Payment reminders for open invoices

Purpose

1.1. To automate follow-ups for unpaid or overdue invoices in a Koshari restaurant by automatically sending reminders to customers, thus optimizing cash flow and reducing manual intervention.
1.2. Automates personalized communication for each customer segment, ensuring timely payment collection and minimizing human error.
1.3. Enables holistic automation of finance operations, linking the POS, accounting, and communication channels for seamless invoice management.
1.4. Ensures regulatory compliance by automating reminder intervals and documenting all communication for audit trails.

Trigger Conditions

2.1. An unpaid invoice is generated in the POS or accounting system.
2.2. Invoice status remains “open” or “unpaid” beyond X days.
2.3. Scheduled intervals from invoice generation, such as 7, 14, and 21 days.
2.4. Specific payment thresholds or amounts not met.
2.5. Manual flagging by staff for automated reminders on certain accounts.

Platform variants

3.1. Twilio SMS
- Feature/Setting: Automated SMS; configure “Messages API” with dynamic data mapping of customer phone and invoice details.
- Sample: POST /2010-04-01/Accounts/{AccountSid}/Messages.json

3.2. SendGrid
- Feature/Setting: Automated email reminders; use the “Mail Send API” with REST endpoint to schedule reminder emails.
- Sample: POST /v3/mail/send

3.3. Gmail API
- Feature/Setting: Automatedly schedule and send reminder emails from the restaurant’s Gmail account; configure “users.messages.send”.

3.4. Slack
- Feature/Setting: Internal alerts for staff when invoices are overdue; use “chat.postMessage” for automated notifications.

3.5. Microsoft Teams
- Feature/Setting: Teams bot automation sends notifications to finance channel; configure “Send message” action.

3.6. QuickBooks
- Feature/Setting: Automates open invoice reports; “Invoice API - List, Read, Send Invoice Reminder”.

3.7. Xero
- Feature/Setting: Automated invoice reminder workflows; configure via “Create and Send Invoice Reminders API”.

3.8. Zoho Books
- Feature/Setting: Automates schedule for invoice emails; use “Send Invoice Reminder” API.

3.9. FreshBooks
- Feature/Setting: “Automatic Reminder” feature in the Invoice API to send recurring reminders.

3.10. Stripe
- Feature/Setting: Automated payment reminder emails via “Subscriptions & Invoices API - Upcoming Invoice Event”.

3.11. PayPal
- Feature/Setting: “Invoices API - Remind Invoice” endpoint automates sending reminders.

3.12. Mailgun
- Feature/Setting: Automate bulk email reminders; use “messages” endpoint with dynamic variables for personalization.

3.13. WhatsApp Business API
- Feature/Setting: Automated WhatsApp reminder template messages; configure “messages” endpoint with placeholders.

3.14. HubSpot
- Feature/Setting: Automator for sequences; use “Workflows” to automate reminder emails based on invoice object.

3.15. Salesforce
- Feature/Setting: Einstein Activity automates reminders; use “Process Builder” or “Flow” for automated invoice alerting.

3.16. SAP Business One
- Feature/Setting: Automation in Document Printing settings for payment reminder letters.

3.17. Sage Intacct
- Feature/Setting: Automated “Invoice Collection Workflow” to trigger reminders at preset intervals.

3.18. Pabbly Connect
- Feature/Setting: Custom workflow automates sending reminders; set trigger as “Invoice Status Updated”.

3.19. ActiveCampaign
- Feature/Setting: “Automations” feature; triggers email when invoice tag is added or status is unpaid.

3.20. ClickSend
- Feature/Setting: Automates SMS/Email with “Send SMS” and “Send Email” API for overdue invoices.

3.21. Monday.com
- Feature/Setting: Automates reminders using “automations” module; triggers based on column ‘invoice status’.

3.22. Google Sheets
- Feature/Setting: Automated reminder email via Apps Script when an invoice entry remains open past due date.

Benefits

4.1. Streamlines invoice follow-up, fully automating repetitive and error-prone communication tasks.
4.2. Automated reminders increase payment rates, improving cash flow and financial predictability.
4.3. Automates escalation processes, reducing time spent by staff on manual collections.
4.4. Enhances customer experience through timely, professional, and consistent reminders.
4.5. Integrates easily into existing restaurant tech stack with automatable triggers and omnichannel delivery.
4.6. Provides a fully auditable trail of all automated communications for compliance and reporting.
4.7. Scales with business growth, automating hundreds or thousands of reminders without additional hiring.