Silence calls for a change in the recovery process. Check delivery and the account, then choose a next step someone can actually carry out.
Corporate Recovery Partners
01 / 06
The reminders are leaving your office unanswered
A refrigeration contractor has sent three reminders for a completed repair. The customer still answers calls about future maintenance but never responds to accounts. The owner is spending each morning chasing the same invoice while a parts supplier waits. Another automatic email may add little unless someone first establishes whether the account is reaching the right person.
Verify the accounts contact through an established channel. Check bounced emails, outdated addresses and any portal submission requirement. Keep the original invoice and sending record rather than recreating the account from memory.
Ask a direct question about receipt and responsibility. A receptionist knowing your name is different from accounts having an accepted invoice queued for payment. Record the person's role and the next contact they identify.
Reconcile payments, credits and the agreed due date. Gather the order and completion evidence. If the customer raised a concern earlier, include it in the file even if the sales team thought it had been settled.
Business.gov.au recommends checking the agreement and payment conditions. That protects the business from escalating a balance that is wrong or overlooking a genuine reason the customer has withheld it.
Send one clear account summary identifying the invoice, balance and response sought. Ask for payment or an explanation by a reasonable stated date. Keep the communication factual and avoid adding unsupported interest or allegations.
If a demand is appropriate, have its wording checked. Business.gov.au cautions against threatening action you are not prepared to take. Decide the practical next option before putting it in writing.
Name the person who will review the response and choose between discussion, professional recovery or legal advice. Assemble the documents now so another missed date does not simply restart the same reminder cycle.
Review further credit separately. Existing service obligations may need to continue, but accepting new unfunded work should be a conscious decision based on the account and contract.
