Chasing late payments: a calm follow-up workflow

Verify the invoice before chasing it

An overdue label is a prompt to investigate, not proof that the client ignored you. Check the invoice number, issue date, due date, recipient and outstanding amount. Confirm that the invoice was sent through the agreed channel and that the recipient could open it. Look for a purchase-order requirement or a different accounts-payable address that may have been missed during onboarding.

Review external payment records before drafting a reminder. A receipt can arrive outside ABH, and someone on your team may already be reconciling it. ABH does not collect client payments. Use the payment terms guide to check the operational details you supplied, and confirm whether an active query or dispute should change the next message. Do not ask for an amount that has already been paid.

Repeated missing references or unresolved extras deserve an earlier process check. The agency billing mistakes checklist assigns a prevention step to each trigger.

Choose a cadence with one responsible owner

Assign one person to the follow-up and put the next review date in your internal notes. A practical example is a balance check the day after the due date, a polite reminder two days later and a blocker check the following week. These intervals are an illustrative operating routine, not a rule or a promise that a particular timing improves collection rates.

Coordinate with the project lead so a client does not receive simultaneous messages from several people. Check any previous reply before each contact. Pause a routine reminder when the amount or delivery is under review and replace it with a focused request for the missing information. Agree who can discuss exceptions. Keep the reminder calendar separate from assumptions about late fees, which this guide does not recommend or calculate.

Worked example: a partial receipt changes the balance

Illustrative fictional example, USD, excluding taxes. An agency sends invoice 104 for $3,200.00, due November 15. On November 16 the owner checks delivery and external receipts. On November 18 the billing contact receives a polite reminder. On November 23 the owner asks whether there is a dispute or missing purchase-order reference before planning another follow-up.

On November 25 the agency verifies a $1,200.00 external receipt against invoice 104. It manually records that payment in ABH and reconciles the remaining $2,000.00. The next message states the remaining balance rather than repeating $3,200.00. The original invoice amount remains distinct from the receipt. This example does not describe collection through ABH, an automatic bank feed or a scheduler that guarantees these exact contact dates.

Use wording that leaves room for a real blocker

A first reminder can say: "Hello Morgan, our records show invoice 104 for $3,200.00 was due November 15. Could you confirm it reached the right billing contact and let us know the expected payment date? If a detail needs correcting, please reply with the invoice reference so we can review it." Include the invoice link only after checking the recipient.

A later blocker check can say: "Hello Morgan, we are checking invoice 104 before our next billing review. Is there a purchase-order detail, delivery question or amount query preventing approval on your side? Please tell us the specific item and who should handle it." After the partial receipt, use: "Thank you for the $1,200.00 receipt on November 25. Our reconciled outstanding balance is $2,000.00. Could you confirm the expected date for the remainder?" Adjust these samples to actual records; do not send them unchanged to unrelated contacts.

Understand reminders and subscription dunning

ABH supports invoice reminder emails to clients on Starter and above. Review the current plan and configured reminder behavior before relying on it. Keep contact information accurate and check delivery evidence when a client says a message did not arrive. Do not describe reminder emails as client payment processing, automatic late fees or a replacement for a conversation about a disputed service.

ABH uses dunning for failed ABH subscription payments only. That concerns an agency's own SaaS subscription, not debts owed by its clients. There is no client-debt collection workflow implied by that feature. The integrations page explains the product's external boundaries. Payments from clients happen through arrangements outside ABH, and the agency verifies receipts before adding manual bookkeeping records. Keep those two kinds of billing separate in team instructions.

Follow-up checklist for each contact

Use the checklist again before every message, including messages prepared from a template. A previous balance can become stale when a receipt arrives or a correction is agreed. Review the latest record rather than copying yesterday's draft. Store only the contact details and evidence needed to handle the billing conversation, with access appropriate to the agency team. * Confirm invoice identity, due date and the current reconciled outstanding amount. * Check delivery, recipient address and any required purchase-order or vendor reference. * Review external receipts and coordinate any payment currently being verified by a colleague. * Check for open scope, delivery or amount disputes before sending a routine reminder. * Use factual wording, a clear invoice reference and one practical question about the next step. * Record the reply, responsible person and next review date without promising an automatic escalation. * After a verified receipt, manually record it and reconcile the new balance before further contact.

• Confirm invoice identity, due date and the current reconciled outstanding amount.
• Check delivery, recipient address and any required purchase-order or vendor reference.
• Review external receipts and coordinate any payment currently being verified by a colleague.
• Check for open scope, delivery or amount disputes before sending a routine reminder.
• Use factual wording, a clear invoice reference and one practical question about the next step.
• Record the reply, responsible person and next review date without promising an automatic escalation.
• After a verified receipt, manually record it and reconcile the new balance before further contact.

Close the loop at the next billing review

Include open invoices in the month-end invoicing checklist, but distinguish work ready to bill from money already invoiced and still outstanding. A new month's invoice should not quietly include last month's unpaid amount as another service charge. Keep the original invoice reference visible in your reconciliation so the same debt is not billed twice.

If the client reports an error, inspect the original scope and evidence before changing records. If the next action requires a commercial decision beyond your authority, refer it to the agency owner. Legal enforcement, debt recovery and jurisdiction-specific fee rules need separate qualified advice; this guide provides only a communication and bookkeeping routine. A useful result is a clear current balance, an identified blocker and a documented next step, even when the payment date remains uncertain.

For a specific objection rather than simple lateness, follow the invoice dispute workflow.