Feature · Getting paid
Chasing money is a wording problem
You know exactly who owes you and how much. The hard part is finding words that chase the money without torching the relationship — so the message sits unwritten for another week, and so does the invoice. Say the situation to Timmy and get a polite-but-firm follow-up draft you send your way.
Last updated 2026-07-11 · Reviewed by the TradieCue team
The invoice isn't overdue. The follow-up is.
Work done, invoice sent, silence. Every week that passes makes the money harder to collect and the conversation more awkward — and the reason most tradies wait isn't softness, it's that composing the message is genuinely hard. Too blunt and you sound like a debt collector to someone who might refer you three jobs. Too soft and it reads as “pay whenever”. So the follow-up joins the end-of-week pile, and the pile is where invoices go to age.
Say the situation, get the words
“Follow up the Harrison deck job — finished three weeks ago, invoice was $4,200 including GST and it's past due. Second nudge now, keep it friendly, but I want a payment date out of him.”
Payment follow-up — Harrison deck build
“Hi Mark, hope the deck's getting plenty of use. Just following up on the invoice for the deck build — $4,200 inc. GST — which is now past its due date. Could you let me know when payment will be through? If anything on the invoice needs sorting, give me a call and we'll square it away. Cheers.”
Sample note for illustration. Your draft stays fully editable, and it isn't sent to anyone until you share it.
The draft does the two things an overdue message has to do: it names the job and the amount so there's no “which invoice?” round trip, and it asks a question that needs an answer — a date — instead of just registering displeasure. The amount is the one you said. Prices come from the user and stay editable. Timmy structures the work and wording; it does not invent amounts.
The job context is already there
Because TradieCue holds the job — the quote you talked in, the variations you captured mid-job, your site notes — a follow-up isn't written cold. When the customer replies “what was the extra $380 for?”, the answer is the variation they already saw, not an argument. Documentation you captured on site is what makes the follow-up firm instead of just polite.
Match the tone to the week
A first nudge two days past due is a different message from a fourth chase at sixty days. Tell Timmy which one this is — “gentle reminder”, “firmer this time”, “final notice before I escalate” — and the draft shifts with it while staying professional. You always get to read it before it exists anywhere but your phone.
| Stage | What you say | What the draft does |
|---|---|---|
| Just past due | “Friendly nudge on the Chen invoice” | Warm check-in, amount and due date restated |
| A couple of weeks on | “Second follow-up, firmer, want a date” | Direct ask for a payment date, still civil |
| Seriously overdue | “Final notice before I take it further” | Plain statement of next steps, no heat, no threats you didn't choose |
You send it, your way
Nothing is sent automatically. Every quote, variation and follow-up is a draft the user reviews, edits and shares themselves. Timmy never contacts your customer. You read the draft, adjust a word if it doesn't sound like you, and send it from wherever you actually message that customer — SMS, email, WhatsApp. The relationship stays yours; the awkward composition stops being the bottleneck. Generated documents are drafts to review — not legal, accounting or tax advice. For the escalation ladder beyond messages, see how to follow up an overdue trade invoice.
Common questions
Does TradieCue send the reminder to my customer?
No. It drafts the message; you review, edit and send it yourself from your own SMS, email or messaging app. Nothing ever goes out automatically.
Does it track which invoices are unpaid?
TradieCue isn't accounting software and doesn't watch your bank feed. You know who owes you — TradieCue fixes the part that actually stalls, which is writing the message and keeping the job context straight.
What if the customer disputes the amount?
The strongest answer is paperwork from during the job: the quote they accepted and any variations they saw before the extra work happened. TradieCue keeps those on the same job, so your reply is a document, not a recollection.
Can I dictate the follow-up in Chinese?
Yes — speak English, Chinese or a mix. The customer-facing message comes out in professional English. See bilingual job notes.
Try it on your next job
TradieCue is free to download on the App Store. Say a rough note about a real job and review the draft Timmy produces — nothing is sent until you share it yourself.
Free to download and try. TradieCue Pro is a subscription through Apple: A$24.99/month or A$239.99/year with a 30-day free trial. Apple confirms before any charge.