Billing Reminders and Late Payment Notices are sent to remind clients to pay for unpaid invoices/bills. These automated messages are sent based on the bill's due date. If you have enabled online payments, clients can also make payments online from these messages.
Kalix's messaging feature is fully customizable. You can choose when reminder messages are send out, the messaging method used (email, SMS (text message) or text-to-voice) and the contents of reminder messages themselves.
SMS or text-to-voice messages are charged at a pay-per-use rate. Click here to view pricing. Email reminders are free.
Contents of this article:
There are six main steps to set-up and send automated bill reminders:
Enable Messaging
Customize message templates
Link up your Stripe or Square account to Kalix to accept online payments (optional)
Enter valid client contact details and select a messaging method
Enable billing reminders on your billing template
Enable billing reminders on your client specific bills (automatic)
US users, it is important that you are aware of that current information regarding Kalix's automated messaging and HIPAA compliance, click here to view.
1) Enable Messaging
Enable Billing and Late Payment Reminders by clicking on Messaging, followed by Settings.
Choose when messages should to go out. If you decide to enable Bill Reminders, enter the number of days before the invoice/bill's due date that the reminder will be send.
Likewise, for Late Payment Notices, enter the number of days after the invoice/bill's payment is due to send messages. If you wish to send the late payment notice on the actual due date, enter 0 in the Late Payment Notices field.
2) Customize Messaging Templates
Now set up your Billing and Late Payment message templates. On the top header, click on Messaging followed by Billing Reminder or Late Payments.
Kalix allows you to enter a different message for each messaging method (email, SMS and text-to-voice). On the top, click on the applicable method/s you wish to use. Enter your message including the supported merge fields. When sending an automated message, Kalix will fill each message with the client specific billing information before sending it.
Email Messages
Kalix allows you to customize your email message in a number of different ways:
Enter an email subject in the email subject field. This will be the text that appears as the subject for all email messages.
Enter your own message by typing in the email message field.
Format the email message appearance (e.g. add bold, italics, headers, bullets, numbering and tables) using the format bar.
Add small images e.g. your practice's logo into the message.
Enter merge fields into the email message, Kalix will use these merge fields to auto fill the client and billing specific information.
Add the merge field [LINK] to support clients viewing and pay invoices securely online.
Client Responses
Clients are able to reply to messages. You will receive an email notification when a client response is received. View the client response within Kalix.
SMS (Text) Messages
Kalix allows you to customize your
SMS (text) message templates in a number of different ways:
Enter your own message by typing in the SMS message field.
Enter merge fields into the SMS message, Kalix will use these merge fields to auto fill the client and billing specific information.
Add the merge field [LINK] to support clients viewing and pay invoices securely online.
Client Responses
Clients are able to reply to text messages. You will receive an email notification when a client response is received. View the client response within Kalix.
Text-to-voice Messages
Text-to-voice Messages can be sent to landlines and cell phones. Kalix allows you to customize your text-to-voice message in a number of different ways:
Enter your own custom message by typing in the text-to-voice message field.
Choose the accent and gender of the voice. Click here for more details.
Choose the client responses to be included as menu options at the end of the message.
Add the merge field [LINK] to support clients viewing and pay invoices securely online.
Client Responses
Client responses can also be included as menu options at the end of the message, clients make their choice by entering the corresponding number on the phone keypad.
You can choose which the client responses are included in your message by selecting the applicable tick boxes under Client Responses. Available Client responses include:
Connect call to your telephone number
End phone call
Repeat phone message
Testing Messages
We recommend you thoroughly test billing messages to check that they are set up correctly. To do this, scroll down to the bottom of the applicable messaging page and enter a phone number (for SMS and text-to-voice) or email address (for email) you wish to send the test message to. Click on the preview button. A test message (for a test client called Bob) will be send out within 10 minutes.
3) Link Your Stripe or Square Account to Kalix (Optional)
Kalix's payments functionality allows to accept payments online via Billing & Late Payment Reminders.
Stripe and Square are very popular mobile payment solutions. To use Kalix's integrated payments feature, you are required to link up a Stripe or Square account. You can create also create new Stripe or Square account from Kalix.
4) Enter Valid Client Contact Details and Messaging Method
The client must have a messaging method selected on their Client Details page and a valid email and/or phone number for billing messages to go out successfully. A client's messaging method will be automatically set to the default method selected on the Messaging Settings page, click here for details. You can change the client's messaging method from the default to another choice on the client's Details page.
Navigate to the client Details page, click on the section Details. Scroll down to the subsection Contact Details. Select the desired messaging method.
It is also important that client has a valid email and/or phone number saved against their contact details. Contact phone numbers must contain your state area code.
Note: Kalix allows you to save unlimited contact phone numbers against the client's Details page. If you save multiple numbers for a particular client, Kalix will send automated reminders to the first entered phone number.
5) Enabling Billing Reminders on Your Bill Templates
Next, you need to enable bill reminders on your bill template. Open the appropriate billing template (or create a new one). Enter a payment term (the number of days after the bill was generated in which the bill is due) and select Send Reminders. Save your template.
6) Enable Bill Reminders on the Specific Bill
To schedule a reminder to go out for a specific bill, make sure the Send Bill Payment Reminders is selected on the top of the Bill Details page.
