Client onboarding
Every new client, the same forms, welcome emails and internal tasks.
Automate onboardingAutomate invoicing & payment chasing
Stop rebuilding invoices by hand.
Stop remembering to chase.
I help firms prepare invoices from recorded work, route them for approval and bring overdue balances onto a follow-up list. A person checks and sends invoices and payment messages; supported connections do the preparation.
At a glance
- The task
- Raising invoices and following up on late payment
- Who it hits
- Anyone who bills repeat clients on a cycle
- What changes
- Invoices prepared from recorded activity, reminder drafts ready for review
- Proof
- A payroll firm serving around 200 clients, see below
The problem
Why invoicing eats a weekend
The work is already done. The client is happy. And yet getting paid still needs a human to open one system, read what happened, open another system, retype it, check it, send it, then write the date in a diary so somebody remembers to chase.
None of it is difficult. That is exactly why it never gets fixed. Each invoice takes a few minutes, so it never feels like a problem worth solving. Multiply it by every client, every month, and it is a weekend.
Chasing is worse, because it is uncomfortable. A reminder that should go out on day 31 goes out on day 45, if it goes out at all. The money is not lost, but it arrives late, and late money is what makes a profitable business feel tight.
Getting paid should not depend on you remembering.
The change
What it looks like before,
and after
Today, by hand
- You open the system, read the month’s activity and retype it into an invoice
- You check the figures twice because retyping is where mistakes happen
- You send each invoice manually, one client at a time
- You enter direct debit amounts into the bank, client by client
- You try to remember who has not paid, and when you last chased them
- Chasing feels awkward, so it slips
Once it runs itself
- Invoices are prepared from the activity already recorded, without retyping
- Figures come from the agreed source, with checks for missing, duplicate or inconsistent records
- Invoice drafts are ready at the agreed point in the cycle, for an authorised person to check and send
- Payment collection is raised from the same approved data
- Overdue payments surface on their own, with the history attached
- Reminder drafts appear on schedule, in your wording, for a person to check and send
≈12 → <1hours of admin in a busy month, at a payroll firm serving around 200 client companies
Premium Paye · payroll services
Every month, invoices were rebuilt by hand from the activity recorded in the payroll software, and direct debit amounts were keyed into the bank one client at a time. With new client paperwork on top, a busy month ran to around twelve hours. Three connected processes removed the manual work, and it is now under one.
Read the Premium Paye case studyIn practice
Preparation is automatic. Release is a decision.
Prepare
Create a draft from recorded activity and agreed rates, checking for missing and duplicate entries.
Approve
The responsible person confirms the invoice, exceptions and timing before sending.
Follow up
Overdue balances create a dated task and reminder draft. A person checks disputes and sends the message.
How we get there
From your first question
to a working solution.
Billing is worth examining because it repeats and its preparation can be observed. Discovery checks whether the benefit supports the cost of changing it.
First, a free 15-minute conversation to understand the challenge and agree the appropriate next step.
Understand your business
We explore the process, what you want to achieve and how your team prefers to work. I challenge the proposed solution if the underlying problem is different.
You receiveA clear process map, written recommendations and an agreed priority.
Check the tools and feasibility
During separately scoped Process Design, I check the connections, permissions, costs and exceptions that could affect the solution.
You receiveA documented workflow, feasibility findings and the requirements for a reliable build.
Agree the scope and price
Before implementation, we agree what will be built, the timeline, responsibilities and how we will check that it works.
You receiveA written proposal with a fixed build price, acceptance checks and any ongoing costs.
Build and test
I build the agreed solution and test normal cases, exceptions and approvals. Your team reviews it against the checks we agreed.
You receiveA working solution, a demonstration and the agreed checks completed before handover.
Document, train and hand over
I show your team how to use the solution, what to monitor and how to handle exceptions. We clarify ownership and support.
You receivePractical instructions, a walkthrough and clear support terms so your team can run it.
One recurring processFocused Process Review · £350Several connected prioritiesBusiness Process Review · from £650
Discovery, Process Design and implementation each have an agreed scope and fee. You choose the appropriate discovery service; buying both is not required. Testing, documentation and team handover are included in the agreed implementation scope.
Will it send invoices without me seeing them?
No. The invoice is prepared automatically and waits for an authorised person to check and send it. The time saving comes from removing preparation and retyping, while judgement stays with your team.
We use Xero. Does that work?
Yes, and the same applies to most accounting and billing tools with a proper connection. I start from what you already pay for. The question is never which accounting system is best, it is whether the data it needs can reach it without a person retyping it.
What about clients whose billing is not standard?
Exceptions are the heart of the design phase. We agree which cases the system handles and which ones it flags for a person. A system that guesses on an unusual case is worse than no system.
Will chasing emails sound automated?
They use wording and escalation steps you agree. A person checks the balance, any dispute and the relationship context before sending the reminder. The system keeps the due date and next action visible.
How much can we expect to save?
I estimate the time from interviews, examples and available records during the Review, then check what a change could remove. Premium Paye’s result covers invoicing, direct debits and onboarding together; it is not a measured late-payment or chasing result.
Keep reading
Related
Your business
How long did billing take you last month?
If you do not know, that is the answer. Fifteen minutes, no charge, and we will work it out together.
15 minutes · No charge
Prefer to write? [email protected]