BadCop › Templates › Payment reminder text message (SMS) template
Payment reminder by text message: when it works and what to say
When to send it
Three or more days past due, for clients you normally text with, and only after at least one email. Never as the first contact.
The email
Subject: (no subject; SMS)Hi {client_name}, quick one: invoice {invoice_id} for {currency} {amount} was due {due_date}. Pay here: {pay_link} Let me know if there is any problem. Thanks, {sender_name}
Placeholders in braces are filled in per invoice. Replace them by hand, or run badcop preview INV-1 --step friendly to render this template for a real invoice.
Why it works
A text is read within minutes; an email may sit for days. The trade-off is that it feels personal, so it must be short, specific, and easy to act on from a phone.
Tips
- Under 160 characters where possible; include the pay link.
- Only text clients who have texted you first about work.
- Follow it with the normal email ladder; the text is a nudge, not a record.
Automate it
This is the friendly step in BadCop's default ladder, sent at T+3 days from the due date. Put your invoices in a CSV, run one command a day, and every open invoice gets the right email at the right time, once.
pip install badcop
badcop init && badcop run --dry-runOther stages
- Courtesy payment reminder email (3 days before the due date)
- Friendly invoice reminder email (1 day overdue)
- Firm invoice reminder email (7 days overdue)
- Final notice invoice email with late fee (14 days overdue)
- Invoice 30 days overdue: the escalation email
- Second payment reminder email (after the first was ignored)
- Polite payment reminder email that still gets results
- Invoice 60 days overdue: demand letter before collections or small claims
- Invoice reminder email for recurring (retainer) clients
- Invoice reminder email subject lines that get opened
- Late fee applied email template