The job is finished. The invoice still needs an awkward chase.

The WorkMate team · 4 min read · 24 October 2026

The lights are back on, your tools are packed away, but the invoice is still unpaid. Following up often slips to the end of the day. Asking for money can feel more awkward than doing the job.

The chase takes time from paid work

When the next call-out, quote or parts run needs attention, an unpaid invoice can wait. Later, you have to check the due date, find the right contact and recall what you agreed. Then there’s the reminder to write and send, firm but fair.

In a survey commissioned by GoCardless and conducted by the Federation of Small Businesses, 34% of small businesses spent up to 4 hours a week writing letters or calling customers to chase payment. Nearly two-thirds estimated that managing late payments cost them about £100 a week, according to the GoCardless and FSB survey.

Payment can take weeks. In a survey of UK electrotechnical and engineering-services businesses backed by ECA, BESA, SELECT and SNIPEF, 62% said commercial clients and main contractors took 31 to 60 days to pay; 15% reported 61 to 90 days, according to ECA.

A reminder draft, ready for your review

WorkMate OS is built so an accounts mate can prepare invoice follow-ups from details you have given the crew, including the invoice information and your preferred tone. It drafts a clear reminder for you to check. You decide if it’s accurate, if the timing is right and whether to send it.

That check matters. The customer might have paid another way, queried the work or agreed a different date with you. The crew shouldn’t guess or turn a payment nudge into a dispute. Customer-facing work follows draft, review, send, with the owner approving it.

Less composing, same relationship

The blank page is the part WorkMate aims to take off your list. You still decide how to speak to the customer. The shared Brain lets relevant business facts and corrections carry across the crew, while your stored brand kit gives each mate your preferred voice and tone.

The activity log shows what ran, when and what it produced. Read The invoice chase between electrical jobs for how invoice chasing fits into a small firm’s day. For more on keeping business tools joined up, see The copy-and-paste week between your business apps.

What the figures say about chasing

In Direct Line’s UK survey of 500 tradespeople, 68% were chasing at least one late payment, and the average amount owed was £2,023, according to Direct Line via Aviva. The same survey found 20% had given up chasing invoices over £1,000; the average largest amount written off was £1,646, according to Direct Line via Aviva.

If the reminder keeps slipping, a draft can make it easier to review and send while the job is still fresh in your mind.