Most overdue commercial invoices are not legal disputes. They are a cash-flow problem on the debtor's side, or an invoice that has slipped down someone's priority list. A good recovery process is built around that reality: it is firm and methodical, but its first instinct is a conversation, not a confrontation. Here is how a single account moves from referral to resolution.
Before you refer — what to have ready
The cleaner the file you hand over, the faster an account resolves and the better it holds up if it is ever escalated. You don't need anything elaborate — just the essentials:
- the invoice or invoices, and any purchase order or signed quote;
- your terms of trade, if you have them in writing;
- the debtor's correct legal entity name (company, trust or sole trader) and current contact details;
- a short history of what has already been said or promised.
If some of this is missing, refer the account anyway — part of our job is to verify the file and fill the gaps. But whatever you have, send it.
Stage 1 — Verification and review
Before any contact is made with the debtor, we verify the account: the amount, the dates, the supporting documents and the debtor's current details. This step matters more than it looks. A demand that overstates the amount, names the wrong entity, or claims a charge that is not owed undermines the whole recovery and invites a dispute. We would rather spend an hour getting the file right than a month defending a careless one.
Stage 2 — The letter of demand
The first formal step is a professionally drafted letter of demand. It sets out who the creditor is, the precise amount, what the debt relates to, and a reasonable deadline to respond. A clear, factual demand frequently resolves an account on its own — many debtors simply needed the matter put on a formal footing. Under the ACCC and ASIC debt collection guideline, that letter must be accurate and free of any misleading or intimidating content, and ours always is.
Stage 3 — Structured contact
If the demand doesn't resolve the account, we move to structured contact — in writing and by telephone, on a defined schedule. The tone stays professional throughout. The objective is to reach the person who can make a decision, understand why the account is unpaid, and agree a way forward. The large majority of accounts resolve here, in conversation.
Stage 4 — Resolution
Resolution takes one of three shapes, and each is a successful outcome:
- Payment in full — the account is settled and closed.
- A payment arrangement — where a debtor can't pay at once but will commit to instalments, we negotiate and then monitor a plan.
- A negotiated settlement — occasionally the commercially sensible outcome is an agreed lump sum for less than the full balance. We never agree one without your authority.
Stage 5 — Escalation, where it is warranted
A minority of accounts cannot be resolved by agreement — usually because the debtor will not engage and there is no genuine dispute. For those, we manage the pre-legal stage and, where it is worthwhile, coordinate legal recovery with qualified practitioners. Escalation is never automatic: we give you a candid view of whether it is worth pursuing before anything proceeds, because throwing legal costs at an account that cannot pay helps no one.
What you see throughout
You don't have to chase us to know where an account stands. Through your client portal you can see the status of every matter you've referred, the contact history, payments received and any arrangement in place — in close to real time. Recovery should return both your money and your time, and being kept informed without having to ask is part of that.