Why Your Xero and MYOB Payment Reminders Get Lost in Email Overload (And How Phone Calls Fix It)

Every tradie knows the frustration: you’ve done the work, sent the invoice, but the payment never comes. You’re using Xero or MYOB’s email reminders, but something’s not working. Here’s the harsh truth – 70% of payment reminder emails never get read, lost in the daily flood of messages.

The Hidden Problem with Email Payment Reminders

While Xero and MYOB offer automated email reminders, they’re fighting a losing battle against email overload and busy customers who simply don’t check their messages.

Why Email Reminders Fail

1. Lost in the Email Avalanche Your payment reminder from Xero or MYOB becomes just another message in an inbox with 200+ unread emails. Your customer isn’t ignoring you – they simply haven’t seen it among the digital noise.

2. The 121 Email Problem The average person receives 121 emails per day. Your invoice reminder is competing with work emails, promotional messages, newsletters, and notifications. It’s not malicious – people are just overwhelmed.

3. Email Fatigue is Real Many customers have given up trying to stay on top of email. They check it sporadically, if at all. Important messages get marked as “read later” and forgotten. Your payment reminder becomes tomorrow’s problem, then next week’s, then… never.

The Power of a Phone Call

Here’s what changes when you switch from email to phone reminders:

92% Answer Rate

Unlike emails that can be ignored, phone calls tend to demand attention. When someone’s phone rings, they answer it. It’s human nature.

Personal Touch Matters

Even an automated call feels more personal than an email. It shows you’re serious about the invoice without being aggressive. Many customers genuinely appreciate the reminder.

Immediate Action

A phone call creates urgency. When someone hears “You have an outstanding invoice of $1,800 from Bob’s Plumbing,” they’re more likely to take immediate action than if they read it in an email three days later.

Real Stories from the Field

“I thought my customers were dodging me” Sarah, an electrician from Melbourne, was chasing $15,000 in overdue invoices. She’d been sending MYOB email reminders for weeks with no response. After switching to automated phone calls, she collected $12,000 within 10 days. Turns out, most customers had simply missed the emails in their cluttered inboxes.

“Sometimes people genuinely forget” Tom runs a carpentry business in Sydney. “I had a customer who owed me $3,800 for three months. I was getting frustrated, thinking they were avoiding payment. One phone call reminder and they paid that afternoon. They’d simply forgotten and hadn’t been checking their emails regularly.”

TradieDesk vs Traditional Debt Collection

Unlike debt collection agencies that take 20-30% commission, TradieDesk takes a different approach:

No Commission on Collections

Your money is your money. When customers pay, they pay you directly. TradieDesk doesn’t touch your payments or take a cut. You keep 100% of what you’re owed.

Courtesy, Not Confrontation

TradieDesk makes friendly reminder calls, not aggressive debt collection calls. It’s about maintaining good customer relationships while ensuring you get paid.

Automated but Personal

Set it up once, and TradieDesk handles the awkward conversations for you. No more uncomfortable calls asking for money – the system does it professionally and consistently.

The Psychology of Payment Reminders

Understanding why people pay (or don’t pay) helps you collect faster:

The Forgetting Curve

Studies show that 45% of late payments are simply because customers forgot. They’re not trying to avoid paying – they’re just busy. Between work, family, and life, checking email payment reminders isn’t a priority. A phone call cuts through the mental clutter.

Social Pressure

A phone call creates subtle social pressure. It’s harder to ignore a voice than text on a screen. People feel more obligated to respond and take action.

The Courtesy Factor

Surprisingly, many customers appreciate a polite reminder call. It shows you’re professional and organized, not desperate or aggressive.

How TradieDesk Automates Your Collections

Here’s how simple it is:

1. Invoice Goes Overdue: When an invoice passes its due date, TradieDesk automatically schedules a reminder call

2. Professional Phone Call: Your customer receives a polite, professional call reminding them about the outstanding invoice

3. Follow-Up Schedule: If payment isn’t received, TradieDesk follows up at intervals you set – 3 days, 7 days, 14 days

4. You Get Paid: Customers pay you directly through your normal payment methods. No middleman, no commission.

The Real Cost of Unpaid Invoices

Let’s talk numbers. The average tradie has $8,000-$12,000 in outstanding invoices at any time. That’s money you’ve already earned, sitting in someone else’s bank account.

Cash Flow Impact

• Can’t buy materials for the next job
• Struggle to pay your own bills
• Miss growth opportunities
• Stress affects your work and home life

Time Waste

The average tradie spends 5 hours per week chasing payments. That’s 260 hours per year – over 6 working weeks spent doing admin instead of billable work.

Why Phone Beats Email Every Time

Email Reminders	Phone Reminders
30% open rate	92% answer rate
2% response rate	45% immediate action
Lost in inbox clutter	Always gets through
Easy to overlook	Demands attention
No personal touch	Feels personal
Days to get response	Often paid same day

Getting Started with Automated Phone Collections

Making the switch from email to phone reminders doesn’t mean abandoning Xero or MYOB. TradieDesk works alongside your existing accounting software:

1. Keep Your Current System: Continue using Xero/MYOB for invoicing and accounting
2. Add Phone Power: TradieDesk adds the missing piece – effective payment reminders
3. Set and Forget: Configure once, then let it run automatically

The Bottom Line

Email reminders from Xero and MYOB are better than nothing, but they’re not enough in 2025. With 70% of payment emails going unread in overflowing inboxes and email fatigue at an all-time high, you need a better solution.

Phone calls work because they:

• Cut through digital noise
• Create personal connection
• Generate immediate action
• Show you’re serious (but still friendly)

Stop leaving money on the table. Stop wasting hours chasing payments. Stop assuming your customers are ignoring you when they’re simply overwhelmed by their inboxes or forgot to check their emails.

TradieDesk automates the awkward payment reminder calls, maintains good customer relationships, and gets you paid faster – all without taking a cent in commission.

Because at the end of the day, you’ve already done the work. You deserve to be paid for it.

Ready to get your invoices paid 3x faster? Try TradieDesk’s automated phone reminders and see the difference a simple phone call can make to your cash flow.