Work overdue invoices from one priority queue
Finance receives a daily queue ranked by amount, age, relationship context, dispute status, and promised payment date.
The problem
Collections happen from memory, so old small invoices consume attention while large recoverable balances age silently.
What you get
A working system with the steps, tools, checkpoints, and expected return made explicit.
- Setup
- 90 minutes
- Back each week
- 4 hours
- Difficulty
- agentic
Expected return
The working case
A planning estimate, not a guaranteed result. Measure the first four weeks against your own baseline.
192
hours returned per year
At 4 hours/week across 48 working weeks.
1
week to earn back setup
Compare the setup estimate with the weekly time returned.
Operating contract
Input
The source material, constraints, and examples a human would need to do this work well.
Checkpoint
A person reviews judgment calls, sensitive content, unfamiliar tools, and irreversible actions.
Success signal
Track time returned, corrections required, and exceptions. Keep it only if the measured result compounds.
Before you start
- ·Accurate invoice status
- ·Named finance approver
The steps
- 01
Define priority rules and exclusions for disputes, payment plans, strategic holds, and accounts in legal review.
- 02
Pull overdue invoices and recent customer communication into a read-only queue.
- 03
Draft a context-aware follow-up for each eligible item, but save as a draft.
Copy this prompt
Draft a concise collection follow-up using invoice number, amount, due date, and the last customer commitment. Do not threaten, add fees, or mention legal action. Mark disputes for human review. Record: [invoice + communication]
- 04
Finance approves sends and records the next promised action.
What it runs on
- QuickBooks
Invoice and payment status.
- Gmail
Draft-only customer communication.
- Airtable
Optional collections queue.
Where this goes wrong
- Never auto-send collection messages or escalate disputes.
- Respect jurisdiction-specific collection rules and approved language.
Definition of done
Run it for four weeks. Then make it earn its place.
- □ Baseline the manual time before launch.
- □ Keep a human approval step for consequential output.
- □ Record corrections and exceptions, not just successes.
- □ Expand, revise, or retire it after the first review.
Build the system around it
Related workflows
If this one stops working, tell us. Three reports in a month and it leaves the library until a person has looked at it again.