Overdue accounts flow into an automated dunning ladder — soft WhatsApp reminders with payment links first, firmer letters later — while every reply, payment and promise-to-pay is logged automatically, so the human team only steps in where a conversation is actually needed.
Typical results
26 days
Average days to collect
33%
Paid straight from the link
100%
Promises-to-pay logged
Figures reflect typical results for this kind of automation.
The challenge
Collectors worked from spreadsheets, dialing debtors one by one. Early-stage accounts — the easiest to recover — sat untouched for weeks because staff time went to the loudest files. Reminder letters went out in inconsistent batches, promises to pay lived in people's heads, and by the time anyone followed up, the debt had aged into the hard pile.
Before and after
Early-stage recovery rate
+28%Average days to collect
−37%Accounts touched in first week
3.3×The automation
We built a Make-driven dunning ladder on top of the bureau's collections system. New overdue accounts enter automatically: a polite WhatsApp reminder with a one-tap payment link on day one, a second nudge on day five, a formal email on day ten, and a firmer letter after that. Payments halt the sequence instantly, replies are parsed for promises to pay and logged, and silent accounts route to a collector with full history attached.
How it works
- 01
Account enters the ladder
Overdue accounts sync from the collections system and start the sequence automatically.
- 02
Soft touch first
A polite WhatsApp reminder with a one-tap payment link goes out on day one, a gentle nudge on day five.
- 03
Escalate politely
A formal email lands on day ten, followed by a firmer letter for accounts that stay silent.
- 04
Every response logged
Replies are parsed for promises to pay and logged; a payment halts the sequence instantly.
- 05
Humans on hard cases
Accounts that go quiet route to a collector with the full contact history attached.
Starts from
- Overdue accounts
- Client ledgers
Delivers
- WhatsApp reminders
- Payment links
- Promise-to-pay log
The impact
Early-stage recovery jumped 28%, with a third of paid accounts settling straight from the WhatsApp payment link before a collector ever called. Promises to pay are now logged and tracked automatically, average days-to-collect fell from 41 to 26, and collectors spend their time on the genuinely difficult files.
Questions about this automation
What does the dunning ladder send, and when?
A typical ladder sends a polite WhatsApp reminder with a one-tap payment link on day one, a second nudge on day five, a formal email on day ten and a firmer letter after that. The bureau sets the timing and wording of each step, and they can differ by debt type.
How are replies and promises to pay handled?
Incoming replies are read automatically and checked for a promise to pay, a dispute or a request to talk. Promises are logged with the date and amount, and the ladder pauses until that date. Disputes and unclear replies go to a collector with the conversation attached instead of receiving the next reminder.
Does a payment stop the reminders right away?
Yes. When a payment comes through the link or posts in the collections system, the account leaves the ladder at once, so no reminder goes out after the debt is settled. Partial payments update the balance, and the sequence continues only for the amount still open.