How to Configure Datagate to Send Overdue Invoice Reminders

Pre Requisites

Enable Auto-billing

You must have Datagate configured to enable "Auto-Billing". (Overdue Notices uses the auto-billing scheduler, but you can use it solely for reminder notices if you want) Auto-billing is enabled if you can see a "Jobs" menu. If you don't, please contact [e-mail]

Make sure Invoices are correct

Firstly make sure existing invoices are marked as Paid (if they have actually been paid). This ensures Customers don't incorrectly receive a notice of an overdue invoice.

Navigate to Invoicing/ Action invoices.

Use the Filter to find all invoices in "Sent" status.

Select any/all invoices that have been paid, and Actions/Mark as Paid. This will set the status to "Paid Manually".

Do the same for invoices that are in "Sent Manually" status.

Review invoices in "Partially Paid" status also.

Create email templates

Navigate to Settings/ Emails. Go to the "Templates" tab.

Click on the "Overdue Notification".

Edit the notification with your own wording:

If you want to send multiple reminders, you can create different templates. From the Templates main screen, click "+" to add a new template. Be sure to choose type: "Overdue Notification".

Note: you can choose for your email to be in html format. The body of the email must be completely in html format.

What invoices are considered overdue

• The Customer is Active
• The Invoice is in status "Sent", "Sent Manually" or "Partially Paid"
• The due date has passed by x days
• The invoice value is not $0.00

How to set it up

Navigate to .

Click "+" to add a new Job

• Name - give your Job a meaningful name
• Repeats - choose how often you want the job to run to check for overdue invoices. 
• On the - Choose a day of the month if your Job repeats monthly, or a day of the week if your Job runs weekly. If your Job runs daily this is not relevant
• At/Time Zone - choose a time of the day and (your) timezone
• Paused - check this box if you don't want the job to run (next time). This box will stay checked unless you uncheck it.

Press <Save>.

Navigate to the Tasks tab.

Press "+".

Choose "Overdue Notices Notification".

• Send notification - minimum number of days overdue
• Email Template - choose the appropriate template (from Settings/Emails)
• When - choose Always

Press Save.

You're all set!

Things to note

• If the Customer doesn't have an email address, they won't get the notifications
• The overdue notifications will be sent if the invoice is x days over or more
• The original invoice PDFs are attached (even if Partially Paid)
• If there is more than one invoice overdue, they will all be attached to the same email

Use Cases/examples

• TYPICAL: You send all your invoices at the start of the month, they're due on the 10th of the month. You want to send a notification if the invoice is 5 days overdue, and a more strongly worded notification if the invoice is 25 days overdue.
  • Create two notification templates, a normal reminder and a strongly worded reminder
  • Schedule the 5 day reminder to run monthly on the 6th of the month, for all invoices that are 5 days overdue
  • Schedule the 25 day reminder to run Monthly on the 26th of the month, for all invoices that are 25 days overdue.
• COMPLEX: You send all your invoices at the start of the month, but some are due immediately and some are due on the 10th of the month. You want to send an email when invoices are 5 days overdue and 15 days overdue. You want to send a strongly worded email at the end of the month if the invoices aren't paid
  • Create two notification templates, a normal reminder and a strongly worded reminder
  • Schedule a Job to run monthly on the 6th of the month, for all invoices that are 5 days overdue. This will email the Customers whose invoices are due on on the first
  • Schedule a Job to run monthly on the 15th of the month, for all invoices that are 15 days overdue.  Choose the Strongly worded email. 
  • Schedule a job to run on the 26 of the month for invoices 5 days overdue. This will email the Customers whose invoices are due on on the first (and unpaid) as well as the Customers whose invoices are due on the 15th and now overdue
  • Schedule the Strongly Worded template to run on the 31st for all invoices, say, 17 days overdue. This will run on the last day of the month.

Coming soon

• The ability to send a reminder notice immediately
• The ability to send reminder notices when invoices are exactly a certain number of days overdue. This will be more suitable if you do anniversary/daily billing