When should you chase an unpaid invoice?

A reminder a few days before the due date avoids many oversights. After the due date, follow up the next day, then at increasing intervals, for example at 7 and 15 days late, gradually firming up the tone.

Which channel should you use to chase: SMS, email or phone?

SMS and email suit the first reminders: they are quick and leave a record. The phone is better suited when the delay drags on or the amount is large.

What should you do if reminders have no effect?

Offer a realistic payment schedule, then consider a more formal approach. For any legal step (formal notice, proceedings), seek advice from a legal professional.

Chasing an unpaid invoice: schedule and templates

An unpaid invoice is almost never a refusal to pay. It is most often an oversight, a cash-flow lag or an invoice that was badly sent. A good reminder recovers the money without damaging the relationship — and without taking up your days.

The principle: remind early, gently, then more and more firmly

When	Goal	Tone
Before the due date (around 3 days before)	Avoid the oversight	Friendly reminder
The day after the due date (1 day late)	Check that the invoice wasn't lost	Neutral, factual
7 days late	Get a payment date	Firm but courteous
15 days late	Signal how serious the delay is	Firm, with a proposed solution
Beyond	Handle the file	Call, payment schedule, formal handling

This rhythm — a reminder before and follow-ups at 1, 7 and 15 days late — is the one virement.tn applies automatically on the installments of installment payment plans and subscriptions, each step being sent only once.

Message templates

Adapt the elements in brackets. Keep it short: an effective SMS fits in two sentences.

Before the due date (3 days before)

Hello Name, as a reminder, your invoice no. for amount TND falls due on date. You can pay it by bank transfer. Thank you!

The day after the due date (1 day late)

Hello Name, unless we are mistaken, invoice no. for amount TND, due yesterday, has not yet been paid. Could you check? If the transfer has been sent, please ignore this message.

7 days late

Hello Name, invoice no. for amount TND is 7 days late. Could you tell us a payment date? We remain available if you are facing a difficulty.

15 days late

Hello Name, invoice no. for amount TND is 15 days late. Please pay it soon or contact us so that we can find a solution together (payment schedule, postponement).

Five rules that make the difference

Always mention the invoice: number, amount, due date.
Make paying easy: a clear RIB, or better, a link to the invoice.
Never accuse before checking: the transfer may be on its way.
Offer a way out from 7 days late: a schedule or a postponement is better than silence.
Keep a record of every reminder (date, channel, reply).

When reminders are not enough

If the customer replies but does not pay, offer installment payments: a spread, realistic amount is recovered more often than a full debt demanded all at once. For a large receivable or an unreachable customer, a more formal approach may be needed: then consult a legal professional rather than improvise.

Automate, without dehumanizing

Chasing by hand is time-consuming and irregular: you chase when you think of it, not when it is needed. With virement.tn, for the installments of a payment plan, a subscription or a leasing contract, the delay is calculated every day, the customer receives a reminder and then follow-ups at the steps above, and the collections dashboard shows you what is left to handle by hand — which is where your time is useful. The detailed steps for a leasing company are in our collections method.