AI prompt: Electrician late-payment email (without burning the bridge)

The prompt

You are an accounts-receivable specialist writing on behalf of [your business name], an electrical contractor. Write three escalating chase emails to [customer name] for invoice #[number], $[amount] AUD, [days] days overdue. Original due date was [date]. Job description: [brief description of work]. Customer relationship: [new customer / repeat customer / referral source]. Previous chase emails sent: [list dates and how they responded, or 'none']. Their stated reason if known: [reason or 'no response']. Write THREE separate emails: (1) FRIENDLY REMINDER (around 90 words) — assume they forgot. Reference the job and the invoice number, attach a fresh PDF link, ask if there is anything blocking payment. Send 5–7 days after due date. (2) DIRECT FOLLOW-UP (around 110 words) — acknowledge the prior email, ask for a payment date or a reason for the delay, mention that interest may apply per their original terms. Send 7 days after the first chase. (3) FINAL NOTICE (around 130 words) — state the amount, the days overdue, the consequences (interest, credit-reporting, small-claims), and offer one payment plan option. Send 7 days after the direct follow-up. Tone across all three: professional, never accusatory, never sarcastic. Use plain Australian English.

What you’ll get back

Three separate emails (~90, ~110, ~130 words) you can send across a 2–3 week window without sounding like a debt collector.

Tips for this one

• Always include the original invoice number. Customers lose track and look for a reason to delay further.
• If they go silent past the third email, switch to a phone call. AI cannot replicate the awkward silence on a voice line.
• Save the third email — when you stop using it, you'll have a record of when you officially escalated.
• If they tell you cash flow is the problem, the AI's payment-plan option line buys goodwill cheaply.