# Collection scripts: the three-touch cadence (day 1, day 15, day 30)

Three scheduled touches over 30 days collect most of what you are owed, without a single tense call. The rule is one send on day 1, one on day 15, and one on day 30, moving from friendly to firm. Set the two reminders once (day 15 and day 30) and the cadence runs whether or not you feel like chasing anyone.

Each touch below is given twice: a **filled example** so you see what "done" looks like, and a **fill-in template** with [brackets] to swap. The filled example runs one invoice all the way through: invoice #4021 for $8,450 from Northline Electric to a property-management customer, Delta Property Group, for a panel upgrade at 1400 Delta Court.

| Touch | When | Tone | Default channel |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Day 1 (same day as the invoice) | Warm confirmation | Email |
| 2 | Day 15 | Neutral nudge | Email (or text) |
| 3 | Day 30 | Firm and clear | Email, then phone |

---

## Touch 1: Day 1 (the same-day send)

The day-1 touch is your default invoice email from now on. It confirms the work, states the terms, and puts the payment link one click away, so paying is easier than filing.

### Filled example (email)

> **Subject: Invoice #4021 from Northline Electric, $8,450**
>
> Hi [contact name], thanks for the work this week. Invoice #4021 for $8,450 is attached, covering the panel upgrade at 1400 Delta Court. Terms are due on receipt, and you can pay by card or ACH with this link: [link]. If anything on the invoice needs a second look, just reply here and I will sort it.

### Fill-in template (email)

> **Subject: Invoice #[invoice number] from [your company], [amount]**
>
> Hi [contact name], thanks for the work [this week / on the recent job]. Invoice #[invoice number] for [amount] is attached, covering [short description of the job] at [address]. Terms are [due on receipt / net X], and you can pay by card or ACH with this link: [link]. If anything on the invoice needs a second look, just reply here and I will sort it.

**Tone note:** warm, short, done in four sentences. The payment link is the point; do not bury it under a paragraph.

---

## Touch 2: Day 15 (the neutral nudge)

Fifteen days in, assume it slipped, because it usually did. This touch is a short, no-fault reminder that makes it easy to pay today and easy to say "already scheduled."

### Filled example (email)

> **Subject: Quick nudge on invoice #4021, $8,450**
>
> Hi [contact name], just making sure invoice #4021 for $8,450 did not slip through the cracks. It went out on [date] and is now 15 days old. Here is the payment link again for the card-or-ACH option: [link]. If it is already scheduled on your end, ignore this note and thank you.

### Fill-in template (email)

> **Subject: Quick nudge on invoice #[invoice number], [amount]**
>
> Hi [contact name], just making sure invoice #[invoice number] for [amount] did not slip through the cracks. It went out on [send date] and is now 15 days old. Here is the payment link again for the card-or-ACH option: [link]. If it is already scheduled on your end, ignore this note and thank you.

### Text variant (day 15, for accounts you text)

> Hi [contact name], [your company] here. Friendly reminder that invoice #[invoice number] for [amount] is open (sent [send date]). Quick pay link: [link]. If it is already scheduled, no worries and thank you.

**Tone note:** neutral, not wounded. "Did not slip through the cracks" gives the customer an easy, face-saving reason to have missed it.

---

## Touch 3: Day 30 (firm and clear)

Thirty days out and past terms, the tone turns firm while staying professional. Name the age, name the terms, ask for a payment date, and name the next step. No anger, no threats, just a clear line.

### Filled example (email)

> **Subject: Invoice #4021 now 30 days out, $8,450**
>
> Hi [contact name], invoice #4021 for $8,450 is now 30 days old and past our due-on-receipt terms. Please send payment this week using [link], or reply with the date it will be paid so I can note the account. If there is a problem with the work or the invoice, tell me today and I will get it fixed. If I do not hear back by [date], I will follow up by phone to close it out.

### Fill-in template (email)

> **Subject: Invoice #[invoice number] now 30 days out, [amount]**
>
> Hi [contact name], invoice #[invoice number] for [amount] is now 30 days old and past our [terms]. Please send payment this week using [link], or reply with the date it will be paid so I can note the account. If there is a problem with the work or the invoice, tell me today and I will get it fixed. If I do not hear back by [date], I will follow up by phone to close it out.

### Phone / voicemail variant (day 30, if the email goes quiet)

> Hi [contact name], this is [your name] from [your company]. I am calling about invoice #[invoice number] for [amount], which is now about 30 days out. I want to get it closed and make sure there is nothing on our end holding it up. Please call me back at [number], or reply to my email with a payment date. Thank you.

**Tone note:** firm is not hostile. You are asking for money you earned, on terms the customer agreed to. State the facts, offer the easy path, and name the phone follow-up so the next step is not a surprise.

---

## After day 30

If an invoice is still open after the third touch, it is no longer an oversight. It is one of two things: a dispute (something about the work or the invoice is wrong, so find out what and fix it), or a chronic slow payer (a customer whose terms and standing you now reconsider). Handle both by phone, one conversation, this week.

Anything past a friendly reminder carries legal weight: a formal demand, a late fee, a lien, a payment-plan agreement, or a hand-off to a collections agency. These vary by state and are not covered here. Have a licensed attorney review your terms and late-fee language, and route any real collections matter to a licensed professional. This file is general education on getting paid faster, not legal advice.

The fuller ladder (day-45 and pre-collections scripts, a five-email dunning sequence, template late-fee and payment-plan language, and a live A/R aging tracker) is the Cash-Flow Recovery Kit (C2). The living, scored version of your whole operating picture is the free Keystone diagnostic at app.trykeystone.io.
