Write a Payment Chaser Email Sequence
Draft a professional payment reminder that gets invoices paid without damaging the client relationship.
The prompt
I need to chase a late payment from a client. I want a complete chasing sequence, not just one email. Invoice details: - Client name: [name] - Client contact: [their name and role] - Invoice number: [number] - Amount: £[amount] - Original due date: [date] - Days overdue: [number] - Payment terms in our contract: [e.g. "30 days from invoice date"] - Previous chasers sent: [e.g. "One reminder last week, no response" or "None yet"] - Relationship context: [e.g. "Good client, first late payment" or "Repeat offender, third late invoice this year"] - Any complications: [e.g. "They've queried the scope" or "Their accounts person has been off sick" or "None"] Produce a 4-stage payment chasing sequence: **Stage 1 - Friendly reminder (for day 1-7 overdue):** - Subject line (gets opened, not aggressive) - Email body: polite, assumes an oversight, under 80 words - Tone: warm, collegial **Stage 2 - Firm follow-up (for day 8-21 overdue):** - Subject line (slightly more direct) - Email body: references the original invoice and previous reminder, requests payment within 7 days, under 100 words - Mention your payment terms - Tone: professional, clear expectation **Stage 3 - Formal notice (for day 22-45 overdue):** - Subject line (formal) - Email body: references all previous communications, states the amount owed, notes that late payment interest may be applied under the Late Payment of Commercial Debts (Interest) Act 1998 (currently 8% + Bank of England base rate), requests payment within 7 days, under 120 words - Tone: firm, factual, no emotion **Stage 4 - Final notice before escalation (for day 45+ overdue):** - Subject line (unambiguous) - Email body: final request, states specific consequences if not paid within 14 days (e.g. referral to a debt recovery service, suspension of services, formal legal letter), under 150 words - Tone: firm, respectful, but leaving no room for ambiguity Also provide: - A phone call script for Stage 2 (what to say if they don't respond to emails, under 60 words) - A note on when to involve a solicitor and estimated costs for a formal Letter Before Action in England and Wales - A reminder of the statutory right to claim late payment compensation (£40-£100 depending on debt size under the Act) Adapt the tone across all stages to match the relationship context I've described.
What you get back
- A four-stage email sequence calibrated to how overdue the invoice is, with subject lines and word counts
- A short phone-call script for stage two, plus a note on when to involve a solicitor and the statutory late-payment compensation you can claim
- Tone adapts to the client relationship you describe (good payer, repeat offender, or somewhere in between)
How to use it
Fill in the bracketed invoice and relationship fields at the top of the prompt. The more specific the relationship context, the better the tone calibration.