> `YOUR GRACE AGENCY  /  AUTOMATION LAUNCH KIT  /  WORKFLOW 05 OF 05`
>
> **AUTOMATE. DELIVER. EMPOWER.**
> *Make payment status visible while keeping money conversations human-led.*

# 05 — Invoice Follow-Up & Payment Visibility

**Outcome:** You can see invoice status and follow up consistently without auto-sending payment pressure or making financial decisions from incomplete data.

## Use when

You invoice clients for services and need a simple, reliable reminder and visibility process.

## Workflow control card

| System detail | v1 decision |
| --- | --- |
| Primary signal | an invoice changes status or reaches a review date |
| Automation role | update visibility, flag exceptions, and prepare a draft |
| Human boundary | approve reminders, disputes, terms, and collection actions |
| Safe launch mode | test with sample invoices and an internal-only notification |

> **APPROVAL BOUNDARY**
> This workflow makes payment status visible and can prepare a draft. A human approves every reminder, dispute response, or collection action.

## Inputs

| Required field | Example |
| --- | --- |
| Invoice ID | INV-1042 |
| Client name | Northstar Studio |
| Amount | `$1,200` |
| Issue date | August 1 |
| Due date | August 15 |
| Status | sent / viewed / paid / overdue / disputed |
| Account owner | Grace |

## Trigger

**An invoice is created, its status changes, or a scheduled date check finds it approaching/past its due date.**

## Workflow steps

1. **Record** the invoice status in a finance visibility table with a link to the authoritative invoice system.
2. **Calculate** a follow-up stage from due date and status: `upcoming`, `due today`, `1–3 days overdue`, `4–7 days overdue`, `manual review`.
3. **Exclude** invoices marked paid, disputed, refunded, canceled, or on an agreed payment plan from standard reminders.
4. **Draft** a concise follow-up message appropriate to the stage. Require account-owner approval before sending.
5. **Create** a follow-up task with a date and owner, then log the message outcome after it is sent.
6. **Escalate** to manual review for partial payments, disputes, very large balances, or a client with a documented exception.
7. **Report** weekly on total open invoices, next follow-up date, and the oldest outstanding balance.

## Outputs

- A current invoice-status view linked to the source system
- A human-reviewed reminder draft and next action
- Exclusions for disputes and special arrangements
- Weekly cash-visibility summary

## Tool-agnostic setup notes

- Treat your invoicing tool as the source of truth; do not update financial status only in a spreadsheet.
- Use local timezone and business-day rules for due dates. A scheduled run should not send a “past due” reminder at 12:01 a.m.
- Never include bank details, full account numbers, or payment links from unverified text fields in automated drafts.
- Start by drafting reminders. Move to automatic sending only if your policies, platform permissions, and test results support it.

## Completed example

**Trigger:** `INV-1042` is still unpaid one business day after August 15.  
**Decision:** stage `1–3 days overdue`; account is not disputed and has no payment plan.  
**Output:** A polite reminder draft is created for Grace to review, and a follow-up task is due August 18. The record links back to the invoice system.

## Edge cases

- **Partial payment:** route to manual review; the normal balance template may be wrong.
- **Client says payment is processing:** record the note and set a new follow-up date; do not keep sending the sequence.
- **Invoice has a dispute flag:** stop the standard reminder path and notify the owner.
- **Duplicate invoice events:** update the existing follow-up record using invoice ID; do not create repeated reminders.

## QA checks before launch

- [ ] Paid and disputed invoices are excluded from standard reminders.
- [ ] Follow-up stages calculate correctly across weekends and your timezone.
- [ ] Every reminder remains a draft pending approval in v1.
- [ ] A repeated status event updates one invoice record.
- [ ] The weekly view matches a small sample from the source invoice system.

## Expected outcome

You gain a respectful, repeatable follow-up rhythm and a clearer view of what needs attention—without automating sensitive financial judgment.

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`YOUR GRACE AGENCY  ·  WORKFLOW 05 / INVOICE FOLLOW-UP  ·  HUMAN REVIEW REQUIRED FOR PAYMENT COMMUNICATION`