Send a statement instead of another reminder
If a customer has several overdue invoices, a fifth reminder about one of them is the wrong email. A statement shows everything at once.
A customer with four overdue invoices is a different problem from a customer with one. Four separate reminders feel like nagging, and each one only mentions a single invoice, so the customer never sees the whole picture.
A statement fixes that. It is a single page listing every open invoice, what is left on each, and the total.
When a statement works better
- **The customer has more than one overdue invoice.** One document, one total, one payment.
- **They say they did not know.** A statement is hard to argue with, because it lists dates and amounts.
- **Their accounts payable team asks for one.** Many finance teams reconcile against statements, not individual emails.
- **You want to reset the conversation.** A statement is less personal than a final notice, so it is a good middle step.
What a good statement has
- Each open invoice with its number, issue date and due date
- The amount, the amount paid and the balance left
- How many days late each one is
- A total, and the overdue part of it
- Your payment details, so they can pay without writing back
If you charge late fees, show them on their own lines, separate from the invoices, and include them in the total.
How often
Monthly is common for customers who deal with you regularly. For a customer who is overdue, send one when you notice, then again after you have had their reply. More than that and it becomes noise.
Two things to check before you send
First, make sure the invoices on it are really open. A statement that lists an invoice the customer paid last week costs you credibility. Second, check the customer is not in a dispute you have not resolved, because sending a statement mid dispute can look like you are ignoring it.
Disclosure
This article is from Mugavi, which makes accounts receivable software. In Mugavi, any customer has a Statement page you can read, print, download as a CSV, or email. Emailing it waits 30 seconds so you can undo it, and your payment details print at the bottom. Statements are sent by hand only. Nothing is scheduled. Your accounting software almost certainly has a statement feature too, and that works fine.