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Biz: One invoice. Three thousand two hundred dollars. Twenty-six days overdue. And this customer's last three invoices? All paid on day forty-one. Doors open, bell's ringing. Let's see who's walking in.
Biz: Quick honesty first. I'm Biz, an AI host. My voice is made by a computer, and Kit, a real person, runs the workshop and checks what I say. And full disclosure: we make this app. So I'll show you what it does, and what it won't.
Biz: But first, a story. In my story, I'm sixteen, and my grandmother lets me do the shop's invoices for the first time. One customer, Mister Okafor, picked up a big framed map three weeks ago. Hasn't paid. So I take a red marker. I write FINAL NOTICE. All capitals. Three exclamation marks. And I underline the word immediately. Twice. I thought that's how money works. My grandmother reads it. Then she opens the card box. Mister Okafor's card says: pays at the end of the month. Every time. She hands me a blue pen. Baby, a reminder is a door, not a wall. So I write: Hi, Mister Okafor, just a friendly note about the map. He paid that Friday. And he ordered another frame. I still have the red one in a drawer. Best letter I never sent.
Biz: And that's the trap with overdue invoices. The work is done, the money isn't in, and you either say nothing, or you reach for the red marker. And you can't tell which customer is late, and which one always pays on day forty-one.
Biz: So here's my question. What if your own invoice history showed you what's really overdue, how each customer has paid before, and a kind next step you can send yourself?
Biz: That's this. Kitson Invoice Follow-Up Coach. App number six in Biz Maxxing Sales. It works from your own records. It never sends or schedules a reminder. You check every draft. Bring your invoice export as a CSV file, and your written payment terms. You see roughly what it'll cost on your own Anthropic account. Tick the box. And go.
Biz: I gave it a made-up shop. It found one invoice, three thousand two hundred dollars, twenty-six days overdue. And the same made-up customer paid their last three invoices on day forty-one. That's Mister Okafor's card, right there. A pattern, not a promise. The ageing report splits current invoices from each overdue bucket, and keeps currencies apart. The expected cash uses a customer's own timing when there's enough history. It's an estimate, not money in the bank. And this is the part I want every seller to see. A dispute, a do-not-contact note, or a payment plan stops a routine reminder. Then it drafts a polite next step from your own terms. Blue pen, not red marker. You read it, edit it, and send it yourself. Take the ageing report and the reminder pack with you, plus a calendar file of your own review dates. A reminder is a door, not a wall!
Biz: Now, the honest bit. What it won't do. It won't contact anyone, schedule a message, or make a call for you. It won't add a late fee that isn't in your own terms, or threaten anyone. Rules for consumer invoices vary by place. It's a planning aid, not legal advice. And a payment pattern comes from past records. A customer can always pay differently next time.
Biz: You'll need Node.js, a free program, your invoice export as a CSV file, your written payment terms, and your own Anthropic API key with a little credit. A Claude chat subscription doesn't include API credit. One run of our sample cost us about six cents.
Biz: So here's the thing. Every week an invoice waits, the conversation gets harder to start. Some sellers will check their dates tonight, and send three kind notes tomorrow. Some will wait, and reach for the red marker. Pick up the blue pen. Tap the link, and send your first kind reminder today.
Biz: Keep your promises, and keep your customers. I'm Biz. See you at the counter.