WhatsApp Payment Reminders Linked to Your Accounting System
Payment reminders on WhatsApp get overdue invoices paid faster because customers read the message and can act on it in the same chat. You send the reminder as an approved template to customers who opted in. When they reply, AeroChat reads the invoice from Xero, QuickBooks Online, Zoho Books or FreshBooks, sends the balance and a payment link, and records what was agreed.
What happens today
Reminder emails go out from the accounting system and sit unread. Someone in accounts then calls or messages each customer, looks up the invoice, and resends the PDF.
The customer asks what the balance is, or says they paid last week. Each answer means another lookup, and promises to pay live in someone’s notebook instead of on the invoice.
How it runs on WhatsApp
- Each week you send a WhatsApp broadcast with an approved template to opted-in customers who have overdue invoices, using a segment or a list exported from your accounting system.
- The customer replies, which opens the 24-hour conversation window.
- AeroChat finds the customer in your accounting system by their WhatsApp number. If there is no number or no match, it asks for the invoice number or the email the invoices go to.
- It reads their open invoices: numbers, due dates, amounts and balance due.
- It sends the balance, the invoice copy and a payment link for the amount due.
- It writes back: when the payment completes, it records the payment against the invoice. If the customer gives a date they will pay, it adds a note to the invoice or contact.
- If the customer disputes the invoice, asks for a payment plan or says they already paid, it hands the conversation to your accounts team with the invoice details.
The recipe
Copy this into AeroChat
When a customer replies to a payment reminder or asks about what they owe, follow these steps.
- Find the customer in Xero (example) by their WhatsApp number. If there is no number or no match, ask for the invoice number or the email their invoices go to.
- List their unpaid invoices with the invoice number, due date and balance due.
- Send the invoice copy and a payment link for the total balance. If they ask to pay one invoice, send a link for that invoice only.
- When the payment completes, record it against the invoice and thank them with the new balance.
- If they say when they will pay, add a note to the contact with the date they gave and that they said it on WhatsApp.
- If they dispute an amount, ask for a payment plan, or say they have already paid, hand the conversation to our accounts team with the invoice numbers.
Be polite and factual. Never threaten late fees or legal action. Reply in the customer’s language.
The reminder itself goes out as a broadcast template you approve and schedule. This recipe handles everything after the customer replies.
Connect the systems behind it
- Xero: reads open invoices and balances, sends invoice copies and records payments against them.
- QuickBooks Online: finds the customer, lists overdue invoices and applies the payment.
- Zoho Books: reads unpaid invoices and adds a comment with the customer’s promised payment date.
- FreshBooks: for service businesses, reads outstanding invoices and their status.
- Airwallex payment links. Built in. Stripe and HitPay connect for businesses that already use them.
Using a different system? If it has a public API, it connects to AeroChat the same way: describe what you want, paste in its key, and it runs.
Can’t find your tool? Message us in the chat on this page and we’ll tell you how it connects.
What it costs on WhatsApp
Each reminder is an approved template, charged per delivered message at the rate for the category Meta assigns it. The customer’s reply is free, and AeroChat’s answers are service messages, free up to 1,000 a month per business phone number and then charged per message. Rates vary by country and are set in Meta’s rate cards. AeroChat passes Meta’s WhatsApp fees through at cost.
Also on Instagram, Messenger, TikTok and web chat
When a customer asks about an invoice on Instagram, Facebook Messenger, TikTok (DMs and TikTok Shop buyer chat), Telegram, web chat or email, the same workflow answers from the same accounting system and sends the same payment link.
Who uses it
B2B suppliers use it to collect from trade accounts, and tuition centres use it for term fees parents have not yet paid. See the account and invoice questions workflow for suppliers.
Questions
Can I send payment reminders on WhatsApp automatically?
Yes, as a scheduled WhatsApp broadcast to customers who opted in, using a template Meta has approved. Broadcasts come with the Growth and Advanced plans. AeroChat then handles every reply.
Do customers need to opt in to payment reminders?
Yes. A reminder is a message your business starts, outside the 24-hour window, so it needs the customer’s opt-in and an approved template. Ask for the opt-in when you open the account or send the first invoice.
How much does a WhatsApp payment reminder cost?
Meta charges each delivered template by its category and the customer’s country. Replies from the customer are free, and your answers are free up to 1,000 a month per business phone number.
Can the customer pay straight from the reminder?
Yes. When they reply, AeroChat sends a payment link for the balance and records the payment in your accounting system once it completes.
Get overdue invoices paid from the chat
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Related: invoice copies and balances and payment links.