Dunning Statements (Payment Reminders)

Dunning statements are past due notices or payment reminders sent via email to accounts with unpaid invoices. The Dunning Statements screen displays all unpaid invoices where the due date is more than one day day past the current date. 

Escalation levels are used to track the number of dunning statements sent to a customer. You also use escalation levels to determine the text used in the dunning statement. There are six escalation levels available: Initial Notice, Escalation Level 1, Escalation Level 2, Escalation Level 3, Escalation Level 3, Escalation Level 4 and Escalation Level 5.

Dunning Statement Templates

You need to create dunning statement email templates to determine the content for each dunning statement escalation level. Typically, the higher the escalation level, the strong the wording in the email. 

To create a dunning statement email template:

  1. Click the Email and Merge Templates link from the Main Menu. The Email and Merge Templates screen opens.
  2. Click the Add button. The Subjects screen opens.
  3. Select Invoices.
  4. Click OK. The Add Email/Subject Template screen opens.
  5. Enter the following information:
    • Description - Name of the dunning statement template.
    • Email Subject - Subject for the dunning statement email.
  6. Create the email template as desired. See Anonymous Payment Portal Links for information on creating a payment portal link to process payments.
  7. Click OK. Repeat as needed for each escalation level.

After creating the dunning statement email templates, assign them to the appropriate escalation level:

  1. Click the Dunning Statement Email Templates link from the Main Menu. The Dunning Statement Email Templates screen opens. 
  2. Click the Add button. The Add Dunning Statement Email Templates screen opens.
  3. Select the escalation level for the dunning statement template from the Escalation Level drop-down.
  4. Select the template for the escalation level from the Email Template ID drop-down.
  5. Click OK. Repeat as needed for each escalation level.

Set an Account to Receive Dunning Statements

You have to configure an account to receive dunning statements. If an account is not configured to receive dunning statements, the account does not receive any dunning statement emails, even if they are selected on the Dunning Statements screen when sending the dunning statements.

  1. Click the appropriate Accounts link from the Main Menu. The Accounts screen opens.
  2. Select the account to receive dunning statements.
  3. Right-click and select View -> A/R Demographics. The A/R Demographics screen opens.
  4. Expand the Credit & Collections section.
  5. Check the Dunning Statements check box.
  6. Click OK.

Send Dunning Statements

When sending dunning statements, the dunning statement's escalation level determines which email template is used.

Also make sure you select invoices with accounts configured to receive dunning statements. You can use the Exclude Accounts Disabled for Dunning Statements filter on the Dunning Statements screen to filter out accounts not configured to receive dunning statements or you can show the Dunning Statements - AR Demographics column to see if an account is configured to receive dunning statements.

You can show the Email column on the Dunning Statements screen to see which email address is receiving the dunning statement for each invoice. The email address that is used depends on the configuration of the Invoice Email Recipients organization parameter (EM 140).

You can show the Send Reminders column on the Dunning Statements screen to see which invoices receive dunning statements.

To send dunning statements:

  1. Click the Dunning Statements link from the Main Menu. The Dunning Statements screen opens.
  2. Select the invoices for the dunning statement(s). Use Ctrl+Click or Shift+Click to select multiple invoices.
  3. Right-click and select Tools -> Email Dunning Statement. The Dunning Statement screen opens.
  4. Enter the necessary information:
    • Report Send Format - Select the report to attach to the email for the dunning statement.
    • From Email Address - Defaults to the email address of the current user. Select a different email address to send the email from an email address other than your own. The option is only available if you have access to the Allow Sending Emails on Behalf of Others access privilege. See Send an Email on Behalf of Another User for more information.
    • Statement Grouping - Select how invoices are grouped together:
      • Create Statement For Each Account/Contact - A dunning statement is created for each unique account and contact combination selected. If two invoices are for the same account and contact but at two different escalation level, only one dunning statement is created.
      • Create Statement For Each Account/Contact & Level - A dunning statement is created for each unique account and contact combination and escalation level selected. If two invoice are for the same account and contact but at two different escalation levels, a dunning statement is created for each invoice at each escalation level.
      • Create Statement For Each Invoice - A dunning statement is created for each selected invoice regardless of the account and contact combination.
    • Escalation Levels - Select how to manage the escalation levels:
      • Use Current Level - The email template for the current escalation level the invoice is assigned to is used for the email. The escalation level does not increase after the email is sent.
      • Increment Level - The email template for the escalation level one level above what is currently assigned to the invoice is used for the email. After the dunning statement is sent, the escalation level on the invoice is increased one level.
    • Dunning Fees - If checked, you can enter a fee to add to the invoice. Only available if Use Increment Level is selected in the Escalation Levels drop-down.
    • Add Activity of Type - If checked, an activity with the selected type is added to the account when the dunning statement is sent. 
    • Print Reports Not Sent Via Email - If checked, dunning statements not sent via email are printed.
    • Save to Folder - If checked, the dunning statement is saved to the Documents tab for the account.
  5. Click OK.

Dunning Statement Security

Sending dunning statements is controlled by the Allow Mass Issue of Dunning Statements access privilege. This access privilege controls the number of dunning statements a role/user can send. The Value field is used to indicate the maximum number of dunning statements a role/user can send with 999999999 indicating unlimited. If no roles/users are assigned to this privilege, it is considered inactive and all users send an unlimited number of dunning statements. If a role/user is not assigned to the privilege and other roles/users are or no security value is specified for a role/user assigned to the privilege, the role/user cannot send dunning statements. 

Related articles

Comments

15 comments

Date Votes
  • Jemma Slater

    Hi there, could anybody please confirm that customers with accounts in credit should receive dunning statements also?

    0 upvotes

  • Americas Ungerboeck Consulting

    By "accounts in credit", does that mean invoices with a credit balance? I do not know of users sending out notices to customers with a credit balance, but I do not think there is anything stopping you from doing so.

    0 upvotes

  • Jemma Slater

    Yes, I mean customers who have invoices with a credit balance. We would prefer for those customers to not receive Dunning Statements but I was just wondering if it were standard behaviour of the report to include those customers.

    0 upvotes

  • Sean Tame

    Hi Jemma,

    There are very easy filtering criteria in the Dunning Statements window.  You can select to only send statements to debts that sit in selected aging buckets and you can also to select only debts over $x.xx so in here you might only chase outstanding invoices over $50 for example.  This will naturally eliminate credits.

    I always recommend creating a view of the Invoices grid for open invoices where the AR balance is less than or equal to zero before running dunning statements.  This will quickly highlight debtors who are up to date but not had all their DR/CR applied against each other.  (You don't what to chase an open invoice when there is an unapplied payment on the debtors account)

    0 upvotes

  • Jemma Slater

    Hi Sean

    That's great, thank you for those suggestions. I'm not personally running the statements that is done by our accounts area so I will pass on your feedback to see if these are already processes they have in place or could be implemented.

     

    0 upvotes

  • Kris Corrigan

    Hi

    Is it possible to automatically send statements based on amounts or days overdue?

    Thanks

    Kris

    1 upvotes

  • Kris Corrigan

    Hi 

    Also which email address in Ungerboeck is used for the statement to be sent?

    Thanks

    Kris

    0 upvotes

  • Kris Corrigan
    • Edited

    Hi 

    Also which email address in the account (if more than one) is used for the statement to be sent?

    Thanks

    Kris

    0 upvotes

  • Americas Ungerboeck Consulting

    You are required to select statements you wish to send.

    Email order is set in Organization Parameter EM 140

    Many select the email address stored in the AR Demographics

    0 upvotes

  • Kris Corrigan

    Excellent thanks

    Am I right in thinking if I wanted only '3 Bill-To Account Demographics....' I would put 3rd within the alphanumeric field.

    If so I have done this and when I am testing an email is also going to the email within the account which is not what I would like.

    Thanks

    Kris

     

    0 upvotes

  • Maggie U.

    Hi Kris,

    Sorry for missing this follow up question!

    To use this organization parameter, you need to enter 1ST in the Alphanumeric Value and then enter the order you want the system to go through the available email address into the Amount field. You do have to use all 4 of the email address values. For example:

    Alphanumeric Value - 1ST

    Amount - 3214

    This means the system will send the mail to the first email address it finds using the order - Bill-To Account Demographics, then Bill-To Contact Demographics, then Bill-To Contact and lastly Bill-To Account. Once it finds an email address, then that is the email address used to send the invoice.

    Hope that makes sense and is helpful!

    Thanks,
    Maggie

    0 upvotes

  • Kris Corrigan

    Hi

    Is it possible to automatically send statements based on amounts or days overdue?

    Thanks

    Kris

     

    1 upvotes

  • Americas Ungerboeck Consulting

    You are able to filter the dunning statement list based on amounts or days overdue and mass send statements based on that filtered list

    0 upvotes

  • Sonja Rickenbacher

    Hi

    I have tried to set up the organization parameters as per the instructions above. However, when I test it the dunning statement is still sent to the Bill-To Contact E-mail Address (1) even though I have set No 3. which is the AR demographics email address as my first email address. Any idea why this could be? This is how I set it up:

    Thanks

    Sonja

    0 upvotes

  • Maggie U.

    Hi Sonja,

    After changing the parameter, make sure you log out and close all instances of v19 before logging back in. Also make sure that there are email addresses in the bill-to accounts receivable demographics field for the account you are testing with. Those are just a few quick things to troubleshoot - hope that helps!

    Thanks,
    Maggie 

    0 upvotes

Please sign in to leave a comment.