01Build the day's collections listOverdue invoices by customer, age, amount and statusRules
Select overdue invoices by age bucket and amount, grouped by customer. Exclude invoices under dispute, customers on an agreed plan that is still being kept, and accounts marked for personal handling.
Attach the open items, the last contact and any promise due to each customer entry.
A prioritised listWho to contact today, why, and with what history.
Next: prepare the messages →02Prepare statements and remindersTone by age bucket, from approved templatesAI
AI drafts each message from the template for that age bucket and channel: a statement at 7 days, a reminder at 30, a firmer notice at 60. It attaches the statement and the payment options.
Amounts and dates come from the ledger. AI does not promise discounts or waive charges.
A drafted batchMessages, attachments and channels per customer, ready for review.
Next: batch approval →03Approval A: the outreach batchEvery batch at first; exceptions only once trustedCollections owner
The owner reviews the batch: removes customers, changes a tone, or holds. Key accounts flagged for personal contact are routed to their account manager instead.
After the pilot proves the batches, approval narrows to new customers, high amounts and the 60-day bucket.
Approved → stage 4The batch is sent.
Removed itemsStay on the list with the reason.
Next: Send and record →04Send and recordWhatsApp · Email · Portal noticeDispatch
Send on each customer's channel and record the message, attachment and delivery status against the invoices it covered.
Undelivered messages are retried by rule, then handed to a person to correct the contact details.
Sent and loggedEvery invoice shows when and how the customer was reminded.
Next: read the replies →05Read replies and record promisesPromise to pay, dispute, or payment claimedAI
AI reads replies and classifies them: a promise to pay with date and amount, a dispute with its reason, a claim that payment was made, or a request to talk to someone.
Promises are recorded on the invoice and feed the cash forecast. Disputes open a case. Payment claims go to matching. Anything else goes to a person.
Recorded on the invoicePromise, dispute or claim, with the customer's own words attached.
Needs a person → stage 6Disputes, high-value promises and unclear replies.
Next: Hand over disputes and high-value promises →06Hand over disputes and high-value promisesConditional · Disputes, large amounts, key accountsAccount manager
The account manager sees the invoice, the dispute reason, the delivery and order evidence and the conversation. They resolve, issue a credit through the normal approval, agree a plan, or hold.
A plan agreed here suppresses reminders while it is kept and restarts them when it is broken.
A decided caseResolution or plan recorded on the account.
Next: match incoming payments →07Match incoming paymentsBank feed, remittance advice and promisesRules + AI
Match bank receipts to invoices using remittance advices, references and recorded promises. AI reads unstructured remittance emails into line-level allocations.
Exact matches post automatically. Partial or unexplained receipts go to a person with the best candidates shown.
Matched and postedThe invoice is closed and the customer's next reminder cancelled.
Unmatched → personShown with candidates; nothing is allocated by guess.
Next: escalation by rule →08Approval B: escalation or credit holdBroken promises and the 60-day bucketCredit controller
When a promise is broken or an invoice passes the escalation age, the rules propose the next step: a formal letter, a credit hold on new orders, or referral. AI drafts the letter from the template.
A credit hold or referral always needs the credit controller's approval, tied to that account and date.
Approved → stage 9The letter is sent or the hold applied in the ERP.
DeclinedThe account stays in the normal cycle with a note.
Next: Apply, report and feed the forecast →09Apply, report and feed the forecastHolds in the ERP; DSO and promises on the dashboardDispatch
Apply approved holds in the ERP so sales sees them at order entry. Send approved letters and record them.
Report days sales outstanding, promises kept, disputes and unmatched receipts on the finance dashboard, and pass expected receipts to the cash forecast.
One view of receivablesFinance, sales and the account managers see the same status per customer.
Where staff time is recovered
Preparing lists and statements, sending and logging reminders, reading replies, recording promises, matching receipts and preparing escalation letters.
What we measure in the pilot
Hands-on minutes per overdue invoice, days sales outstanding, promises kept, disputes opened and resolved, unmatched receipts at month end.