How it works
From a list of unpaid invoices to a message worth sending
Setup takes a few minutes. The part that keeps paying off is the reading — Collectly works through the replies you have not had time to, and tells you what it found.
- 01
Bring your invoices in
Upload a CSV or add invoices by hand. Collectly needs the invoice number, the amount, the due date and who owes it. It does not need access to your books.
Invoices that are already settled never count against your plan, and you can import the same file again without creating duplicates.
- 02
Connect the mailbox you invoice from
Collectly looks for threads involving the customers you added, so it can see what they have already told you about each invoice.
It asks for two Gmail permissions: read, and send. It does not ask for permission to create, modify or delete anything in your mailbox, and it never looks at threads unconnected to a customer you created.
- 03
Read what it found
Each unpaid invoice gets a written explanation of why it is unpaid, a risk level, and an expected payment date with a likelihood attached.
Replies are classified into what they actually mean: paid, a promise with a date, a dispute, a question, a request for a copy, or no response at all. A promise is recorded with its date and respected until it passes.
- 04
Approve what should go out
Where a follow-up makes sense, Collectly drafts one that references the conversation so far and matches its tone to how overdue the invoice is.
Drafts wait in an approval queue. Sending goes from your own mailbox as a reply in the original thread, so the customer's reply comes straight back to you.
What you actually look at
Three screens, in the order you meet them
Meridian Fitout is contesting this invoice — they say the final visit was never completed but was still billed. This is a service-delivery dispute, not a payment-willingness issue, and needs a human before any further contact.
Approved internally and queued with finance, who run payments on Thursdays — resolving to Sep 17. Administrative timing, not a dispute. No follow-up until just after the promised date.
21 days overdue with no customer communication and no follow-ups sent yet. Since there has been no contact, a firm reminder should prompt payment or a response.
The queue. Sorted by what needs a person, not by age. Notice that the promised invoice is being left alone.
- Days overdue
- 9
- Follow-ups sent
- 0
- Promised by
- Sep 17
Recommended next step
Wait — 6 days, polite firm tone
Why hasn’t Cedarline Logistics paid?
Cedarline confirmed the invoice is approved internally and queued with finance, who “run payments on Thursdays, so it will go out this Thursday” — resolving to Sep 17. This is an administrative payment-run timing issue, not a dispute or refusal.
The read. Why this one is unpaid, what the customer said, and what Collectly thinks you should do.
First contact on an invoice three weeks late with no prior communication, so a short, neutral note that states the facts and offers an easy next step is more likely to get paid than anything sharper.
- From
- you@yourbusiness.com
- To
- ap@bellweather.example
Invoice SMP-1001 — $2,480
Hi Priya,
I’m following up on invoice SMP-1001 for $2,480, which was due on August 22. I haven’t seen payment come through yet, and wanted to check in directly in case it got lost along the way.
Happy to resend the invoice or send it to whoever handles AP if that’s easier.
The draft. Written, with its reasoning, and waiting for you.
How much it does on its own
You choose, and some things are never automatic
Every account starts in approval mode. You can tighten it or loosen it, but four rules hold regardless of the setting.
Draft only
Collectly writes follow-ups and leaves them for you. Nothing can be sent from Collectly at all.
Approval required
The default and the recommendation. Collectly drafts and queues; you review each one and click send.
Automatic for low risk
Routine reminders on low-risk invoices between 1 and 13 days overdue go out on their own. Everything else still waits.
In every mode, Collectly will not chase a paid invoice, will not send a payment reminder on a disputed one, will not escalate when a customer is upset, and will not write while a payment promise is still good. There is no setting that turns those off.
Your first ten minutes
Getting started
A new workspace is empty on purpose. These are the steps it asks you for, in the order it asks for them.
Optional, and worth it
Look around with sample data first
A new workspace offers a set of invented invoices and replies — a promise with a date on it, a dispute, someone who has gone quiet. Load it and the queue fills with realistic cases, so you can watch Collectly reason before trusting it with anything real. None of it is yours, and Collectly refuses to send email to sample customers even from a connected mailbox.
Step one
Add your invoices
Import a CSV or add one by hand. A CSV needs five columns: customer_name, customer_email, invoice_number, amount and due_date. Importing the same file twice does not create duplicates, and invoices that are already settled never count against your plan.
Step two
Connect the mailbox you invoice from
Collectly will track your invoices and show you what is overdue without a mailbox. Reading replies — the part that explains why an invoice is unpaid rather than just how late it is — needs one. It asks for two Gmail permissions, read and send, and only looks at threads involving customers you added yourself.
Step three
Review the queue
Every account starts in approval mode. Collectly drafts, shows you its reasoning, and waits. Nothing leaves your mailbox until you click send, unless you later decide to let routine low-risk reminders go on their own.
A workspace with no plan keeps three open invoices for as long as you like. That is enough to run a real invoice through from import to payment before deciding whether to pay for anything.
Stop spending your week chasing invoices
Bring in your unpaid invoices, connect the mailbox you send them from, and see what Collectly makes of them.
Cancel any time. If you cancel within 14 days of your first payment, we refund it in full — no questions asked.