The job is finished. The invoice still needs chasing.

The WorkMate team · 4 min read · 25 September 2026

The consumer unit is closed, the tools are packed and the customer has the certificate. The invoice is still unpaid, so someone has to find time to ask for the money. At a small electrical firm, that often means the person who did the job.

The awkward email takes time from paid work

Payment chasing takes more than a minute. You find the invoice, check whether it has been paid and recall what you agreed. Then you work out how firm to sound, write the message and remember to check again.

It gets done between jobs, in the van at the end of the day or at home with the paperwork. Asking for payment can feel awkward when you want to keep a good relationship with the customer. Wait too long and the invoice can slip your mind.

It is a common delay across the industry. In the ECA survey with BESA, SELECT and SNIPEF, 76% of respondents said private sector clients paid more than 30 days after work was completed, and 16% said payment took over 60 days. The survey also found that 63% were worried project delays would affect cash flow.

Let the accounts mate prepare the follow-up

WorkMate’s accounts mate can prepare a polite reminder for an unpaid invoice, using the details already in the shared Brain. The owner reviews the draft and approves it before it is sent.

That approval keeps the owner in control. The crew cannot make a promise, change payment terms or send a message without the owner’s say-so. The activity log records what ran, when it ran and what it produced.

Spend less time chasing by hand

Late payment can still happen. The customer still has to pay. But checking the invoice and drafting a reminder do not have to rely on you remembering after a full day on site.

If you already use WorkMate, invoice follow-up is part of the accounts mate’s job, with no separate setup task. You review the draft and approve it for sending. For a similar look at admin cutting into a working day, read this earlier dispatch about a salon. Everything still comes back to your desk looks at the wider problem of work landing back with the owner.