Chasing late payments: a polite script that works

The hardest part of chasing money is not the chasing. It is the wording. You want to be paid without sounding desperate, and you want to be firm without sounding like a debt collector, because this is a customer you would like to keep. The good news is that a small number of well-chosen messages, sent on a schedule, does the job with almost no emotional cost to you.

Below is a full script by stage. Copy it, change the names, and set it running.

The principle: warm early, factual late

Your tone should start friendly and cool gradually as the invoice ages, but it should never become rude. Rudeness feels satisfying and costs you customers. Firmness comes from the facts, the amount, the date, the terms, not from sharp adjectives. Every message should also be easy to act on, which means a working pay link so paying is one tap.

Keep each text short. A reminder that runs to three paragraphs reads as a lecture. One or two sentences and a link is plenty.

Stage 1: before it is due (3 days out)

This is the message most businesses skip, and it is the one that does the most work. It reaches the customer while the job is fresh and before the invoice has been forgotten.

Hi Ella, quick reminder that invoice #620 for $540 is due this Friday, 19 September. You can pay it here whenever suits: pay.sms365.com.au/a3Fx . Thanks again for your business, Dan.

Note the "thanks again for your business". At this stage you are not chasing anything, you are being helpful, so the tone is genuinely warm.

Stage 2: on the due date

Short and neutral. No pressure yet, just a note that today is the day.

Hi Ella, invoice #620 for $540 is due today. Here is the link if you would like to sort it now: pay.sms365.com.au/a3Fx . Cheers, Dan.

Stage 3: a few days overdue (day 3)

Now you acknowledge it is late, still warmly, and you leave room for the likely truth that they simply forgot.

Hi Ella, invoice #620 for $540 was due on 19 September and is now a few days overdue. If it has already gone through, please ignore this. If not, here is the link: pay.sms365.com.au/a3Fx . Any issues, just reply here. Thanks, Dan.

The "if it has already gone through, please ignore this" line is worth keeping in every overdue message. It saves face for the customer who did pay and you missed it, and it removes the accusatory edge.

Stage 4: firm but fair (day 10 to 14)

By now a warm nudge is not enough, so you reference your terms and offer a way out for anyone in genuine difficulty.

Hi Ella, invoice #620 for $540 is now 14 days overdue, past our 7-day terms. Could you let me know when I can expect payment? Link to pay: pay.sms365.com.au/a3Fx . If cash flow is tight this month, reply here and we can set up a plan. Thanks, Dan.

Asking "when can I expect payment" is more effective than "please pay now", because it invites a specific answer. When they give you a date, you have a promise to pay, and that is the thing to follow up on. See how to follow up on a promise to pay.

Stage 5: final notice before escalation

Still no rudeness. You state clearly what happens next, which is usually a phone call or a formal notice, not threats.

Hi Ella, invoice #620 for $540 is now 30 days overdue and I have not been able to reach you. I would rather sort this out directly than escalate it. Please call me on 0400 000 000 or pay here: pay.sms365.com.au/a3Fx by Friday. Thanks, Dan.

Make the replies work for you

Because these go out on a dedicated two-way Australian number, the customer can reply to any of them, and most will. "Sorry, paying tomorrow." "Can I do half now, half next week?" "What was this invoice for?" SMS365's AI assistant can look up the customer's invoice to answer the last one, and record the promise when they name a date, so your follow up is scheduled without you tracking it on a sticky note. A reply that needs you personally still lands in your inbox.

Respect an opt-out, always

If a customer texts STOP, honour it. SMS365 keeps a working STOP and START on every number and logs it to an append-only consent record. Invoice reminders about genuine debts are transactional rather than marketing, but respecting a stop request is both good manners and good practice.

Set the script once and stop dreading it

The reason this works is not clever psychology. It is that the messages exist before you need them and go out on time whether or not you feel like chasing anyone. Load the five stages, connect your invoicing, and the awkward job of asking for money becomes a schedule that runs quietly in the background. For the wider picture on getting paid, see how to get customers to pay overdue invoices by SMS, and the pricing page for what running it costs.