Customer Contact Update Checklist
Keep accounts-payable contact details current so reminders reach a real person, because most 'ignored' invoices are simply landing in the wrong inbox.
What this checklist covers
- Spot the signs of stale contact details
- Track down the right payment contact
- Verify and update your records
- Confirm how the customer prefers to be invoiced
- Prevent details going stale again
5 min
Before you start
A surprising share of unpaid invoices are not refusals at all — they are reminders reaching someone who has left, or an inbox nobody reads. Before chasing harder, check the contact is even right.
- Notice the warning signs: bounced emails, no response at all, or 'I never received it'.
- Pull the contact details currently on file for the account.
- Check whether the named person still works there or has moved on.
- Confirm the email and any portal details are still valid.
Chasing aggressively when the real problem is a dead inbox just creates friction for nothing.
Find and verify the right contact
Track down the person who actually handles payment and confirm the details properly.
- Phone the customer's main line and ask for accounts payable directly.
- Confirm the correct name, email and phone for invoice and payment matters.
- Ask whether invoices should go to a person, a shared inbox, or a portal.
- Check the correct billing entity and any purchase-order requirements.
- Update your records immediately with the verified details.
- Resend the outstanding invoice to the confirmed contact.
A correctly addressed invoice removes the single most common excuse for non-payment.
Confirm preferences and prevent drift
While you have them, lock in how the customer wants to be billed and guard against details going stale again.
- Note their preferred invoice format and delivery method.
- Record any reference or PO number their system needs to process payment.
- Set a reminder to re-verify contact details periodically for key accounts.
- Ask customers to tell you when their accounts contact changes.
Keeping details fresh means future reminders land first time, every time. See related guidance in the Merion resources if a debt remains unpaid despite reaching the right person.
Common mistakes
Contact-detail problems persist when they are never checked. Avoid these.
- Escalating a debt aggressively when reminders were simply going to the wrong place.
- Relying on a single named contact who may have left the business.
- Failing to capture portal or purchase-order requirements, so invoices stall.
- Never re-verifying details, so they quietly go stale over time.
- Not asking customers to flag when their accounts contact changes.
Right contact, right format, right reference — get those straight and most 'ignored' invoices get paid.
Key takeaways
- Check the contact is correct before assuming an invoice is being ignored.
- Phone accounts payable directly to verify name, email and method.
- Capture invoice format, portal and PO requirements too.
- Re-verify key accounts periodically so details do not go stale.
Frequently asked questions
How do I find the right person to chase for payment?
Call the customer's main line and ask for accounts payable directly. Confirm the correct name, email, phone and whether they use a shared inbox or a portal. A verified contact removes the most common excuse for non-payment.
What if my reminders keep getting ignored?
Before escalating, check the contact is even right. Bounced emails or 'I never received it' often mean the named person has left or the inbox is unread. Verify and resend to the correct contact before assuming refusal.
How often should I update customer contact details?
Re-verify key accounts periodically and whenever a reminder bounces or goes unanswered. Asking customers to flag changes to their accounts contact also helps. Capturing PO and portal requirements at the same time prevents invoices stalling in their system.
Work the checklist, then get paid
Use the free Invoice Generator, then let Merion recover anything that goes unpaid — commission-only.