marked paid or the customer replies

Each invoice's due date sets the start

You create a Muzau agent in the Workshop and give it your invoices: a connected Google Sheet, or an uploaded Excel or CSV file, with one row per invoice and its due date. You say when to chase in your own words, for example "chase invoices more than 3 days overdue". It follows up once the due date has passed, or earlier if you ask, for a courteous reminder. A row without a readable date does not enter a due-date follow-up. If you track the invoice email instead, the count starts from when it was sent rather than from the due date: D+3, D+7 and D+14 by default. The file details are in chasing unpaid invoices from Google Sheets.

Up to six follow-ups, firmer from the second

The rhythm of invoice follow-ups is adjustable: up to six follow-ups, each spaced 1 to 90 days apart, with each delay counted from the previous follow-up. The first is written to cite the reference, the amount and the due date, ask for the payment date and offer to resend the invoice. From the second, the agent becomes firmer, with no threats and no sales pitch. The amount quoted is the one on the row, never calculated, and each invoice's row shows the last follow-up sent, dated.

One working day, at 9 a.m., one message at a time

Follow-ups go out on the agent's run days: by default Monday to Friday, at 9 a.m. Paris time. A follow-up that falls on a Saturday or a Sunday goes out on the next run day. The same person never receives more than one scheduled message per 24 hours, all agents combined. And a backlog does not go out all at once: at most 10 new people start being chased within 24 hours.

The follow-up stops at the reply or when the invoice is marked paid

The follow-up stops as soon as the customer replies. A Google Sheet is re-read before each run: a row marked "Paid", "Settled" or "Closed" is no longer chased, and with connected invoicing software, such as Pennylane, Sellsy or QuickBooks, the agent sees the invoice as paid. In Manage, you read each planned follow-up in advance, move it to another run day or cancel it; on the Autonomy page, you choose whether it waits for your go-ahead.

The right schedule for chasing an invoice

With or without a tool, the timings below are guidelines, to adapt to your payment terms and the relationship.

• A few days before the due date: a courteous reminder, especially for a large amount or a new customer. It checks that the invoice has reached the person who pays.
• The first working day after the due date: a first factual follow-up, which cites the reference, the amount and the date, asks when payment is planned and offers to resend the invoice.
• About a week later: a second follow-up, a little firmer, which refers back to the first.
• After that: a third follow-up, then a call. This is where the next step is decided, case by case.

A few rules apply to the whole schedule:

• Check your receipts before each follow-up: chasing an invoice that is already paid damages the relationship more than a day's delay.
• For a large amount, call as soon as the second follow-up goes unanswered, without waiting for the third.
• After a partial payment, chase the balance only, citing what was received and what is still owed.
• When the customer announces a payment date, note it and do not chase before then: get back to them the next day if nothing arrives.

For the wording itself, see how to chase an unpaid invoice by email; to know when to move to the next step, how many reminders to send before a formal notice.

What it does not do

• An invoice without a readable due date on its row does not enter a due-date follow-up.
• Without connected invoicing software, it does not see a payment that nothing records in your file, and an uploaded Excel or CSV file does not update itself: you need to upload it again or use a Google Sheet.
• It sets no legal deadline and sends no penalty or formal notice: it sticks to friendly follow-ups, and what comes next remains your decision.

Frequently asked questions

Should you chase an invoice before its due date?

A courteous reminder a few days before the due date checks that the invoice has reached the person who pays, especially with a new customer or a large amount. A Muzau agent can write before the due date if you ask it to, or follow up once the date has passed.

How long should you wait between two invoice follow-ups?

Chase shortly after the due date, then leave about a week between two invoice follow-ups. With a Muzau agent, you set up to six follow-ups, each spaced 1 to 90 days apart, with each delay counted from the previous follow-up.

Can you chase an invoice at the weekend?

A working day is better, in the morning, when the person who pays is there to read it. A Muzau agent follows up by default Monday to Friday at 9 a.m. Paris time: a follow-up that falls on a Saturday or a Sunday goes out on the next run day.

How do you avoid chasing an invoice that is already paid?

Check your receipts before each follow-up. A Muzau agent no longer chases an invoice whose row says "Paid", "Settled" or "Closed" in a Google Sheet re-read before each run, nor an invoice that your connected invoicing software shows as paid. A payment that nothing records is not seen: it is then the customer's reply, or your action in Manage, that stops the follow-up.

What should you do when a customer promises to pay on a given date?

Note the date and do not chase before then: get back to them the next day if the payment does not arrive. As soon as the customer replies, even from another address in the same thread, a Muzau agent's follow-up stops, and getting back to them after the announced date remains your team's decision.