Multi-Channel AR Dunning Across Voice / SMS / Email
AR at acquired SMBs is almost always at 60+ days when the seller was 'too nice.' Cleaning company at 73 days. Marketing agency with $42K stuck on a 'always pays late' client. This Formula installs the stratified dunning agent that runs different cadences for different customer tiers, escalates politely-firmly-finally, and hands disputes to humans with the full thread. Typical recovery: $120-200K of working capital in 90 days at $3M-revenue scale.
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What you need on hand.
The agent works inside your existing stack. Don't migrate to run it — install it where you already are.
- 01Accounting system with AR aging (QBO, Xero, Bill.com)
- 02Customer segmentation rules (by tier, by relationship)
- 03Email + SMS + voice infrastructure
- 04Approval flow for credit holds + collections handoff
The actual prompt. Copy it. Adapt it. Ship it.
This is the system prompt we'd configure on the agent for this Formula. It works on Hermes Agent, Claude, ChatGPT, OpenAI Agents, and any framework that takes a system prompt. The Install Pack includes the tested integrations, error handling, and deployment scripts that wrap around this.
You are the AR Dunning Agent for a service business. Your job is to recover overdue invoices without burning customer relationships.
CUSTOMER SEGMENTATION:
For each invoice, classify the customer:
- Tier A (top 10% by lifetime value): ultra-polite, partner-driven cadence
- Tier B (regular customers): standard cadence
- Tier C (one-off / new customers): firm cadence
- Tier D (known late-payer / existing dispute): escalate to human, do not auto-dun
CADENCE BY AGE + TIER:
Day 1-15 past due:
- Tier A: gentle email reminder
- Tier B: gentle email reminder
- Tier C: gentle email reminder
- Tier D: escalate to human
Day 16-30:
- Tier A: phone call from a human (escalate)
- Tier B: SMS + email follow-up
- Tier C: SMS + email + phone call
- Tier D: continue human-managed
Day 31-60:
- Tier A: human-managed
- Tier B: phone call (AI voice OK if disclosed) + final email
- Tier C: final demand letter draft for human review
- Tier D: human-managed
Day 61+:
- All tiers: escalate to human for credit-hold or collections decision
DISPUTE HANDLING:
On any reply that contains a dispute keyword ("never received", "wrong amount", "billing error"):
- Pause the cadence immediately
- Pull invoice + service history + prior comms
- Hand to a human with full context within 4 hours
NEVER:
- Threaten legal action without partner approval
- Charge late fees without contractual basis
- Continue dunning after a customer disputes (always pause + escalate)The integration set. All vendor-neutral.
How to install it step by step.
- Step 01
1. Run the AR aging + tier classification
Pull current AR aging. Classify every customer into Tier A/B/C/D. Validate tier assignments with the operator before going live.
- Step 02
2. Build the per-tier templates
Tier A templates are partner-warm. Tier B are standard professional. Tier C are direct. Each tier has email, SMS, and voice variants.
- Step 03
3. Configure the dispute escalation
Slack or email channel for any dispute reply. Operator has 4 hours to respond. After 4 hours, escalate to controller or owner.
- Step 04
4. Set the credit-hold approval flow
Day 60+ accounts get flagged for credit-hold consideration. Operator approves or denies. Approved holds flow to the sales/ops system to gate new work.
- Step 05
5. Pilot with 50 invoices
First 50 dunning sequences: operator reviews every action. Catch the patterns. Tune the templates. Measure: payment rate by tier, dispute rate, customer-relationship feedback.
Illustrative ranges. Not promises.
What this Formula typically lifts when installed correctly. Numbers are ranges drawn from typical operator data — not specific customer results.
What to watch for before you ship.
Not legal advice. Get counsel before going live. These are the common compliance + safety considerations for this Formula.
- ⚠FDCPA: applies to third-party debt collectors. If the dunning is done in-house (not by a collection agency), FDCPA doesn't apply directly — but states have their own rules.
- ⚠TCPA: SMS for collections requires prior consent.
- ⚠AI disclosure on voice calls: required in CA, UT, CO, and others.
- ⚠Threats of legal action: never without counsel review and partner approval.
Pair this with these other agents.
Recurring Revenue Health Monitor
Catches the failed payments, the at-risk customers, and the silent churners before they cost you a quarter of revenue. Runs on subscription billing data + service history.
Proposal Follow-Up Cadence for Agencies & Recruiters
Most B2B services close at 25-35% on a sent proposal — but only when the follow-up actually happens. This agent runs the 5-touch cadence, books reply meetings, and surfaces lost-deal patterns.
Dormant-Customer Reactivation Cadence
An outbound agent that wakes up your dormant customer base across email, SMS, and voice — segmented by last spend and service type. The single highest-ROI install at most acquired SMBs.
Three questions before you buy.
—What exactly do I get for $99?
A ZIP file containing the full skill: SKILL.md, README with per-agent install commands, the LICENSE, and the reference documents (system prompt, frameworks, compliance tables — all the content from this page packaged for your agent runtime). Plus access to the install walkthrough page for your specific agent (Claude / Hermes / Cursor / Codex / Gemini / etc.).
—Can't I just copy the prompt off this page?
Yes. Reading is free, intentionally. Buying gets you the packaged ZIP, the official install path, the EULA covering your holdco's commercial use, free updates as we revise, and the 14-day refund. Most operators buy for the time savings + the license clarity, not because the content is paywalled.
—What if it doesn't work for me?
14-day no-questions refund. Request it through the form at startupformulas.com/get-started with your order ID. Done.
Full terms in the End User License Agreement.
Download the Free SkillBuy the pack. Install in two commands.
Reading is free; the ZIP, the install walkthrough, the EULA, and the 14-day refund are the $99. If you operate across multiple verticals, the $499 bundle covers all 16.