Payment reminder software that stops when the customer pays

How automated reminders work

1. Upload customers with their amounts and due dates.
2. Write each reminder once or start from the ready templates.
3. Makatea sends each one on its date from your business number.

A dunning schedule you can copy

Dunning is the name for this schedule of reminders. Subscription businesses use it after a failed charge. Makatea runs it for any recurring payment.

Why reminders before the due date matter most

Most late payments are forgotten, not refused. A reminder three days before catches those customers while paying is still easy.

Reminders after the due date then go to fewer people. Your team spends its time on the few who need a call.

Reminders that respect the customer

• One reminder per moment, never several on the same day.
• Messages only during the hours you choose.
• Only the customer receives the reminder.
• A do-not-contact flag stops every message for disputes or agreed plans.

Reminder schedules by type of business

The right schedule depends on how often you bill and how your customers pay. These are good starting points.

Makatea lets you change each step for each group of customers. A new customer and a long-standing one can get different tones.

What to look for in payment reminder software

• WhatsApp and email in one sequence, with email as the fallback.
• Variables for name, amount, due date and payment link in every message.
• An automatic stop when the customer pays or promises a date.
• Partial payments that update the amount in the next reminder.
• Sending hours you set, so nothing goes out at night.
• A weekly summary of what came in and what is still open.

Makatea does each of these on its own once the list is uploaded.

How to write a reminder that gets paid

• Use the customer's first name. A message to a person gets read before a message to an account.
• Put the amount and the due date in the first line.
• Add one way to pay, with the link, not a list of five options.
• Give an easy reply for people who already paid, such as sending the reference.
• Keep it under 50 words on WhatsApp. Longer messages wait for later and get forgotten.
• Sign with the business name the customer knows.

Example. “Hi Ana, your March fee of $120 is due on Friday the 15th. You can pay here: [link]. If you already paid, reply with the reference. Greenfield School.”

WhatsApp or email for payment reminders

Makatea uses both in one sequence. WhatsApp goes first, and email follows when the customer does not reply.

Automated payment reminders for recurring billing

Recurring billing is where reminders save the most time. The same customers owe a similar amount on the same day every month.

Each month you upload the new balances, or send them through the API, and the same sequence runs again.

Partial payments and credit notes adjust the balance before the next reminder goes out. Customers never get a message for money they already paid.

Details on sending and timing

• Reminders go out on weekends only if you want them to. You set the sending days and hours for each sequence.
• The best time is mid-morning on a working day, local to the customer. Avoid nights and Sundays, when messages get read and forgotten.
• Test the sequence on your own number first and see each message as the customer will.
• The message comes from your business number with the customer's name and details. It reads like a note from your team.
• Customers who are often late can go in their own group, with an earlier first reminder and a firmer tone.
• Messages under 50 words with the amount and the date in the first line get answered faster than long ones.

Pricing

Every plan includes all of Makatea and starts with 14 days free with no card. The annual plan costs ten months for twelve. Above 3,000 customers the plan is set by volume.

Who uses automated payment reminders

• Schools reminding monthly fees.
• Gyms and clubs reminding memberships.
• Internet providers reminding subscriptions.
• Landlords and property managers reminding rent.
• Agencies and consultants reminding monthly retainers.