What good looks like
Each overdue balance has a verified status, contact attempt, promise or dispute, owner, and next date.
Have these details ready
- Aging and collections access
- Customer invoice, delivery, payment, credit, and dispute history
- Approved reminder, late-fee, escalation, and write-off policy
Run the workflow
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Prioritize the queue
Work by age, amount, broken promise, customer risk, and dispute—not just alphabetically.
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Verify the balance
Confirm invoice delivery, due date, payments, credits, refunds, terms, PO, and prior correspondence before contacting the customer.
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Contact the right person
Use the billing contact and reference invoice number, work, original due date, open balance, and a specific request for payment or status.
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Record the outcome
Classify no contact, resend, dispute, promise to pay, payment plan, wrong contact, or escalation. Enter the promised date and notes.
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Set the next action
Assign follow-up based on the promise or policy. Apply late fees, holds, dunning steps, or approval requests only when authorized.
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Close accurately
Remove the item from active work only after payment, approved plan, credit, write-off, or documented transfer to the next process.
Check your work
Do not call the workflow complete until these statements are true.
- The open balance is verified
- Every worked account has an outcome and next date
- Disputes and promises are visible to service and billing teams
If something does not look right
The customer says they never received it
Verify the address, resend from the invoice record, and record the new delivery without erasing the original history.
The amount is disputed
Pause inappropriate automated escalation, assign the dispute owner, and gather quote, change-order, closeout, and delivery proof.