How to follow up on an invoice by phone
Two reminders and no reply? The phone fixes it in a minute. Here's the script, the timing and what to say to every answer.
- Call around day 7, after a text and an email have gone unanswered.
- 60 seconds: who you are, which invoice, one open question, then listen.
- End every call with a date. "Great, I'll look out for it Friday."
- Call Tuesday to Thursday, 10am to 4pm their time. Never on a Monday morning or a Friday afternoon.
Why the call works
Written reminders can be ignored without anyone feeling bad. A call can't. Not because it's pressure, but because it's a person. The customer has to say something, and what they say is usually "oh, sorry, I'll pay today".
Calls also surface the real reason, which written reminders never do: the invoice went to the wrong inbox, the bookkeeper is on holiday, they thought the deposit covered it, they're waiting on their own customer.
When to call
Not first. A call before any written reminder feels heavy. The order that works is text on day 1, email with the invoice on day 3 or 4, call on day 7. By then you've been patient and they know exactly which invoice you mean.
The script
That's it. Name, invoice, open question, date, done.
What to say to each reply
"Oh, sorry, I forgot"
"No problem at all. I'll send the link again now; is Friday OK?"
"I thought I'd paid that"
"Could be a timing thing. Do you have the reference handy, or the date? I'll check this end." Then check before you call back.
"I'm waiting on my own customer"
"Understood. Can we do half now and the rest when they pay you, with a date on it?" A plan with dates beats an open-ended wait.
"There's a problem with the work"
"I'm glad you told me. Let's fix that first." Stop talking about money, book the fix, then invoice. Never argue quality and payment in the same call.
"Send it to accounts@…"
"Will do, right after this call. Who should I address it to?" Then send it within the hour and note the new contact.
Voicemail
What not to do
- Don't open with "you haven't paid". Open with who you are.
- Don't call more than once a day, or more than twice a week.
- Don't threaten anything on the first call.
- Don't end without a date.
- Don't call from a number they can't recognise. If you can, call from your business number.
If you hate making the call
Most owners do. There are two fixes. One is to hand the call to someone else on your team. The other is to let an AI assistant make it: Invoice AI calls on day 7 as your business's assistant, says plainly that it's an AI, asks the same open question, notes the date they give, and tells you what they said. The customer gets a polite, patient caller; you get your afternoon back.
Questions people ask
Is it OK to call a customer about an unpaid invoice?
Yes. A short, polite call around a week after the due date is normal business practice, and most customers prefer it to a fifth email.
What should I say when calling about an overdue invoice?
Who you are, which invoice (number, amount, due date), and one open question: 'is anything holding it up?' Then listen, and end with a date.
How many times should I call about an invoice?
Once, then a voicemail, then a firmer email asking for a date. Repeated calls in the same week feel like harassment and work against you.
Can an AI make invoice follow-up calls?
Yes. Invoice AI calls as your business's assistant, discloses that it's an AI, asks for a payment date and reports the answer back to you.