Tracking overdue balances and sending follow-up communications

Purpose

1.1. Automate identification and tracking of overdue student fee balances across multiple accounts and terms for comprehensive secondary schools.
1.2. Automate generation and scheduling of follow-up communications via various channels (email, SMS, calls, portals) to guardians or responsible payers.
1.3. Automator systematically consolidates payment data, flags delinquent accounts, escalates accounts as per pre-set policies, and automates update logs for compliance and reporting.
1.4. Automation ensures all overdue accounts receive customized reminders, payment links, and critical alerts, automating the tedious process and reducing manual intervention.

Trigger Conditions

2.1. Scheduled sweep (daily, weekly, etc.) identifies overdue balances past a configured threshold (e.g., 7+ days late).
2.2. Transactional trigger when a payment due date passes without full receipt.
2.3. Manual flag from finance officer if exceptional escalation needed.
2.4. Balance threshold met/exceeded for selected accounts (e.g., over $100 in arrears).

Platform Variants

3.1. Twilio
• Feature/API: Programmable Messaging API — automate SMS delivery to mobile numbers on file; sample config: `/v1/Messages` endpoint with dynamic message body and recipient.
3.2. SendGrid
• Feature/API: Mail Send API — automates templated emails to overdue accounts; sample: `POST /mail/send` with dynamic template data insertion.
3.3. Microsoft Outlook 365
• Feature/API: Graph API for Mail — automator triggers “SendMail” function with overdue notice payload.
3.4. Gmail
• Feature/API: Gmail API `users.messages.send` — automatedly dispatches reminders from admin account.
3.5. Slack
• Feature/API: Incoming Webhooks — auto-post overdue summaries to finance Slack channels.
3.6. Salesforce
• Feature/API: Workflow Rules/Process Builder — escalates delinquency cases automatically for follow-up.
3.7. HubSpot
• Feature/API: Workflows/Email — automates automated reminder emails using contact properties for fee status.
3.8. Pabbly Connect
• Feature/API: Automator trigger on spreadsheet update — automates data sync and communication pipeline.
3.9. QuickBooks
• Feature/API: Invoice/Payments API — triggers automation on overdue status for a customer; example: “Invoice.getAll with status=Overdue.”
3.10. Xero
• Feature/API: Invoices Endpoint — automate fetch of overdue balances and trigger reminder emails.
3.11. Stripe
• Feature/API: Payment Intents — triggers automation when a payment fails or isn’t confirmed by due date.
3.12. Zoho Books
• Feature/API: Invoices API — automator fetches unpaid invoices, updates CRM, sends chaser email via Zoho Mail/CRM.
3.13. FreshBooks
• Feature/API: GetInvoices — identifies late invoices and automates notification to client contact.
3.14. Mailgun
• Feature/API: Messages API — automated batch sending of compliant, branded payment reminders.
3.15. Amazon SES
• Feature/API: SendEmail — mass, programmatic notification of overdue fees.
3.16. RingCentral
• Feature/API: SMS API or automated call-out tool — automator initiates scheduled SMS/calls for critical overdue accounts.
3.17. Google Sheets
• Feature/API: Sheets API — tracks balances, triggers automation when “Status = Overdue.”
3.18. Airtable
• Feature/API: Automations => triggers notifications or emails when “Overdue = Yes.”
3.19. Monday.com
• Feature/API: Automations — moves overdue items, notifies stakeholders, and logs actions in timeline view.
3.20. Trello
• Feature/API: Butler Automation — triggers card actions when a balance is overdue and sends Slack/Email notifications.

Benefits

4.1. Automation reduces manual clerical workload and expedites collections process.
4.2. Automating communication ensures consistency, auditability, and compliance with internal policy.
4.3. Automator minimizes lost revenue and enhances visibility to management with automated, real-time reports.
4.4. Automated notifications and escalations improve overall fee payment rates and parental responsiveness.