BadCop › Templates › Second payment reminder email (after the first was ignored)

Second reminder: what to send when the first one got no reply

When to send it

About a week after the first reminder went unanswered, or seven days past due, whichever is later.

The email

Subject: Second reminder: invoice {invoice_id}, {currency} {amount} outstandingHi {client_name}, Following up on my earlier note: invoice {invoice_id} for {currency} {amount} was due on {due_date} and is now {days_overdue} days overdue. {pay_link} Could you confirm a payment date by the end of this week? Our terms apply late fees to overdue balances, and I would prefer to keep this simple for both of us. Regards, {sender_name}

Placeholders in braces are filled in per invoice. Replace them by hand, or run badcop preview INV-1 --step firm to render this template for a real invoice.

Why it works

A second reminder that repeats the first teaches the client that reminders are noise. This one changes register: it asks for a date, gives a window, and mentions the terms. The escalation is the message.

Tips

Reference the first reminder explicitly. It shows there is a record.
Ask for a date, not for payment; a date is easier to commit to and makes the next email straightforward if it passes.
Keep the same sender address as the first reminder so the thread stays intact.

Automate it

This is the firm step in BadCop's default ladder, sent at T+7 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-run