The problem
Translation agencies often wait 30 to 60 days for payment, and corporate clients bounce invoices that lack a purchase order number. With 60 invoices a month and 15 of them late, chasing each one by email and phone at 15 minutes takes nearly 4 hours a month, and meanwhile the agency has already paid its freelancers.
What the AI does
Xero is online accounting software with invoice reminders and repeating invoices. You add each client's PO number and payment terms to every invoice, then turn on automatic reminders so overdue invoices get a polite email on the schedule you set. You only step in when a client still doesn't pay after the reminders.
A worked example
A translation agency in Brighton sends about 60 invoices a month to corporate clients and other agencies, on 30-day terms. It moves invoicing into Xero Grow and turns on invoice reminders.
Before
15 late invoices a month chased by hand at 15 minutes each: 225 minutes, about 3.75 hours
After
Reminders sent automatically; about 4 invoices a month still chased by hand: 60 minutes
What it's worth
About $110£83€99A$159C$156 a month in time saved: 165 minutes, 2.75 hours, at an assumed $40£30€36A$58C$56 an hour. Xero Grow is $52£39€46A$75C$73 a month excluding VAT; the cheaper Ignite plan is limited to 20 invoices a month, too few for 60. If you already use Xero, the reminders cost nothing extra.
How to set it up
- Add each client's billing contact, payment terms and PO requirement to their contact record.
- Put the PO number on every invoice before it goes; ask for it at the quote stage, not after delivery.
- Turn on invoice reminders in Xero and set the timing and wording in its settings.
- Check the overdue list weekly and phone anyone who ignores two reminders.
- Review your freelancer payment terms so you're not paying out long before clients pay you.
What goes wrong
- Reminders only go to invoices raised in Xero. Invoices sent as PDFs from elsewhere won't be chased.
- A missing PO number is the commonest reason a corporate client won't pay; no reminder fixes that.
- Ignite's limit of 20 invoices a month is easy to exceed; Grow at $52£39€46A$75C$73 is the realistic starting plan here.
- Too-frequent reminders can annoy a good agency client. Keep the schedule modest and the tone friendly.