Collections email sequence — three emails before you pick up the phone

Variables to fill in

{{customer_first_name}}

Customer's first name. If you have a generic 'Accounts Payable' contact, use 'team' instead.

{{your_name}}

Your name (or the sender's name).

{{business_name}}

Your business name.

{{invoice_number}}

The specific invoice number.

{{invoice_amount}}

The invoice's total amount.

{{due_date}}

Original due date.

{{payment_link}}

Hosted payment link (Stripe Checkout or similar).

The template

Select all and copy. Replace the {{double-brace}} placeholders with your details.

THREE-EMAIL COLLECTIONS SEQUENCE

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EMAIL 1 — Day 1 past due (Friendly reminder, no urgency)
==============================================================

Subject: Quick reminder: invoice {{invoice_number}}

Hi {{customer_first_name}},

Just a quick note that invoice {{invoice_number}} for {{invoice_amount}} was due on {{due_date}} and I haven't seen it come through yet.

If it's already on the way or there's a payment scheduled, no action needed and please ignore this. If it slipped through, here's the link to take care of it in a couple of clicks:

{{payment_link}}

Let me know if you need a copy of the invoice or anything else.

Thanks,
{{your_name}}
{{business_name}}

==============================================================
EMAIL 2 — Day 7 past due (Firmer, but still relationship-friendly)
==============================================================

Subject: Following up on invoice {{invoice_number}}

Hi {{customer_first_name}},

Following up on invoice {{invoice_number}} (originally due {{due_date}}). I wanted to check in to make sure it didn't get caught in a spam folder or routing somewhere unexpected.

Here's the payment link in case it's easier:

{{payment_link}}

If there's a delay on your end or a question about the work, I'd rather know now and figure it out together than wonder. A quick reply is great.

Thanks,
{{your_name}}
{{business_name}}

==============================================================
EMAIL 3 — Day 14 past due (Final email, signal what comes next)
==============================================================

Subject: Invoice {{invoice_number}} — calling next week if I don't hear back

Hi {{customer_first_name}},

I haven't been able to reach you on invoice {{invoice_number}} via email, so I'm planning to call next week to make sure we connect on this.

The amount due is {{invoice_amount}}, originally due {{due_date}}. Payment link: {{payment_link}}

If you'd rather handle it by email, just reply with a date you can pay or any question you have. If I hear from you, no call needed.

Thanks,
{{your_name}}
{{business_name}}

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NOTES ON USE
==============================================================

- Send Email 1 from a person, not a no-reply address. Reply rates are materially higher.
- Always include the payment link in every email — never make the customer hunt for it.
- Do NOT escalate tone in email 1 or 2. Save firmer language for email 3 or the phone call.
- Track which email produced the response (open rates, link clicks, replies). Most B2B customers respond to email 1 or email 3; email 2 is the quiet middle.
- Pair this sequence with day-3 phone outreach for maximum recovery. Email-only tops out around 50-60% recovery on customers who already engage with email.

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This template is general-purpose educational content, not legal advice. State law varies and attorney review is recommended before use. Syntharra is not your attorney.

Three emails sent and no response? Connect QuickBooks — Syntharra makes the day-3 call you're describing in email 3.

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