Prepare invoice messages and chase unpaid invoices
Write the email templates that go with your invoices, choose a template per client or per period, set your reminder steps and send reminders for overdue invoices.
The video for this guide is coming soon.
Every invoice goes out with an email. The "Sending reports" screen is where you write these emails once and for all: one template per type of document, a special template for one client or one period, and reminders for overdue invoices. Allow 10 minutes for your first templates.
Once your templates are ready, send or schedule your invoices. To get paid without sending reminders, see collect from your clients by SEPA Direct Debit. The tax rate used in the messages is set in taxes and VAT.
Create a message template
Step by step
- 1
Open Finance › Reports and invoices, then click Settings.
- 2
Click "Sending reports". The Templates tab is shown.
- 3
Click New template. The "New template" window opens.
- 4
Enter the "Name" of the template, choose its "Scope" and the "Message language".
- 5
Write the "Email subject" and the "Message body".
- Under "Variables", click a variable to add it to the text: it will be replaced by the real value when the message is sent.
- "Preview" shows the message as the client will read it.
- 6
Tick "Main template for this scope" so that it is used by default.
- 7
Click Save. The message "Template saved" is shown.
| Scope | When the template is used |
|---|---|
| Initial invoice | When an invoice is sent |
| Additional invoice | When an invoice that completes another one is sent |
| Credit note | When a credit note is sent |
| Reminder | To chase an overdue invoice |
| Group of variables | What it contains |
|---|---|
| Client & report | Client name, contact name, billing email, period, report number, number of apartments and services |
| Invoice (accounting software) | Number, date, due date, totals, VAT amount, link to the invoice, balance due, payment status |
| Bank details | Your company's bank account details / IBAN and BIC |
| Reminder | Days overdue, reminder date |
Choose a template for a client
Step by step
- 1
Click the Assignments tab.
- 2
Under "Scope", choose the type of document.
- 3
On the client's row, choose the template in the "Assigned template" column. The "Applied today" column shows the template that would go out today.
For several clients at once:
Step by step
- 1
Tick the clients.
- 2
Under "Apply a template to the selection", choose the template.
- 3
Click the "Apply" button, then Yes, apply. The message "Template applied to … clients" is shown.
Plan a message for a period
Do this for a message that only applies between two dates: holidays, a change of bank details.
Step by step
- 1
Click the Periods tab.
- 2
Enter a "Label", for example "Summer holidays", and choose the "Template".
- 3
Under "Targeting", choose the clients concerned.
- 4
Choose the "From" and "To" dates.
- 5
Choose the "Event" compared with the period.
- 6
Click Add the period. The message "Period added" is shown and the period joins the table.
| Field | Choices |
|---|---|
| Targeting | "All clients", "Only these clients" or "All except these clients" |
| Event | "Invoice date": the period is compared with the date of the invoice. "Sending date": with the day the message goes out |
Outside the period, the software goes back to the main template.
Set the reminder steps
A step says how many days after the due date a reminder is offered, and with which template.
Step by step
- 1
Click the Reminders tab. The "Reminder steps" block is shown.
- 2
Enter a label, for example "First reminder".
- 3
Under "Days after due date", enter the number of days.
- 4
Choose a template with the "Reminder" scope.
- 5
Click Add. The step joins the table, shown for example as "D+7".
Send a reminder for an unpaid invoice
Under the steps, the "Unpaid invoices" table lists the validated invoices that are not settled and past their due date.
Step by step
- 1
Read the row of the invoice: due date, days overdue, balance due, last reminder.
- 2
Click Send reminder. The button shows the step reached, for example "Send D+15 reminder". The message "Reminder sent to …" is shown.
- 3
For several invoices, tick them, then click the "Send reminders for the selection" button. Confirm with Yes, send reminders.
Frequently asked questions
Do reminders go out by themselves?
No. The software lists the overdue invoices and offers the right step; the reminder goes out when you click "Send reminder".
In which language should I write a template?
In the language chosen under "Message language". Clients whose language it is receive this template in preference; without a template in their language, the template chosen applies.
What happens if I delete a template?
It is permanently deleted, after confirmation. First check that no client and no period uses it.
Where do I set the payment term of invoices?
In Finance › Reports and invoices, "Settings", then "My details": "Payment term (days)" field of the "Billing" block.
Is a credit note deducted from the balance due?
Yes. The row of the invoice shows "credit note deducted" and the balance due takes it into account.