From invoice issuance to payment collection

A self-directed project using a simulated business process. The reminder workflow was built and tested. The dashboard uses fictional invoice data to demonstrate the reporting approach.

Executive Summary

Sending an invoice is only the start of collecting payment. Finance still needs to check what has been paid, contact customers about late invoices and decide which balances need attention.

I built a workflow that checks invoices each weekday, sends a first reminder for overdue unpaid invoices and records the contact. I also created a dashboard that brings billing, payments and outstanding balances into one view.

Tools used: Google Sheets, Zapier, Gmail and Looker Studio.

1. Business Problem

In the current process, Finance reviews the invoice log manually. For each invoice, someone checks whether payment has arrived, whether the due date has passed and whether a reminder has already been sent.

This takes time and makes follow-up dependent on regular manual checking. Finance also needs a clear way to see which customers owe the most and which invoices have been unpaid longest.

The aim was to make the initial check and reminder more consistent, while keeping Finance responsible for payment verification and further customer contact.

2. Target-State Process

Finance sends the invoice and records it in the spreadsheet. Each weekday, the automation reads the invoice log and checks three questions:

1. Has the invoice been paid? If yes, no reminder is needed.
2. Has the due date passed? If no, the invoice waits for a later check.
3. Has a reminder already been sent? If yes, further follow-up stays with Finance.

When an invoice qualifies, the workflow emails the customer, saves the reminder date and notifies Finance. When payment arrives, Finance verifies it and marks the invoice Paid.

For example, an overdue unpaid invoice with no reminder date receives a reminder. The next check recognises the saved date and skips another automated reminder.

3. Business Rules and Controls

The build sends one automated reminder per invoice. It requires an Unpaid status, a due date before the check time, a customer email and no recorded reminder.

The reminder contains the invoice number, amount and due date. It asks the customer to use the payment details on the original invoice and to reply with a reference if payment has already been made.