Follow up an overdue account

The collections worklist is Kila’s list of who to call today: every customer who owes money on their account or on an agreement, with how late it is. Record each call and each promise to pay, so whoever follows up next sees where things stand.

Steps

1. Open the worklist

   Go to Credit › Collections: “Who to call today: money owed on accounts and agreements, by how late it is, with promises, holds and the next step.” The totals at the top are Overdue, then 1 to 30 days, 31 to 60 days, 61 to 90 days and Over 90 days. Tap a total to list only those customers, and tap it again to see everyone.

   Each customer shows what they owe it on (Owed on), the Days late, the Next step, the Last contact and how much is overdue.

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2. Open the customer

   Tap the customer in the list. A panel opens with what they owe: Owed in all, Overdue on account and Reminders in 7 days, then each invoice with when it was due and how many days late it is.

3. Call them and log the call

   The phone number under the customer’s name is a link: tap it to call from a phone. Then tap Log a call or visit, choose Phone call and How it went: Reached, No answer, Wrong number, Promised to pay, Disputes the amount, Says they paid, Refused or Other. Add a note and tap Save.

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4. Record the promise

   Tap Promise to pay. Kila starts with the amount overdue. Set the date the customer Pays by and how the promise was Taken by, then tap Record promise. Kila says, for example: “Promise recorded. Automatic reminders to Rafiki Homes pause until 2026-11-06 (plus 1 day).”

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5. Check the next step

   The panel now has the Promise to pay, with who took it: “Automatic reminders pause until then. If it is not paid, it comes back on the worklist.” On the worklist the customer is marked Promised, with the promise as the next step. The Promises tab lists every promise: Open, Broken, Kept or All.

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More you can do from the panel

• Send reminder sends the business’s reviewed wording about what is owed on account, only to the customer’s own phone, email or customer portal. Reminders go out only in the sending hours: at Mwangi Hardware, Monday to Saturday, 08:00 to 19:00. Outside them the button is grey and Kila says when reminders go out.
• Assign chooses Who follows up: the Collector, with the next step and its date.
• Put on hold stops credit: “No new credit for this customer until a person lifts the hold. Cash, M-Pesa and their own deposit still work.”

Not available yet

SMS test mode. “SMS reminders are kept in the message log but do not reach phones yet. Email is sent for real; the customer portal shows reminders to customers who use it.”

Needs a manager

“Automatic reminders for account invoices are off. Switch on to start.” Nothing is sent to customers about unpaid account invoices until the owner switches them on, in Collections › Settings. Agreement instalment reminders keep running.

For your business

For professional firms

At a professional firm, the Clients tab of the projects page shows what each client owes and what is overdue, with SMS and Email in their row: see Remind a client about overdue invoices.

Steps differ for professional firms. Choose your businessNothing here differs for your business, .

What if

The promised date is too far ahead

Kila shows:

That did not go through

A promise is for at most 60 days ahead. Agree an earlier date, or a payment plan.

Agree a date within 60 days, or part payments with a date each.

The customer does not pay by the date

Kila keeps the promise for a day after the date. If less was paid, the customer comes back on the worklist, so the next call is about the broken promise.

Related

• Print a customer statement: what the customer owes, line by line.
• Record a payment on account: when the money comes in.
• Set a credit limit and payment terms: how much credit, and for how long.
• … is on hold: what the till shows for an account on hold.
• … is on hold (…). Credit needs a manager’s approval.: when your business lets a manager approve credit for an account on hold.

Next: when the customer pays, record the payment on their account.