Accounts Receivable Collections Workflow

What happens if the customer disputes the invoice?

If the credit controller records a contact outcome of Amount disputed, the workflow sets the record status to In Dispute and assigns a task to the disputes owner, due in 10 days, to investigate and record an investigation outcome. Once that outcome is saved to the record, the workflow returns to the credit controller follow-up task so contact with the customer can resume. This return loop can happen up to 2 times before the workflow moves on.

What happens if the customer doesn't respond to the credit controller?

A contact outcome of No response sets the record status to Escalated and creates an approval task for the finance manager to approve or reject further collection action. The finance manager's decision then routes the record to the next stage, so non-responsive customers don't stall in the credit controller's queue indefinitely.

What if the finance manager rejects further collection action?

The workflow routes on the approval outcome (approved, rejected, or otherwise), so a rejection follows its own path separate from an approval. Whatever the finance manager decides, the record's status and the approval decision are captured on the record timeline for later reference.

Can this handle a payment that comes in after the invoice is escalated?

Yes. After approved collection action, the credit controller has a task with no due date to record the action taken and the result. If that result is Paid, the workflow sets the status to Paid and emails the credit controller the final outcome, closing the record.

What if the credit controller records a promised payment date but the payment never arrives?

A Payment promised outcome sets the record status to Promise to Pay and creates a task, with no due date, for the credit controller to record the payment received date and amount once it happens. Because the task has no due date, the record stays visible in the Promise to Pay status on table views and dashboards until the payment is actually recorded or the case is otherwise followed up.

What if the invoice is ultimately written off?

If the collection action result is Written off, the workflow sets the record status to Written Off and emails the credit controller the final outcome, closing the record. The action taken, the result, and the full sequence of statuses remain in the record's timeline.

Who is involved in this workflow, and what do they each do?

The credit controller contacts the customer, records outcomes, and later takes collection action; the disputes owner investigates disputed invoices within a 10-day task; and the finance manager approves or rejects further collection action on escalated cases. Each task and approval is assigned within the workspace, and every step's status update appears on the record.

Can we customise the fields on the request form or the tasks?

Yes. A workspace can change the workflow by describing the change in plain English or by editing the steps directly in the workflow editor, and earlier versions are kept so changes can be reviewed. This makes it possible to adjust the request form fields, task details, or routing conditions to match how a specific team runs collections.

Does the customer need an account to respond to the credit controller?

No. Customers take part through a public request form and through forms emailed to them, without needing to create or log into an account. This keeps the collections process simple for the customer side while the internal tasks and approvals happen inside the workspace.

How do we track where an overdue invoice currently stands?

Every overdue invoice becomes a record with a reference number, a status such as Open, Promise to Pay, In Dispute, Escalated, Paid or Written Off, and a timeline of everything that has happened on it. Table views and dashboards show records grouped by status, and each business should confirm how this fits its own record-keeping requirements.