Most B2B collections problems are timing problems. The balance is collectible, the customer is reachable, but the follow-up is inconsistent, so the account drifts. A simple cadence tied to aging buckets fixes more than any single tactic. Here is the version we use with clients.
0 to 30 days: set the tone early
Confirm the invoice was received and the terms are understood before anything is even late. A short, friendly check-in around the due date is not collections, it is account management, and it removes the most common excuse you will hear later. For small business debt collection especially, this first touch resolves a large share of slow payers.
30 to 60 days: make it personal
Move from automated reminders to a named person. A direct call or personal email from someone the customer recognizes carries far more weight than another templated notice. Ask a specific question: is there a dispute, a missing document, or a cash-flow issue on their end? You are diagnosing, not pressuring.
60 to 90 days: escalate and document
- Put the request in writing with a clear deadline and amount.
- Offer a payment plan if the customer is willing but short on cash.
- Loop in your sales or account owner so the message is consistent.
- Log every contact, promise, and partial payment in one place.
The documentation matters as much as the outreach. If the account eventually needs third-party recovery, a clean record of your efforts speeds everything up.
90 to 120 days: decide, don't drift
This is the bucket where accounts quietly become uncollectible. By 90 days you should be making an active decision: keep it in-house with a firm deadline, or move it to a commercial collection partner. Drifting past 120 days without a decision is the single most expensive habit in A/R.
A consistent cadence catches most accounts before they age out. When one slips past the point your team can move it, that is the handoff point, not the give-up point.