The ladder
| Stage | Name | From days overdue | Follow-up created | Due | Priority |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Friendly reminder | 1 | Remind the customer the account is past due | Next day | Medium |
| 2 | Firm reminder | 16 | Call the customer for a payment date | Next day | High |
| 3 | Escalation | 31 | Escalate: overdue more than 30 days | Same day | High |
| 4 | Final notice | 61 | Final notice before credit hold | Same day | Critical |
| 5 | Credit hold | 91 | Review for credit hold: overdue more than 90 days | Same day | Critical |
The stage is chosen by the days past due of the customer's oldest overdue bill. The five stages are fixed: there is no screen to change them in this release.
Stage 5 recommends a credit hold. Nothing puts a customer on hold automatically: see Credit hold.
What the nightly run does
With Open collection work for overdue customers switched on (CRM settings and what each one does):
- Open a case
- Move it up
- Add a follow-up
With Close collection work once paid switched on:
- a case whose customer is no longer overdue is closed: "Settled: no overdue balance on <date>", and its open follow-ups are completed;
- older cases opened for one invoice close when that invoice is no longer open;
- between runs, a posted receipt closes the cases of the invoices it settles in full, and all the customer's collection work when they owe nothing more.
| When ... | Collection case | Follow-ups | Accounting |
|---|---|---|---|
| A customer becomes overdue (nightly run) | Opened at stage 1 | One to remind | Nothing |
| The oldest bill passes 16, 31, 61 or 91 days (nightly run) | Moved up | One per stage | Nothing |
| A promise is recorded | Opened if there is none | One on the promised date | Nothing |
| A receipt settles everything (setting on) | Closed | Completed | The receipt, as always |
| The collector closes the work | Closed with the reason | Completed | Nothing |
One case per customer
Collection work is per customer, not per invoice: one open collection case for each customer. Saving an invoice opens no case; the run opens one only once a bill is actually overdue.
A switched-off customer who still owes money is chased like an active one: they get a case, move up the ladder, and the case closes as settled only when nothing is overdue.
Why has this overdue customer no collection case?
Check that Open collection work for overdue customers is on, that the nightly run happened (The nightly run and the run-now buttons), that the customer is not marked do not contact, and that their overdue money is not all under dispute.
Why did the case close?
The close reason says: "Settled: ..." (the nightly run), "Receipt ... cleared" (a receipt), or the reason the collector gave.