AR Collection Agent for Telecoms
An AI agent that handles invoice reminders for finance teams in telecoms & utilities businesses. Triggered by scheduled weekly check, it classifies and categorises, drafts a reply, sends reminders, with human review on exceptions.
Chasing overdue invoices is one of the most time-consuming tasks in any finance team. This agent automates the entire reminder lifecycle — from first nudge to escalation — so your team can focus on cash-flow strategy instead of copy-pasting emails.
Ideal For
- Finance managers
- Accountants
- CFOs
- Teams in telecoms & utilities
Data Sources
- Accounting system (Xero, QuickBooks)
- CRM (Salesforce, HubSpot, etc.)
- Email inbox
Trigger
Workflow starts when: Scheduled weekly check
Collect Data
Retrieve data from: Accounting system (Xero, QuickBooks), CRM (Salesforce, HubSpot, etc.), Email inbox
Classify / Categorize
Perform: classify / categorize on the collected data
Draft reply
Perform: draft reply on the collected data
Send reminder
Perform: send reminder on the collected data
Escalate to human
Perform: escalate to human on the collected data
Produce report
Perform: produce report on the collected data
Human Review
Human approval: Review exceptions only
Complete & Log
Log activity, update records, and close the workflow
If: Invoice is overdue by 7+ days
Then: Send first polite payment reminder
If: Invoice is overdue by 30+ days
Then: Escalate to accounts receivable manager
If: Customer has disputed the invoice
Then: Pause reminders and flag for manual review
If: Payment has been partially received
Then: Update balance and adjust reminder wording
Never expose API keys or credentials in outputs
Only perform actions within defined workflow scope
Maintain formal, business-appropriate language
Flag unusual patterns for human review
Enforce rate limits on automated actions
- If customer replies with a dispute, pause all reminders and create a dispute case
- If payment system API is down, queue reminders and retry when service recovers
- If invoice amount changes after a reminder was sent, send a correction notice
- If no human response within 4 hours, send reminder and escalate to backup
- Tasks processed per day
- Error/failure rate
- Days Sales Outstanding (DSO)
- Collection rate improvement
- Reminder-to-payment conversion rate
- Human intervention rate
System Prompt
You are a Finance AI assistant specialized in invoice reminders. ## Your Role You help finance teams by automating invoice reminders tasks. Your communication style is professional. ## Capabilities You can: classify / categorize, draft reply, send reminder, escalate to human, produce report. ## Guidelines - Always be accurate and verify data before acting - Flag uncertain cases for human review - Maintain professional tone - Never make promises or commitments on behalf of the organization - Respect data privacy and confidentiality - Log all significant actions for audit purposes ## Constraints - Only access data sources explicitly provided - Do not perform actions outside your defined scope - Escalate edge cases rather than guessing
Starter User Prompt
Process this scheduled weekly check: [INSERT DATA HERE] Perform invoice reminders according to your guidelines. Provide: 1. Classification/analysis 2. Recommended action 3. Draft output (if applicable) 4. Any flags or concerns
Handoff Prompt
This task requires human attention. Here is what I have processed: ## Summary [Brief description of what was done] ## Analysis [Key findings and classification] ## Recommended Action [What should happen next] ## My Concerns [Any flags, uncertainties, or edge cases] Please review and respond when available. Please review and advise how to proceed.
# Invoice Reminder Agent - Standard Operating Procedure ## Purpose This SOP defines how the Invoice Reminder Agent operates within the organization. ## Trigger Scheduled weekly check ## Data Sources - Accounting system (Xero, QuickBooks) - CRM (Salesforce, HubSpot, etc.) - Email inbox ## Process Steps 1. Classify / Categorize 2. Draft reply 3. Send reminder 4. Escalate to human 5. Produce report ## Human Oversight Review exceptions only ## Escalation Path 1. Agent flags issue 2. Notification sent to assigned reviewer 3. If no response in 4 hours, escalate to backup 4. Log all escalations ## Review Schedule Monthly review of agent performance and rules
- 1Define access credentials for all data sources
- 2Set up automation platform (n8n/Zapier)
- 3Configure AI API access (OpenAI/Claude)
- 4Create trigger workflow
- 5Connect input data sources
- 6Implement classify / categorize step
- 7Implement draft reply step
- 8Implement send reminder step
- 9Implement escalate to human step
- 10Implement produce report step
- 11Configure human review/approval workflow
- 12Set up notification channels for reviews
- 13Test with sample data
- 14Configure error handling and alerts
- 15Set up logging and monitoring
- 16Document and train team
- 17Deploy to production
- 18Schedule first review
n8n Workflow
## n8n Workflow Outline ### Trigger Node - Type: Scheduled weekly check - Configuration: Set up webhook/schedule/email trigger ### Input Nodes - Accounting system (Xero, QuickBooks): HTTP Request or native integration node - CRM (Salesforce, HubSpot, etc.): HTTP Request or native integration node - Email inbox: HTTP Request or native integration node ### Processing Nodes 1. OpenAI Node: Classify / Categorize 2. OpenAI Node: Draft reply 3. Function/HTTP Node: Send reminder 4. Function/HTTP Node: Escalate to human 5. Function/HTTP Node: Produce report ### Approval Node - Wait Node with Slack/Email notification - Resume on approval webhook ### Output Nodes - Update destination systems - Send notifications - Log activity
Zapier Zap
## Zapier Workflow Outline ### Trigger (Zap starts when...) - Scheduled weekly check ### Data Lookup Steps - Search/Lookup in Accounting system (Xero, QuickBooks) - Search/Lookup in CRM (Salesforce, HubSpot, etc.) - Search/Lookup in Email inbox ### Action Steps 1. ChatGPT by Zapier: Classify / Categorize 2. ChatGPT by Zapier: Draft reply 3. App Action: Send reminder 4. App Action: Escalate to human 5. App Action: Produce report ### Approval Path - Use Paths or Delay Until to pause for approval - Send notification via Slack/Email ### Final Actions - Update records - Send completion notification
Example Use Cases
- •Send tiered payment reminders at 7, 14, and 30 days overdue
- •Escalate overdue accounts to collections after 60 days of non-payment
- •Generate a weekly accounts receivable aging report for the finance team
Tools Needed
Frequently Asked Questions
What does the Invoice Reminder Agent do?
An AI agent that handles invoice reminders for finance teams in telecoms & utilities businesses. Triggered by scheduled weekly check, it classifies and categorises, drafts a reply, sends reminders, with human review on exceptions.
How does the agent handle disputed invoices?
When a customer replies with a dispute, the agent pauses all automated reminders and creates a dispute case for the accounts receivable team to handle manually.
Can I customize the reminder schedule?
Yes. The default cadence is 7, 14, and 30 days overdue, but you can adjust the intervals, add additional steps, or change escalation thresholds in the workflow configuration.
What happens with partial payments?
The agent detects partial payments, updates the outstanding balance, and adjusts future reminder wording to reflect the remaining amount.
What level of technical skill is needed?
Basic familiarity with workflow automation tools (Zapier/n8n) is helpful. No coding is required for most implementations, though API integration experience helps for advanced setups.
Best For
- •You send more than 20 invoices per month
- •Late payments are a recurring cash-flow issue
- •Your team spends hours copying and pasting reminder emails
Not Ideal For
- •You send fewer than 10 invoices per month
- •Most clients pay on time without reminders
- •Your invoicing requires complex, negotiated payment terms
Review Before Launch
- All integrations tested with real credentials
- Error handling and retry logic configured
- Notification channels set up for alerts
- Team trained on reviewing exceptions
- KPI dashboard configured
- Rollback plan documented
Ready to implement your Invoice Reminder Agent? Use this blueprint to guide your setup in n8n, Zapier, or your preferred automation platform.
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