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Email automation alone may not fully address collections challenges. In our experience, a five-day email thread often produces less resolution than a single two-minute phone call because a live conversation forces a direct response instead of giving the customer another message to file away. This guide gives you voice dunning scripts organized by aging bucket, plus objection handlers and a call log template. It also covers how our AI voice agent now executes the early-stage calls autonomously as part of a platform that reduces DSO by 37% on average across deployed customers, so mid-market finance teams can focus on complex escalations without adding headcount.
The choice between voice and email depends on where the account sits in the aging bucket and what you need from the conversation.
A practical cadence runs at 30, 60, and 90 days past due, with additional touches at 7 and 14 days for early-stage follow-up. Many AR teams find mid-week calls on Tuesday or Wednesday and late-afternoon windows easier to connect on, though results vary by industry and customer base.
The most common reasons collections calls fail: Wrong time of day, an inconsistent tone across aging stages, and undocumented outcomes. Together these are common contributors to the repeat-contact waste AR teams experience.
Script 1: Basic check-in
"Hi [Contact Name], this is [Your Name] from [Company]. I'm calling to confirm you received invoice [number] for $[amount] due [date]. Has everything checked out, or is there anything you need from us to process payment?"
Script 2: Missing documentation inquiry
"Hi [Contact Name], this is [Your Name] from [Company]. Invoice [number] for $[amount] shows as open in our system. Is there a missing PO number or remittance address holding this up? I can get you whatever you need right now."
Script 3: Polite 5-day voicemail (around 30 seconds)
"Hi [Contact Name], this is [Your Name] from [Company] about invoice [number] for $[amount] due [date]. Invoice number again: [number]. Please call me at [number]. Thanks!"
Script 4: Gatekeeper reach
"Hi, this is [Your Name] from [Company]. I need to reach the person who handles vendor invoice payments. If they're unavailable, could you pass along a message to call [number] about invoice [number]?"
Script 5: Firming the tone
"Hi [Contact Name], this is [Your Name] from [Company]. Invoice [number] for $[amount] is now 15 days past due. Can you give me a specific payment date so I can update our records?"
Script 6: Addressing short-pays
"Hi [Contact Name], we received $[amount received] against invoice [number], which shows a remaining balance of $[amount]. Can you help me understand the difference? If there's a deduction, I'd like to document the reason so we can close this today."
Script 7: 15-day urgency voicemail
"Hi [Contact Name], this is [Your Name] from [Company]. Invoice [number] for $[amount] is 15 days past due. Invoice [number] again. Please call me at [number] today to confirm your payment timeline."
Script 8: Escalating past the gatekeeper
"Hi, this is [Your Name] from [Company] with an urgent message for [Contact Name] about an overdue invoice. Could you ask them to call [number] today regarding invoice [number]?"
At 30 days, be firm without accusation. Your contact already knows the invoice is overdue, so lead with a specific payment request rather than an open question, and document everything.
Script 9: 30-day escalation voicemail
"Hi [Contact Name], this is [Your Name] from [Company]. Invoice [number] for $[amount] is 30 days overdue. Invoice [number] again. I need a callback at [number] today to confirm a payment timeline, or I'll need to involve a manager on our end."
Script 10: Escalating to controller or CFO level
"Hi, my name is [Your Name] from [Company]. I'm trying to reach [Finance Director Name] regarding invoice [number] for $[amount], now 30 days past due. Multiple follow-up attempts have gone unanswered. Could you connect me, or advise who I should contact to resolve this today?"
Script 11: Credit hold warning
"Hi [Contact Name], this is [Your Name] from [Company]. Invoice [number] for $[amount] is 60 days past due. Per our credit terms, we may need to place your account on credit hold if we don't receive payment or a confirmed payment plan soon. I want to give you the chance to avoid that. Can we talk through your options right now?"
Script 12: Payment plan negotiation
"I understand you may be working through some challenges. Rather than let this escalate, I can offer a payment plan: $[amount] by [date] and the remainder by [date]. Would that work? I'll email you written confirmation immediately after this call."
Script 13: 60+ day final voicemail
"Hi [Contact Name], this is [Your Name] from [Company]. Invoice [number] for $[amount] is 60 days past due. Invoice [number] again. If I don't receive a callback at [number] this week, this account will move to our collections escalation process. Please call me directly."
Script 14: "Waiting on a PO" objection
"I hear you. Let me help get the right PO on file right now. Who on your AP team manages PO setup for [your company]? I can resend the invoice with the correct PO number the moment you have it, so nothing is waiting on our end."
Script 15: Invoice dispute
"Thank you for flagging that. Can you walk me through the specific issue, whether it's pricing, quantity, or delivery? I'll document it and route it to the right team immediately. Expect an acknowledgment within 24 to 48 hours and a corrected invoice or credit memo once we've investigated."
Script 16: Cash flow problems
"I understand cash flow challenges come up. Rather than let this sit unresolved, let's structure a payment plan that works for both sides. Could you commit to $[amount] by [date] and the balance by [date]? That keeps our relationship moving and gives me a resolution to document today."
Script 17: Customer demands to speak to a manager
"Absolutely. Before I transfer you, let me note the specific concern so they have full context. Can you tell me the key issue? There's a chance I can resolve this for you right now and save everyone time."
Document every call in your ERP or a structured spreadsheet because undocumented calls create disputes you can't close. Capture these fields every time:
Before each call, our agent reads open invoice data, payment history, and prior communication logs directly from your ERP. It contacts customers with full account context, confirms payment timing, answers balance questions, and routes complex situations to your team. Many AR platforms focus on dashboards showing which calls your team needs to make. Stuut is designed to make the calls autonomously while your team focuses on reviewing outcomes and handling escalations.
Autonomous early-stage calls across a full portfolio help reduce DSO by ensuring no account goes untouched, and we see a 37% DSO reduction on average across deployed customers.
The practical division is this: The AI handles the early-stage routine follow-ups autonomously, and your team handles the 30-day and 60+ day escalations, disputes, and payment plan negotiations that require relationship judgment. This is exactly what Bishop Lifting achieved across 45 branches: 91% of outbound communications automated, a 35% reduction in overdue receivables, and $3M in working capital improvement while the AR team focused on accounts that needed their expertise.
Over time, patterns emerge from call data. The system helps identify payment timing patterns by customer, which contacts prefer SMS over phone calls, and which accounts may have recurring issues. Collections effectiveness may improve over time as the system processes more interactions. We deliver a 40% average cash flow increase and 70% reduction in manual tasks across your AR process. We connect to SAP, Oracle, NetSuite, and Dynamics via API in 3 to 4 days without modifying your ERP configuration.
Book a demo with the team to see how we execute these scripts autonomously.
Escalate when multiple follow-up attempts go unreturned, a promise-to-pay date is broken, or you need additional authority to resolve the situation. Document all prior contact attempts with timestamps before escalating.
Many AR teams find Tuesday or Wednesday and late-afternoon windows easier to connect on, though this varies by industry and customer base. Use your own call log data over time to confirm which windows work best for your specific customer mix.
Keep voicemails around 30 seconds. Brief messages tend to create enough curiosity to prompt a callback without giving the customer enough information to decide not to call you back. Repeat your name, company, and phone number twice so they can reach you easily.
Record: Date and time, invoice number, contact name and title, call outcome (connected, voicemail, or gatekeeper), objection or reason for non-payment, promise-to-pay date, next action required, and action owner. Complete documentation helps you track patterns and resolve disputes more effectively.
Dunning: The systematic process of contacting customers to collect overdue invoice payments, typically escalating in tone from a polite reminder to a formal demand across aging buckets.
Aging bucket: A classification grouping invoices by how long they have been past due, typically 0–30 days, 31–60 days, 61–90 days, and 90+ days.
Promise-to-pay (PTP): A verbal or written commitment from a customer specifying the date they will make payment, used to set follow-up triggers in the AR system.
DSO (Days Sales Outstanding): The average number of days it takes to collect payment after a sale is made.
Short-pay: A payment from a customer for less than the full invoice amount, requiring research to determine whether a valid deduction applies or a billing error occurred.
