Collections Email

Collections Email Skill

Chasing payment is uncomfortable, so it's often done too late or too harshly. The effective approach is a staged sequence that starts friendly and firms up on a schedule — always professional, always making it trivially easy to pay. This skill writes that sequence so you get paid without burning the relationship.

Note: this is a communication aid, not legal or debt-collection advice. Late-payment interest, statutory rights, and regulated debt-collection rules vary by jurisdiction — confirm any interest/late fees and escalation (collections agency, legal) with an accountant/lawyer before acting on them.

Working from a brief

Given "chase a client whose $5,000 invoice is 2 weeks overdue", write the full sequence anyway — infer a sensible cadence and tone progression, marking specifics (insert invoice #, amount, dates, payment link). Don't state late-fee/interest amounts as enforceable — flag them to confirm. Never threaten beyond what's lawful/intended.

Required Inputs

Ask for these only if they aren't already provided (else mark to insert):

• The invoice — number, amount, original due date, and how overdue it is.
• The relationship — client name, contact, and whether they're a valued ongoing client or a one-off.
• Terms — your payment terms and any agreed late-fee/interest (flag to confirm enforceability).
• Payment method — exactly how they can pay (link, bank details), to remove friction.

Output Format

Collections Sequence: [invoice]

A staged set of emails, each short, professional, and with a clear pay-now path:

1. Pre-due reminder (optional, ~3–5 days before) — friendly heads-up the invoice is due soon.
2. Due-date / just-overdue (day 0–3) — assume an oversight; warm nudge, restate amount + due date + how to pay.
3. Overdue reminder (~7–14 days) — firmer, still polite; note it's now overdue, ask for a payment date or to flag an issue.
4. Second overdue (~21–30 days) — clear and direct; reference the terms, request immediate payment or a call, mention any agreed late fee (confirm).
5. Final notice (~30–45 days) — formal; state the next step if unpaid (pause work, escalate per terms) — factual, not threatening.

For each: a subject line, a short body, and the payment details/link repeated. Tone firms up across the sequence but never becomes abusive.

Add notes: insert real invoice details; confirm any interest/late fee and escalation are lawful and intended.

Quality Checks

• The sequence escalates in firmness over a sensible cadence (gentle → formal final notice)
• Every email restates the amount, invoice number, and an easy way to pay
• Early emails assume good faith (oversight), not bad intent
• The final notice states a concrete, factual next step — not an empty or unlawful threat
• Tone stays professional throughout — firm, never abusive
• Late-fee/interest and escalation are flagged to confirm, not asserted as enforceable

Anti-Patterns

• Do not open with hostility — most late payments are oversight; start friendly
• Do not make it hard to pay — repeat the payment link/details in every message
• Do not threaten legal action or fees you can't or won't enforce — keep it factual and lawful
• Do not wait until 60 days to send the first chase — a pre-due/just-due nudge gets paid fastest
• Do not present this as legal advice — flag interest/escalation for professional confirmation

Based On

Accounts-receivable practice — staged dunning sequences that escalate professionally, remove payment friction, and preserve the client relationship.

Example Trigger Phrases

• "Write a collections email."
• "Chase an overdue invoice."
• "Write a payment reminder."
• "Set up a dunning sequence."