How to Build an Invoice Chasing Workflow

An invoice chasing workflow is a system that monitors your accounts receivable and emails clients who miss payment deadlines. If you run a business, you know how painful unpaid bills can be. Manual follow-ups take hours of work. They also feel awkward for your staff. An automated system solves this problem by handling the communication on a strict schedule.

What is an invoice chasing workflow?

An invoice chasing workflow is a sequence of automated steps that triggers when an invoice passes its due date. The system checks your accounting platform every day. If it finds an unpaid bill, it starts a series of pre-written email reminders. These reminders go out at specific intervals, such as three days, ten days, and thirty days past due. The main goal is to secure payment without human intervention. By automating this task, your finance team can focus on complex tasks rather than sending repetitive emails.

How do you set up the automation steps?

You set up the automation steps by linking your accounting tool to an email delivery service.

First, the workflow monitors your due dates. The system runs a daily check on tools like QuickBooks or Xero. It looks for invoices where the status is unpaid and the due date is in the past.

Second, the system sends the first reminder. This email goes out two or three days after the due date. The tone must be helpful and polite. You should assume the client simply forgot. Include a direct payment link in this email so they can pay immediately.

Third, you set up escalating reminders. If the invoice remains unpaid after seven days, the system sends a second email. The tone becomes firmer. You state the exact invoice number, the amount due, and the original due date. If another week passes, a third email goes out. This message should mention potential late fees or a pause in services.

Fourth, the system triggers an internal alert. If an invoice is thirty days overdue, sending emails might not be enough. The workflow sends a notification to your team. We often set this up to post a message in a specific Slack channel. This alert tells your finance team to call the client directly.

Fifth, the workflow stops immediately upon payment. This is the most critical step. The system checks the invoice status before sending any email. If the client pays, the status changes to paid, and the workflow stops. You never want to send a late notice to a client who has already paid.

Which tools connect to make this work?

You can connect several common business tools to build this system. Most companies use accounting software like QuickBooks Online, Xero, or FreshBooks. You connect these tools to an automation platform like Zapier or Make. The automation platform then connects to your email service, such as Google Workspace or Microsoft Outlook.

For advanced setups, you can use AI tools to draft the emails. An AI can read the history of the client relationship and adjust the tone of the message. For example, it can write a softer email for a long-term partner and a more direct email for a new client. We build these custom systems using Anthropic Claude to ensure the language sounds natural and professional.

How do you handle difficult clients?

You handle difficult clients by building custom rules into your workflow. Not every client should receive the same automated emails. You can add tags in your accounting software to exclude certain accounts. For example, you might want to handle your largest client manually. The workflow can detect this tag and skip the automated emails for that specific account. Instead, it can send a reminder to your account manager to reach out personally.

You can also set up different schedules based on invoice size. A small invoice might only get two email reminders before stopping. A very large invoice might trigger an internal Slack alert on day five instead of day thirty. Flexibility is key to keeping good client relationships.

How can we help you build this?

We build custom workflow automation to handle your repetitive business tasks. Tech Emulsion has shipped 30+ AI products since 2023. We are Top Rated Plus on Upwork with a 100% Job Success Score. We are a US LLC registered in Wyoming. We do not believe in long, slow projects. We ship in 4 to 8 week cycles, not 6 month engagements.

We can build a custom invoice chasing workflow that fits your exact business rules. Contact us to automate your accounts receivable.