Collections Desk: Invoice Follow-Ups & Cash Forecasting
Automate invoice collections and cash forecasting
Outcomes
- Cut average days-sales-outstanding (DSO) by 30%
- Eliminate manual follow-up on overdue invoices
- Generate a rolling 13-week cash forecast every Monday
- Surface at-risk receivables before they become write-offs
Before & After
Before
- Controller manually scans QuickBooks for overdue invoices every few days
- Cash forecast built in a spreadsheet once a month, often outdated by the time it is shared
- Follow-up emails are copy-pasted and easy to forget
After
- Automated daily scan flags every invoice past terms and queues a follow-up
- Rolling 13-week forecast refreshes weekly and lands in the team Slack channel
- Personalized reminder emails send on a configurable cadence with no manual effort
Workflow Map
Integrations
Exceptions Handled
- Duplicate invoice detected: flags for manual review instead of sending a reminder
- Customer has a credit memo on file, so the system nets the credit before categorizing as overdue
- Email bounce-back: routes to controller via Slack with alternate contact request
- Invoice disputed: pauses automated follow-up and creates a task for the AR team
7-Day Implementation Timeline
Connect QuickBooks Online and Gmail; map chart of accounts and invoice templates
Configure aging buckets, email cadence rules, and approval thresholds
Build the Google Sheets cash forecast template with formulas and named ranges
Wire up Slack notifications and manager approval flow
Run end-to-end test with sample invoices; refine email copy
Parallel run: automated emails staged but not sent; controller verifies output
Go live; first automated collection cycle and forecast publish
Pricing Hint
Most finance workflows in this category fall within the Grow plan.
View pricing plans →Frequently Asked Questions
Yes. Each aging bucket gets its own template with merge fields for invoice number, amount, and due date. You can adjust tone and escalation language per bucket. Book a 15-min Fit Call to walk through examples.
The workflow re-checks payment status in QuickBooks Online right before sending. If the invoice is marked paid, the email is suppressed automatically.
Accuracy depends on your historical payment patterns. The model improves over time as it incorporates actual vs. projected collections. Book a 15-min Fit Call and we can review your data.
This workflow is built for QuickBooks Online. Desktop support requires a different connector. Book a 15-min Fit Call to discuss your setup.
How It Works
This workflow eliminates the tedious cycle of manually chasing overdue invoices and piecing together cash position spreadsheets. Every day, the system pulls your open receivables from QuickBooks Online, sorts them by aging bucket, and drafts polite-but-firm follow-up emails tailored to how late each invoice is. Your controller reviews anything above a dollar threshold you set, approves with one click in Slack, and the emails go out through Gmail, all before the first coffee is finished.
Why It Matters
Late payments are rarely a surprise; they are the predictable result of inconsistent follow-up. When reminders go out on a reliable cadence, customers pay faster and your team spends zero time copying invoice numbers into email templates. The rolling 13-week cash forecast that accompanies this workflow gives leadership a clear view of expected inflows, so decisions about hiring, vendor payments, and credit lines are grounded in real data rather than gut feel.
What You Get on Day Seven
By the end of the implementation week you will have a fully operational collections engine and a self-updating cash forecast. The forecast lands in your finance Slack channel every Monday morning, and the collection emails run daily without intervention. Exception handling covers edge cases like disputed invoices, credit memos, and bounced emails so nothing slips through the cracks.
Learn More
Ready to automate this workflow?
Book a 15-minute fit call. We will walk through your setup, confirm the integrations, and map out your 7-day go-live plan.
Collections Desk: Invoice Follow-Ups & Cash Forecasting
Book a 15-min Fit Call