Send and Automate Bill Reminders

Bill reminders in Clio Manage notify clients of outstanding balances, either manually or on an automated schedule. Timely, consistent follow-ups help improve your firm's collection rate and reduce the need for manual outreach. In this article, learn how to send manual reminders, enable automated reminders, and configure reminder settings for your firm. 

Send manual bill reminders

Manual bill reminders allow you to send one-time outstanding balance notifications to a client via email. If the client has multiple outstanding bills, the reminder email includes all overdue bills. If your firm uses text messaging in Clio Manage, you can also send a reminder via text. 

1. In Clio Manage, click Billing.
2. Select the Outstanding Balances subtab.
3. Click Send next to an overdue bill.

4. Review the email. By default, Clio selects the Outstanding Balance email template. You can change the template in Settings > Billing > Bill message templates to modify the email as needed.

   Note: If your firm uses text messaging, toggle the text message option on to also send a reminder via text. The text includes the total outstanding amount and a link to pay.
5. Click Send client balance.
   • The reminder email will include a secure link to the bill in PDF format.

Understand automated bill reminders in Clio Manage

Automated bill reminders send outstanding balance notifications on a recurring schedule for approved invoices that are in an unpaid status, regardless of whether the original bill was manually sent to the client. Clio uses the bill's issue date as the reference point to trigger the reminder schedule. 

Enable automated bill reminders

Enable automated reminders for a specific client from the Billing tab. 

1. In Clio Manage, in the left navigation panel, click Billing.
2. Select the Outstanding Balances subtab.
3. Optional: Click Columns and verify that the Reminders column is checked.
4. Under the Reminders column, toggle Reminders on.

Configure automated bill reminder settings

You can configure your firm's default automated bill reminder settings, including the schedule, recipients, and email template, from the Settings page in Clio Manage. 

1. Go to Settings > Billing > Automated Bill Reminders.
2. Configure the following options:
   • Default behavior: Enable or disable reminders and choose whether the change applies to all clients or only new clients. You can also view a list of clients for whom reminders are enabled or disabled.

   • Send method: Choose between email only or email and text.

     Note: To send automated bill reminders via text, your firm needs to enable text messaging.

   • Associated recipients: If a bill is relevant to more than one recipient (e.g., when a matter has related contacts who are also bill recipients) and you want all recipients to have visibility on other contacts who received the bill, check the box for Send reminders to all associated bill recipients in one email. Leave the box unchecked to send separate emails to each bill recipient.

   • Schedule: Set the reminder schedule and repetition rate. You can also pause reminders for clients on active payment plans.

     Important: Automated bill reminders only pause for clients on active payment plans that deposit into an Operating account. Payment plans that deposit into a Trust account will not pause automated reminders.

   • Send replies to: Choose a firm user with billing permissions who receives any replies to reminder emails.
   • Email template: Edit the reminder email's subject line and body.
3. Click Save reminders.

Disable automated bill reminders

If you need to disable automated bill reminders for only some bills, you can do so from the Billing tab.

1. Go to the main Billing tab.
2. Select the Outstanding Balances subtab.
3. Optional: Click Columns and verify that the Reminders column is checked.
4. Under the Reminders column, toggle the button off.