AI agents explained
What a follow-up and chasing agent does
Step through an example
Pick an example business
Example: Building contractor · Sydney
Overdue invoice in your accountsExample - Harbourside Building Co. Pty Ltd · Tax invoice INV-1187
- Client: Megan and Tom Ellis · Wattle St, Lilyfield
- Progress claim 3: frame stage
- Amount: A$38,500.00 (incl. GST A$3,500.00)
- Issued: 31/08/2026 · Due: 14/09/2026
- Status: 3 days overdue
Step 1 of 5
Picks up the invoice once it's overdue by the number of days you chose, and first checks there's no note on the job saying the client has raised a problem.
Agent does this
Your reminder rulesExample - 3 days overdue: friendly email
- 7 days overdue: second email and an SMS
- 14 days overdue: hand to the office manager
- Tone: friendly, first names, no mention of fees
Step 2 of 5
Sends the first reminder in your tone, with the invoice attached and your payment details. Nothing threatening, and no late fees unless you've chosen to mention them.
Agent does this
WhatsAppExample - Megan Ellis · 17/09/2026, 6:48 pm
- Hi, sorry! We're waiting on the bank to release the next drawdown on the construction loan. Their valuer comes out on Tuesday. Can we pay by next Friday?
Step 3 of 5
Reads the reply and pauses the reminders straight away. Agreeing to a new payment date is your call, so it asks your office manager.
Asks a person
Approved by your office managerExample - New promised date: Fri 25/09/2026
- Reminders paused until: Mon 28/09/2026
- Note on job: waiting on bank drawdown after valuation
Step 4 of 5
Confirms the new date with Megan, records the promise against the invoice, and sets itself to check the account again the following Monday.
Agent does this
Your Monday cash listExample - Overdue: 6 invoices · A$97,240.00 incl. GST
- Promised a date: 3 · Paid since last week: 2
- Disputed: 1 · INV-1179, client says a variation wasn't approved
- Needs you: INV-1179
Step 5 of 5
Each week the owner sees who has paid, who has promised a date and who disputes what. Disputes, like a client questioning a variation, always come to a person to sort out.
A person decides
Example: Letting agent · Manchester
Tenancy checklistExample - Ladybarn Lane flat, Manchester
- Tenant: Callum Reid · move-in 01/10/2026
- Holding deposit received 12/09/2026 · agreement deadline 27/09/2026
- Right to Rent check: done
- Employer reference: missing
- Guarantor form: missing
Step 1 of 5
Works through every tenancy in progress and spots the documents still missing, with the agreement deadline and the move-in date both coming up.
Agent does this
Your reminder rulesExample - Remind every 3 days until received
- Email first, then WhatsApp if there's no reply within 48 hours
- Stop chasing each document the moment it arrives
- Hand to the negotiator 7 days before the deadline
Step 2 of 5
Sends Callum a short message listing exactly what's missing and how to send it, then follows up on the schedule you set.
Agent does this
WhatsAppExample - Callum Reid · 15/09/2026, 12:20
- Hi! HR say the reference will come over this week. Guarantor is Dad and he doesn't really do email, can he post the form?
Step 3 of 5
Whether to accept a paper form isn't its decision, so it asks your lettings negotiator and lets Callum know it's checking.
Asks a person
Email with attachmentExample - From: HR, Calder Freight Ltd
- Subject: Employment reference · Callum Reid
- Received: 17/09/2026
- Attached: Reference_C_Reid.pdf
Step 4 of 5
Recognizes the employer reference, files it against the tenancy, ticks it off the checklist and stops chasing for it. Reminders now cover the guarantor form only.
Agent does this
Ready for your sign-offExample - Ladybarn Lane flat · move-in 01/10/2026
- Right to Rent: done · Employer reference: received 17/09/2026
- Guarantor form: posted, received and scanned 22/09/2026
- Agreement deadline: 27/09/2026
- Approve tenancy · Ask for more
Step 5 of 5
Your negotiator checks the documents and decides whether the tenancy goes ahead. The agent only chases and files; it never approves a tenant.
A person decides
Example: Family dental practice · Columbus
Past-due patient balanceExample - Account 40782 · Andre Coleman
- Visit: 06/23/2026 · Insurance paid: $475.00
- Patient balance: $525.00
- Statement sent: 07/10/2026 · Due: 08/09/2026
- Status: 30 days past due
Step 1 of 5
Pulls the list of past-due balances under your rules, leaving out anyone on a payment plan or with an insurance claim still open.
Agent does this
Your reminder rulesExample - 30 days past due: text and email
- Include: amount, pay-online link, office phone (614) 555-0172
- Never include: treatment details
- No texts before 9 AM or after 8 PM
Step 2 of 5
Sends Andre a short, friendly text and email with the amount and a link to pay online. In line with your rules, it leaves out what the treatment was.
Agent does this
Text message replyExample - Andre Coleman · 09/09/2026, 6:12 PM
- I thought insurance covered all of this? I can't pay $525 right now. Can I split it up?
Step 3 of 5
Sees two things: a question about his insurance and a request for a payment plan. It pauses the reminders and passes both to your billing coordinator, because explaining coverage and agreeing plans are their decisions.
Asks a person
Explanation of benefits on fileExample - Claim processed: 07/02/2026
- D2740 crown, porcelain/ceramic · Billed: $1,240.00 · Allowed: $1,000.00
- Deductible applied: $50.00 · Plan pays 50% (major services)
- Plan paid: $475.00 · Patient responsibility: $525.00
Step 4 of 5
Gathers what your coordinator needs to answer him: the explanation of benefits from his insurer, the statement and the full message history, in one place.
Agent does this
Waiting for your decisionExample - Andre Coleman · Account 40782 · balance $525.00
- Asks: why insurance didn't cover it, and can he pay in parts
- Your payment plan options: 3 monthly payments
- Draft reply explaining the coverage: ready for review
- Approve plan · Edit reply · Call patient
Step 5 of 5
Your billing coordinator decides whether to offer a payment plan and how to explain the coverage, then edits the draft reply or calls Andre. Reminders restart only if they say so.
A person decides
What it connects to
- Accounting and invoicing software
- SMS and WhatsApp
- Property, practice or job management systems
- Shared drives for the documents that come back
- Your CRM, for leads that went quiet
Where a person stays in charge
- You can set the schedule, the tone and the channels for each kind of reminder.
- You can choose to approve each message before it goes out, or only the later, firmer ones.
- You can have it stop and hand over the moment someone disputes a bill, mentions hardship or asks for a person.
- You can keep payment dates, payment plans and write-offs as decisions only a person makes.
What we'd need from you to build one
- How you chase today, even if it only lives in someone's head: when you remind, how, and what you say.
- Examples of reminders that worked, and the kind you'd never want sent.
- Access to where the lists live: your invoicing, property or practice system, or a spreadsheet.
- Who handles disputes and promises to pay, and how they want to be told.
Other jobs an agent can do
Customer inquiry agent
Answers the questions customers ask every day, gathers the details you need, and passes the real leads to you.
Document intake agent
Reads the documents that pile up, pulls out the details and enters them into your systems, flagging anything that doesn't add up.
See how we build it and what it costs · All AI agents explained
Common questions
Won't automated reminders annoy customers?
Not if they're polite, well timed and stop as soon as someone replies. You set the tone and the schedule, and you can read every message it sends.
Can it chase quiet sales leads too?
Yes. The same approach works for leads that went quiet after a quote: a few well-spaced check-ins, then it stops and tells your team.
Are there rules about chasing people for money?
Yes, and they differ by country: when you can contact people, how often, and what you can say. You set the schedule and wording with us, with the rules that apply to you in mind, and you can keep anything heading toward formal collection with a person.
Does it know when someone has already paid?
If it's connected to your accounting or practice system, yes. You can have it check that system before every reminder, so nobody gets chased for a bill they've already settled.