10 Prompts to Automate Your B2B Collection Emails

⚡ 30-second summary

10 prompts ready to paste into ChatGPT, Claude or Gemini to produce B2B collection emails that are personalized, firm and legally compliant.

Covers the full cycle: first courteous reminder → D+15 factual → D+30 with statutory fees → pre-demand letter → strategic accounts → corporate groups → disputed invoices → multi-channel → vague payment promises → weekly CFO recap.

Production-ready format: explicit role, data format, minimal examples, GDPR and anti-hallucination guardrails on every prompt.

Compliant with French B2B law: references to articles L441-10 and D441-5 of the French commercial code (late-payment interest rate, EUR 40 fixed indemnity).

Audience: collections lead, credit manager, AR team, SME CFO.

🇫🇷 Note for non-French readers: these prompts reference French commercial law (articles L441-10 and D441-5), which governs late-payment penalties in B2B in France. For other jurisdictions, adapt the legal references: UK — Late Payment of Commercial Debts (Interest) Act 1998; EU — Directive 2011/7/EU (standard compensation EUR 40); US — UCC § 2-709 and state-level prompt-payment statutes.

Writing 40 dunning emails a day kills an AR team's productivity. Yet each email must be personalized, firm and legally compliant. Generative AI is built for this exact problem: 10 dunning variations in 30 seconds without losing tone, legal precision or personalization. Below are 10 prompts tested on ChatGPT-4, Claude 3.7 and Gemini 2.5, designed to automate your B2B dunning without deploying a dedicated tool.

The economics of a collection email in 2026

A well-written B2B dunning email drives a 12-18% response rate (Chaser, Upflow). A generic template, 2-4%. The lever is not the channel, it is message quality: relevant subject line, restated context, single call-to-action, tone adapted to the customer profile. With the right prompt, ChatGPT produces a first draft above the AR inbox average in a few seconds.

The 10 prompts below share 3 invariants:

1. Commercial or credit-manager persona to dial firmness.
2. Explicit customer data: name, invoice, amount, age, history.
3. Mandated tone and length: without it, the model drifts.

Prompt 1 - Courteous first reminder

You are the AR lead at [COMPANY]. Draft a courteous first reminder for an invoice past due by [REMINDER_DAY] days. Answer in English, currency in euros.

Suggested default: [REMINDER_DAY] = 5 to 7 days. D+3 is often perceived as too early in French B2B (implicit courtesy delay). Adjust per customer type.

Goals:
- Friendly, non-accusatory tone
- Invoice recap (number, date, amount, portal link if any)
- Suggest a fast payment method
- CTA: wire within 48h or reply if issue
Length: 90-120 words.
Output format: subject + body + standard signature.

Customer context:
- Company name: [CUSTOMER NAME]
- Industry: [INDUSTRY]
- Payment history: [e.g., always pays at D+5 / first delay in 2 years / recurring late payer]
- Target contact: [First Last, AP Manager / CFO / Procurement Director]
- Confirmed payment decision-maker: [YES / NO — if no, specify who approves]
- Invoice: n° [N°], issued [DATE], amount [AMOUNT], due date [DUE DATE]
- Customer's preferred channel: [email / phone / supplier portal]

Guardrails:
- If the decision-maker is not confirmed, propose wording that explicitly asks to be redirected rather than dunning the default contact.
- Do NOT mention penalties or the EUR 40 indemnity at D+5, even though legally enforceable from D+1: disproportionate to the stage, damages the relationship.
- No ALL CAPS "URGENT" or wording that triggers spam filters.

Prompt 2 - D+15 reminder, factual

You are an AR collections lead. Write a D+15 reminder. Answer in English, currency in euros. Neutral professional tone. Mention operational impact (blocked shipment, service suspension if applicable) without threatening. Include a single CTA.

Customer context:
- Company name: [CUSTOMER NAME]
- Target contact: [First Last, title]
- Is this the actual payment decision-maker? [YES / NO — if no, who should be escalated to?]
- Invoice: n° [N°], amount [€AMOUNT], overdue by [N] days
- First reminder sent on [DATE]: [replied / ignored / promise not kept]
- Payer profile: [reliable / slow but pays / chronic late payer]
- Commercial sensitivity: [strategic account? renewal in progress? open PO?]
- Applicable operational impact: [shipment hold / SaaS access suspension / none]

Guardrails:
- Mention the EUR 40 indemnity and late-payment interest for information only ("for the record, enforceable since the due date"), without formally claiming them — that is the role of prompt 3 at D+30.
- If operational impact = none, do NOT invent a fictional operational threat.
- If payer profile = chronic late payer, raise firmness one notch and propose a follow-up call.

Output format: subject + body (100 words max) + signature.

Prompt 3 - D+30 reminder with statutory interest

You are a B2B credit manager in France. Write a D+30 reminder mentioning the due late-payment penalties. Answer in English, currency in euros. Tone: firm, courteous, no legalese.

Legal items to include:
- Late-payment interest at the rate stipulated in the creditor's T&Cs, or absent a contractual stipulation, at the European Central Bank refinancing rate (MRO) plus 10 percentage points (article L441-10 of the French commercial code)
- Fixed indemnity of EUR 40 per unpaid invoice, enforceable from day 1 of late payment (article D441-5)
- Possible additional indemnity on evidence if collection costs exceed EUR 40
- Mandatory settlement deadline: 8 days
- Announcement of a formal demand letter in case of non-payment

Customer context:
- Company name: [CUSTOMER NAME]
- AP contact: [First Last]
- Is this person the final decision-maker? [YES / NO — if no, should the CFO be cc'd?]
- Invoice: n° [N°], net amount [€X], VAT [€X], total incl. VAT [€AMOUNT]
- Late-payment interest rate stipulated in T&Cs: [RATE % / NOT STIPULATED — in which case use the ECB + 10 pts fallback]
- ECB MRO rate in effect as of letter date: [RATE % — verify on ecb.europa.eu before sending]
- Late interest already calculated: [€X] (attach the calculation detail)
- Statutory indemnity: EUR 40 (due since D+1, reminded in this email)
- Previous reminders: [dates, channels, responses]
- Active dispute? [YES → specify / NO]
- Payer profile: [chronic late payer / unusual delay / signalled cash flow difficulty]

Guardrails:
- NEVER compute interest yourself if the ECB rate or number of days is not explicitly provided. Ask the user or use [CALCULATED_INTEREST] as-is.
- Do NOT invent the ECB rate: it changes every quarter and the model does not necessarily have the latest value. Use the value provided by the user.
- If a dispute is flagged, do NOT send this reminder as-is: propose instead a dispute-clarification email (see Prompt 7).
- Do not mention any measure not authorized by law (e.g., registration on a public blacklist, signal to competitors).

Output format: subject + body + signature + recommended attachments (interest calculation detail).

Prompt 4 - Pre-demand letter (D+45)

You are a credit manager. Draft a pre-demand email warning that enforcement will be initiated within 15 days if payment is not received. Answer in English, currency in euros. Tone: firm but non-aggressive, framed as last amicable chance.

Goals:
- Announce that a formal demand letter will be sent by registered mail (LRAR) if payment is not made within 15 days
- Mention the possible enforcement avenues: (1) order for payment ("injonction de payer") via the commercial court, leading to an enforceable title, (2) use of a judicial officer ("commissaire de justice", former bailiff) to execute the title, (3) possible fast-track provisional ruling ("référé provision") if the claim is not seriously disputable
- Offer one last amicable installment plan if applicable
- List the documents the creditor will prepare (invoices, reminders, POs, delivery notes, demand letters)

Customer context:
- Company name: [CUSTOMER NAME]
- Recipient: [First Last — specify if CFO or executive should be cc'd]
- Total amount owed including penalties: [€AMOUNT] (principal + interest + EUR 40 per invoice)
- Number of invoices involved: [N invoices — list references]
- Summary of previous reminders: [dates, channels, responses or silences]
- Unkept payment promises: [YES → dates and amounts promised / NO]
- Active dispute: [YES → status / NO]
- Internal decision: [installment plan still possible / no installment plan]
- Cleavr litigation partner activated: [YES / NO]

Guardrails:
- Do NOT announce immediate judicial action: this is a pre-demand letter, not a demand letter. The actual demand letter is a separate registered mail (see our dedicated article: "Demand letter to pay").
- If unkept promises = YES, do not propose another installment plan without a written personal guarantee from the director.
- If an active dispute exists, do not threaten proceedings: the dispute must be processed first. Steer the email toward dispute resolution.
- Do not mention illegal measures (seizure without title, public disclosure of the delay, report to credit-rating agencies without valid grounds).

Output format: subject + body (180 words max) + signature + list of documents prepared for the next step.

Prompt 5 - Strategic-account reminder

You are a key account manager / credit manager. Draft a reminder that preserves the commercial relationship with a high-value account. Answer in English, currency in euros.

Operational definition of "strategic account" used here: > 5% of annual revenue OR active multi-year contract OR open commercial opportunity (renewal, upsell, RFP). Validate case by case.

- Diplomatic, partnership-oriented tone
- Propose a call within 48h
- Ask 2 questions to understand the block
- Restate the value of the collaboration before the payment angle
Length: 150 words.

Customer context:
- Company name: [CUSTOMER NAME]
- Share of revenue: [X%]
- Commercial relationship: [tenure, order frequency, active contract]
- Account owner: [First Last — are they cc'd? Do they know about the delay?]
- Collections contact: [First Last, title] — is this the actual payment decision-maker?
- Amount overdue: [€AMOUNT] for [N] days
- Suspected reason for delay: [contact change / undisclosed dispute / cash flow pressure / long internal process]
- Active commercial opportunity: [renewal / upsell / RFP — specify]
- Tone to avoid: [too formal / too direct / mention of penalties]

Guardrails:
- NEVER mention penalties or the EUR 40 indemnity in this email, even if legally enforceable: relational cost outweighs cash gain.
- Verify that the account owner is aware before sending: an uncoordinated reminder can break an ongoing commercial negotiation.
- If opportunity = active RFP, propose extra-soft wording ("let's use our next call to") rather than a frontal reminder.

Output format: subject + body (150 words) + signature with a proposed call slot.

Prompt 6 - Email to a corporate AP contact

You are a B2B credit manager. Draft a professional email to unblock a payment at a large corporate group. Answer in English, currency in euros.

Glossary:
- PO = Purchase Order. "PO not matched" = the invoice has not been matched to the PO in the group's AP system, which blocks automatic payment.
- AP = Accounts Payable.
- Supplier portal = platforms like Coupa, Ariba, Basware, Tradeshift.

Operational assumptions:
- Recipient gets 100 emails a day
- Subject line must contain invoice AND PO number
- Factual tone, precise references
- Max 3 bullets, no filler

Customer context:
- Group name: [GROUP NAME]
- Identified contact: [First Last, AP Manager / Accounts Payable]
- Is this the right decision-maker? [YES / NO — if no, which department or person to contact?]
- Associated PO: [PO N°]
- Invoice: n° [N°], date [DATE], amount [€AMOUNT]
- Supplier portal used by this group: [YES → portal name / NO]
- Identified blocker: [PO not matched / invoice not received / internal approval pending / quality dispute]
- Commercial contact at the group: [First Last — can they unblock internally?]

Guardrails:
- Subject line in standard corporate format: "Invoice [N°] / PO [N°] — [CREDITOR NAME] — payment follow-up".
- If the group uses a supplier portal, acknowledge that the email is a follow-up but that official processing goes through the portal.
- If blocker = "invoice not received", offer to resend the invoice in attachment and request acknowledgment of receipt.

Output format: precise subject + ultra-short body (3 bullets max) + signature.

Prompt 7 - Reminder on a disputed invoice

You are a credit manager. Draft a constructive email on a disputed invoice. Answer in English, currency in euros. Tone: professional, resolution-oriented.

Goals:
- Acknowledge the dispute without conceding it ("we take note" rather than "we acknowledge")
- Offer to settle the undisputed portion immediately (deliberate partial payment)
- Ask for precise documentation to process the contestation
- Set a 5-day deadline for paperwork
- Remind that the payment term on the undisputed amount continues to run during dispute processing

Customer context:
- Company name: [CUSTOMER NAME]
- Contact who raised the dispute: [First Last, title]
- Are they the final payment decision-maker? [YES / NO]
- Dispute reason: [e.g., quantity discrepancy / non-conforming service / duplicate invoice / unrecognised PO]
- Total invoiced: [€AMOUNT]
- Disputed amount: [€X] — Undisputed amount: [€Y]
- Documents already provided by the customer: [signed delivery note / complaint email / other]
- Documents needed to process: [signed POD / acceptance report / email thread / other]
- Dispute history: [date raised, previous exchanges]

Guardrails:
- Never explicitly validate the dispute in the email: risk of implicit acknowledgment of a credit note not yet arbitrated.
- Do not threaten penalties on the disputed amount during processing: an unresolved dispute temporarily suspends enforceability of the disputed portion.
- On the undisputed amount, standard rules (EUR 40 indemnity, interest) apply: mention for information only.
- If reason = "unrecognised PO", request a signed copy of the PO from the creditor's side before processing.

Output format: subject + body (150 words max) + numbered list of requested documents + signature.

Prompt 8 - Multi-channel campaign (email + SMS + LinkedIn)

You are a credit manager. Produce a 3-channel dunning campaign. Answer in English, currency in euros.

1. Email D+14 (120 words, neutral)
2. SMS D+17 (160 characters, short reminder)
3. LinkedIn message D+21 (60 words, personal, addressed to the executive)

Each channel must have a distinct yet coherent angle.

Customer context:
- Company name: [CUSTOMER NAME]
- Email contact: [First Last, title] — open rate on previous reminders: [good / low / unknown]
- Mobile number available: [YES / NO]
- Explicit consent from the contact to be reminded by SMS: [YES / NO / UNKNOWN]
- Executive LinkedIn profile: [URL or First Last, title]
- Is the executive the actual payment decision-maker? [YES / NO — if no, who is?]
- Amount overdue: [€AMOUNT], invoice n° [N°], [N] days past due
- Reason for going multi-channel: [email ignored for [N] days / previous reminder unanswered / known non-responsive payer]
- Tone per channel: [email → neutral / SMS → factual / LinkedIn → personal and direct]

Guardrails (IMPORTANT — GDPR and relational risks):
- SMS: only use if a professional number has been shared in the context of the commercial relationship (e.g., business card, T&Cs). Never use a personal number found elsewhere. If consent = UNKNOWN, do NOT generate the SMS.
- LinkedIn: strictly ONE message maximum per case, never repeat dunning on this channel (harassment risk under GDPR and LinkedIn ToS). Informative tone, NOT accusatory. Do NOT mention a precise amount (LinkedIn notifications may be visible to third parties — shoulder surfing, screen sharing).
- LinkedIn: only target the executive if the "AP contact → CFO → executive" path has already been walked upstream. Never contact the executive directly as first approach.
- If the customer is a large corporate (> 500 employees), skip the LinkedIn channel: counter-productive, will be escalated negatively internally.

Output format: 3 numbered blocks (email with subject + body + signature / SMS with text only / LinkedIn with text only). State at the beginning of the response if a channel has been disabled by a guardrail.

Prompt 9 - Reply to "we'll pay next week"

You are a credit manager. Draft a firm but non-aggressive reply to a customer promising to pay with no precise commitment. Answer in English, currency in euros. Length: 110 words.

Goals:
- Get a specific date (calendar day, not "next week")
- Get a wire confirmation after payment (receipt or screenshot)
- Set a clear and LEGAL consequence if missed

Customer context:
- Company name: [CUSTOMER NAME]
- Contact who made the promise: [First Last, title] — are they the actual decision-maker? [YES / NO]
- Exact wording of the promise: [e.g., "we'll sort it next week" / "it's being processed" / "the wire has gone out"]
- Channel the promise was made on: [email / phone / SMS / in person]
- Date and time of the promise: [DATE]
- History of unkept promises: [N times — dates]
- Amount involved: [€AMOUNT], invoice n° [N°]
- Tolerance level: [still flexible / last chance before formal notice]

Authorized consequences (pick based on tolerance level — do NOT invent others):
- Pre-demand letter within 7 days if the announced date is not met
- Registered demand letter (LRAR) within 15 days
- Service suspension or shipment hold if contractually provided in T&Cs (cite the clause)
- Transfer to litigation partner / judicial officer
- Full application of late-payment penalties and EUR 40 indemnity (already enforceable since D+1)

Guardrails:
- NEVER threaten illegal actions: reporting to competitors, public disclosure of the delay, registration on unofficial blacklists, calling the executive at home, physical pressure.
- If history of unkept promises >= 2, jump straight to "last chance" level, even if the stated tolerance is "still flexible".
- Always end with a request for written confirmation of the date and payment method (evidence in case of litigation).

Output format: subject + body (110 words) + signature.

Prompt 10 - Weekly dunning recap

You are a credit manager. From the file below, produce a 200-word recap for the CFO. Answer in English, currency in euros, markdown format.

Expected file format (CSV, one line per dunning action sent in the week):
customer, registration_number, invoice_id, amount, age_days, channel, status, decision_maker_identified, promise_history

where:
- channel ∈ {email, phone, SMS, LinkedIn, registered_mail}
- status ∈ {sent_no_reply, reply_commitment, reply_dispute, promise_kept, promise_broken, total_silence}
- decision_maker_identified ∈ {Y, N}
- promise_history = number of unkept promises over rolling 12 months

Minimal example:
customer, SIREN, invoice_id, amount, age_days, channel, status, decision_maker_identified, promise_history
ACME SAS, 123456789, F2026-118, 32000, 42, email, total_silence, N, 0
BETA SARL, 987654321, F2026-142, 8500, 18, phone, reply_commitment, Y, 0
DELTA SAS, 456789123, F2026-088, 12000, 67, registered_mail, promise_broken, Y, 2

Deliverables:
1. Number of reminders sent per aging bucket (< 30d, 30-60d, 60-90d, > 90d): markdown table.
2. Top 5 accounts that replied with a dated commitment: customer, amount, commitment date.
3. Top 5 silent accounts: customer, amount, age, last channel used.
4. Accounts with unkept promises this week: customer, amount, cumulative promises.
5. Accounts where the decision-maker is not identified (decision_maker_identified = N): how many, cumulative amount, recommended action to identify (switchboard call, LinkedIn, website).
6. Recommended actions for next week, ranked by cash priority: escalation to CFO / channel switch / litigation referral / targeted phone call.

Guardrails:
- If the file does not contain the 9 expected columns, flag the missing columns instead of inventing.
- If age > 90 days AND promise_history >= 2, systematically propose "litigation referral" as priority 1.
- Only recommend "litigation referral" if a registered demand letter has actually been sent (check channel).

File: [PASTE HERE]

Best practices

• Personalize at least 3 items per email: name, product ordered, order date.
• Adapt tone to the customer profile: enterprise buyers dislike bluntness, SMEs appreciate factual tone.
• Keep a single CTA per email, two CTAs halve response rate.
• A/B test 2 subject lines: invoice number vs. reminder of the value delivered.
• Store objection answers in a master "FAQ" prompt, the library compounds.

Limits and watchpoints

• GDPR: never paste customer contact data into a consumer LLM.
• Legal mentions: verify that statutory interest and the €40 fee appear from D+30.
• Spam risk: LLMs can generate phrases that trigger filters (all caps, repeated "URGENT"). Proofread.
• Traceability: archive timestamps in case of litigation.
• Relationship risk: unreviewed AI output can damage commercial relationships. Keep a human in the loop.

Conclusion

Prompts do not replace a collections strategy, they scale it. For teams ready for the next step, the move is to embed these prompts in an AI agent connected to the ERP, autonomously sending, tracking and escalating.

That is exactly what Cleavr does: our AI agent handles the entire post-invoicing collection cycle, learns from customer replies and adjusts tone automatically across multi-channel dunning. See Cleavr in action →

FAQ

When can I claim the EUR 40 fixed indemnity?

The fixed indemnity for collection costs is enforceable by operation of law from the very first day of late payment in B2B (article L441-10 II of the French commercial code, amount set by D441-5). It is owed even if the creditor has not yet claimed it. In practice, it is mentioned for information in the first reminder and formally quantified from D+30.

What late-payment interest rate applies in B2B if my T&Cs are silent?

The priority rate is the one stipulated in the creditor's T&Cs. Absent a contractual stipulation, the fallback rate is the European Central Bank refinancing rate (MRO) plus 10 percentage points (article L441-10). The ECB rate changes roughly once per quarter — always verify the value in force on the letter date at ecb.europa.eu before sending a quantified demand letter.

Do the prompts work equally well in ChatGPT, Claude and Gemini?

Yes, the structure is compatible. Our tests: Claude better respects guardrails and imposed structure, useful for prompts 3, 4, 8 and 10. ChatGPT is faster on computation when Code Interpreter is enabled (useful for prompt 10). Gemini is solid on longer emails but follows length constraints less strictly. For a sensitive file, test 2 models and compare.

Can I paste real customer data into these prompts?

Not in consumer-grade versions. An AR balance is strategic data (and partially personal data under GDPR). Use ChatGPT Enterprise, Claude Team, private Azure OpenAI, or an internal LLM. Anonymize customer names when possible (Customer A, Customer B…).

Can I dun a customer via LinkedIn or SMS?

SMS: only if a professional number was communicated in the context of the commercial relationship (business card, T&Cs, email signature). Not a number found elsewhere. LinkedIn: one message maximum, informative tone, without mentioning a precise amount (notifications are visible to third parties). On a large corporate (> 500 employees), skip LinkedIn: internal escalation will be negative. Prompt 8 integrates these guardrails.

How do I prevent the AI from inventing an ECB rate or interest calculation?

Three reflexes: (1) always provide the ECB rate in force as a prompt variable (do not let the model guess), (2) verify the ECB rate on ecb.europa.eu before any quantified demand letter, (3) prompts 3 and 4 now include an explicit guardrail "never compute interest yourself if the rate is not provided". Interest calculation must remain under human or dedicated-tool control.

Should I review AI-generated emails before sending?

Yes, systematically, as long as sending is not automated by an agent with built-in guardrails (like Cleavr). Check: (1) tone matches the customer profile, (2) no marketing adjectives that ring false, (3) legal mentions are correct and quantified, (4) no wording that triggers spam filters (caps, repeated "URGENT", too many links).

When should I move to litigation?

Usual rule: after the failure of a registered demand letter (not just email or phone reminders). Prompt 10 includes a specific guardrail: it only recommends "litigation referral" if a registered letter has actually been sent. In practice: D+60 to D+90 depending on stakes and payer profile.

Are these prompts compatible with consumer ChatGPT for a quick test?

For a test without real data: yes, anonymize everything ("Customer A", rounded amounts). For production: no, use a GDPR-compliant environment. Cleavr handles this aspect natively.