The event is over. The unpaid invoice still needs a chase.
The venue is cleared, the suppliers have gone and one invoice is still unpaid. Now there’s another careful email to write. It takes time, and the awkwardness can make it easy to put off.
For wedding and event planners, work carries on after the last guest leaves. There are supplier notes to file, client questions to answer and another event to prepare. Somewhere in that list, you notice a payment hasn’t arrived.
A small follow-up that takes time
The Small Business Commissioner’s Late Payments Research found that UK small businesses affected by late payment spent an average of 86 staff hours a year chasing overdue invoices, among those reporting that they spent staff time on it. That’s time away from planning, client care and paid work.
The Department for Business and Trade’s late payment research found that 24% of surveyed UK businesses attributed late payments to administrative errors, such as invoices not being logged or containing errors. A reminder is only useful when the amount, recipient and due date are right.
Keep the reminder clear and yours
A good follow-up names the event, states what’s outstanding and explains how to pay. It stays polite, leaving room for the client to query something or flag a mistake. It shouldn’t invent a promise, change an agreed term or make a threat you haven’t approved.
You still decide what goes out. The reminder is prepared for your review, with the event details checked first. If the account is disputed or unusual, it comes back to you.
How a crew can help
WorkMate OS has an accounts mate and an invoicing module designed to follow up unpaid invoices. The crew shares one Brain, so relevant client and business corrections can carry between mates. A brand kit helps keep the wording in your tone. For outward-facing work, the process is draft, review, send, with your approval before a reminder goes out.
The activity log shows what ran and what it produced, so you can check the record when you return to the account. Check Launch Access for the invoicing module’s current availability.
If your invoice details are accurate and you already follow up promptly, you may not need to change anything. If event work keeps pushing the chase down the list, the accounts mate can prepare a reminder for your approval. You won’t have to write the awkward email from scratch.
For more on invoice follow-up, read the wedding invoice that still needs an awkward email and the photographer’s invoice follow-up.