The problem
Farm customers often pay contractors when the milk check, grain sale or scheme payment arrives, not on the invoice terms, and asking for money at the mart is awkward. A contractor with 15 invoices a month going overdue, each taking 20 minutes to chase by phone, spends 300 minutes, 5 hours a month, and money still owed at Christmas for summer silage is money not paying for diesel and wages.
What the AI does
Xero is online accounting software. Its invoicing page says it flags invoices once they pass the due date, checks your bank to see which are unpaid and emails polite reminders on your behalf, and it can add a Pay now button through providers such as Stripe and GoCardless. Its pricing page doesn't say which plans include the reminders, so check during the trial. Put clear terms on every invoice, turn reminders on, and phone only the farmers who still haven't paid.
A worked example
A contractor in Aberdeenshire does silage, baling and slurry spreading for 50 farms and sends about 80 invoices a month from Xero in summer. About 15 go overdue each month.
Before
15 overdue invoices a month chased by phone at 20 minutes each: 5 hours a month
After
Reminders emailed automatically, with about 5 still phoned: about 1.7 hours a month
What it's worth
About $110£83€99A$159C$156 a month in time saved, against $52£39€46A$75C$73 for Xero Grow, or nothing extra if you already use it. That is 3.3 hours a month (5 down to 1.7) at an assumed $33£25€30A$48C$47 an hour. Grow is needed at 80 invoices a month, since Ignite stops at 20. Getting summer work paid by autumn rather than Christmas matters more, but isn't valued here.
How to set it up
- Put clear payment terms, such as 30 days, on every invoice, and tell customers at the start of the season.
- Start a Xero trial and check the plan you choose includes automatic invoice reminders.
- Turn on reminders and change the wording so it sounds like you: friendly but clear.
- Connect the bank feed so paid invoices are marked off and reminders stop.
- Offer a Pay now option through Stripe or GoCardless so farmers can pay from the email.
- Each Monday, check the overdue list and ring anyone more than 30 days late.
What goes wrong
- Xero's pricing page doesn't say which plans include automatic reminders; confirm in the trial.
- A reminder won't produce money a farmer is still waiting for. Agree payment dates up front with known slow payers.
- If you also send reminders from job management software, turn one set off so customers aren't chased twice.
- Xero prices exclude VAT, and any new-customer discount ends after the offer period.