Chasing overdue payments is a common frustration for many businesses, often caught in the delicate dance of maintaining good client relationships while needing timely cash flow.
It's crucial to realize that seeking rightful payment for your products or services is not only reasonable but essential for your business's health. There's no need to feel guilty about sending a reminder email for overdue payments.
The key lies in the approach: polite yet firm. We’ll help you feel confident sending out that follow-up with practical tips for crafting such emails, along with a friendly overdue payment reminder email sample you can use yourself.
You’ll also discover how InvoiceSherpa's accounts receivable automation software can streamline this process, ensuring you get paid faster without the discomfort of constant follow-ups.
Say goodbye to the awkwardness and inefficiency of chasing payments, and hello to a smoother, more respectful approach to accounts receivable!
Before we share our go-to friendly overdue payment reminder email sample that has yielded great results for us time and time again, let’s talk about when to actually send a reminder email for overdue payment.
After all, you don’t want to offend a key client by sending this too early. That said, you also recognize the importance of cash management - you don’t want to sit around and wait forever either.
So, where’s the sweet spot where it’s acceptable to fire away that email? There are actually a few instances where this is a good tactic:
InvoiceSherpa allows for the customization of this timeline based on your specific business needs and client relationships. You can set automatic reminders at intervals that suit your billing cycle and client temperament, ensuring consistency and professionalism in your approach.
More on that later. For now, let’s talk about how to structure a demand letter for payment in a friendly yet firm manner.
Ready to learn how to remind for payment of an invoice politely via email?
Writing a reminder email for overdue payment that strikes the right balance between firmness and friendliness can be a fine art.
The key lies in crafting a message that communicates urgency while maintaining a positive relationship with your client. Here's how to achieve this delicate balance…
While we’ll share a payment reminder email sample you can use in just a moment, it’s important that you’re aware of all the essential elements of a reminder email in the first place. These include:
Much of the stress of sending a reminder email for overdue payment comes from not wanting to appear “rude” or “pushy”. Rightfully so, as these are poor traits for anyone to exhibit, especially in professional settings where your reputation is on the line.
There are a few keys to balancing firmness and courtesy in your messaging to ensure you don’t send the wrong message while still ensuring the follow-up email serves its purpose.
Start by acknowledging that everyone is busy and that you understand if the invoice has slipped their mind. Empathize with the recipient and you’re more likely to elicit a response.
Be direct, but remain kind throughout the email. Clearly state the purpose of your email but avoid using harsh or confrontational language. If you sound agitated or frustrated with the lack of payment, you will likely be met with the same energy from the recipient.
You can also indicate your willingness to discuss if they are facing any challenges with the payment. For example, you can consider offering a customer a payment plan for a purchase.
If you don’t know where to start writing a reminder email for overdue payment, you’re in luck. InvoiceSherpa was actually started because we experienced the frustration of constantly chasing down payments ourselves.
In saying that, we’ve sent out tons of these follow-up emails ourselves. Here’s a friendly overdue payment reminder email template you can use that has worked really well for us over the years:
Subject: Friendly Reminder: Invoice [#InvoiceNumber] Due
Dear [Client's Name],
I hope this message finds you well. I'm writing to gently remind you about the pending invoice [#InvoiceNumber], which was due on [Due Date]. We understand that things can get busy, and it's easy for such details to slip through the cracks.
We greatly value our relationship and want to ensure everything runs smoothly for both of us. To facilitate this, could you please take a moment to check on the status of this payment? If you have any concerns or if there's anything we can assist with, don't hesitate to reach out.
Your prompt attention to this matter would be greatly appreciated. For your convenience, you can make the payment through [Payment Method/Link], ensuring a quick and hassle-free process.
Thank you for your cooperation and continued support. We look forward to continuing our partnership and are here to help in any way we can.
Warm regards,
[Your Name]
[Your Position]
[Your Contact Information]
[Company Name]
Hopefully, the friendly payment reminder email sample above is all it takes to square away your unbilled accounts receivable. If not, though, don’t sweat it. There are still avenues you can explore before worrying about when an account becomes uncollectible and must be written off.
If emails don’t elicit a response, a phone call can be more direct and personal. As we mentioned earlier, you can reiterate your willingness to set up a payment plan - with or without interest, of course.
In some cases, though, you may need to learn how to send an invoice to collections. We have a detailed guide on this unpleasant topic if you believe it’s the only solution to getting paid.
Just remember to weigh the pros and cons of sending an invoice to collections, as it may not be worth it in some cases.
In some cases, you may need to refresh your email strategy as it pertains to reminders. Keep an eye on which emails get responses and which don’t. This data is invaluable for refining your approach. You can use A/B testing to determine templates that work better than others.
Different clients may respond better to different tones or types of communication. Tailor your reminders accordingly. For example, you can be far more personable and personalized with clients you have a longstanding relationship with. With others, you may want to keep things more boilerplate and professional.
InvoiceSherpa is an innovative billing automation software designed to streamline and enhance the process of getting paid. At its core, InvoiceSherpa excels in simplifying and automating the often tedious and time-consuming task of managing and collecting payments.
This efficiency not only boosts your cash flow but also significantly reduces the administrative burden associated with manual follow-ups. Sure, you could look into accounts receivable outsourcing - but accounts receivable management services are expensive and convoluted.
Conversely, a software like InvoiceSherpa seamlessly integrates with your existing accounting software at a fraction of the cost. This integration provides a unified and real-time view of your accounts receivable, ensuring that no invoice slips through the cracks.
With its user-friendly interface, InvoiceSherpa makes it simple to set up and manage your payment collection process, offering a level of convenience and efficiency that is unparalleled in the industry.
One of the most compelling features of InvoiceSherpa is the automation of sending out reminder emails for overdue payment. This functionality allows you to schedule and send friendly, personalized reminder emails at predetermined intervals.
This automation ensures that your clients are gently reminded of their payment obligations, maintaining a positive relationship while encouraging timely payments.
In addition to automating reminders, InvoiceSherpa's customer portal significantly decreases the need for these emails in the first place!
The portal offers a streamlined, user-friendly platform where clients can view and pay their invoices with ease. This direct access empowers clients to manage their payments proactively, reducing the likelihood of late payments.
The portal's functionality extends to setting up recurring payments for regular clients, which further reduces the need for sending individual invoice reminders. This feature is particularly beneficial for businesses with subscription models or ongoing service agreements.
InvoiceSherpa is a comprehensive solution that revolutionizes the way you manage accounts receivable. From automating friendly reminder emails to providing a convenient customer portal and managing recurring payments, InvoiceSherpa is designed to get you paid faster and with less effort.
So, get started today with a 14-day free trial to discover firsthand how much simpler invoicing can be with InvoiceSherpa! It’s time we wrapped up this conversation on sending a reminder email for overdue payment.
That concludes our guide on how to remind for payment of an invoice politely over email. While the thought of bugging your busy customers with a reminder email for overdue payments can be daunting, it’s necessary to maintain cash flow while preserving relationships.
Remember, clear communication, empathy, and consistency are your allies in effective accounts receivable management. Striking the right balance in your messaging, timing reminders appropriately, and utilizing a tool like InvoiceSherpa for automation can transform this often cumbersome process.
We hope this conversation along with our overdue payment reminder email sample leaves you feeling confident in your next steps. We have more small business accounting tips and tricks in our blog.
You can learn how to calculate accounts receivable, how do cash flow problems usually start, how to forecast accounts receivable, what is a good receivables turnover ratio, what an increase to accounts receivable means, AR reconciliation, and more.
At this point, though, it’s time you reaped the accounts receivable automation benefits here at InvoiceSherpa. The best AR automation software can eliminate the hassle of constantly sending out reminder emails manually. Plus our software gets you paid faster, so you don’t have to stress about late payments nearly as much.
So, get started with automated invoice processing today in just a few clicks at InvoiceSherpa!
Posted on February 2, 2024
