Tips and Tricks #1: How to send automated payment reminders to customers in Zoho Invoice

Dear customers,

We are starting a Tips and Tricks series, wherein, we'll be sharing insights on how you can tap into each and every feature of Zoho Invoice. We are commencing this series by discussing how you can set up automated reminders in Zoho Invoice.

Receiving payments is an important part of any business as it's one of the main sources of cash inflow. Each delayed payment means that you're working with money spend from your pocket. It is therefore crucial that you remind your customers to pay you on time. In this post, let's see why and how you can set up automated reminders.

Why should you set up automatic reminders?

You will no longer have to chase behind unpaid invoices as reminders will be sent to your customers automatically.
You can ensure steady cash inflow for your business by getting paid on time.
You have the option to customize everything from the day when the reminder should be sent out to what the content should be.

When should you send the reminders?

You can send out invoice reminders based on the due date or the expected payment date of the invoice. You can choose to send the reminders before or after the due date/expected payment date.

Based on Due Date: This is to remind your customers to make payment depending on the payment terms configured while creating the invoice. By default, there will be 3 pre-loaded reminders based on due date. You can add more, if needed.

Based on Expected Payment Date: This option will send out reminders based on the expected payment date. To set this up, you will have to choose an expected payment date for the corresponding invoice first. To do this:

Go to the Invoice module.
Select the invoice that you want to set up reminders for.
Click More > Expected Payment.
After selecting the date, click Save.

How do you send automated reminders?

Here's how you can set up automatic reminders in a few simple steps:

Go to Settings > Reminders.
Below the section Automated Reminders - Invoice, you have the option to set up reminders either based on Due Date or based on the Expected Payment Date.
Click Turn On across the reminder that you want to enable.
In the popup, choose the reminder recipients, when the reminder should be sent and the content of the mail.
Once done, click Save.

Things to keep in mind

Set the tone of the mail. When it comes to reminding customers, the key is to be gentle and persuasive. We've already set up a standard content for the email, but you can choose to make it more personal.
Make sure to include the payment link in the email content.
Also, inform them about any late fees, if applicable.
The next important aspect is timing. If you do not want to come off as nagging, you have to keep sufficient time gaps between subsequent reminders.

Have you set up automated reminders for invoice payments? Tell us about how it helped you in the comments below. We'll be back soon with another tip.

Cheers,
Lavanya
The Zoho Invoice Team