Pointline product
Invoice follow-up without the chase.
An in-house automation that handles dunning sequences for agencies and bookkeepers - rules-based reminders, exception flagging, and a clean handoff to humans for the messy ones. Built end-to-end at Pointline.
- Status
- Built
- Audience
- Agencies + bookkeepers
- Channels
- Email + SMS
The problem
Nobody wants to be the third reminder.
Agencies and bookkeepers chase invoices manually. "Did this go out?" "Did they pay?" "Should I send a reminder?" The polite, persistent follow-up is the difference between getting paid in 30 days and 90 - but no one wants to BE the person sending the third reminder, and clients can read manual chasing as either inattentive or aggressive.
The mark
DunningPilot
Designed end-to-end
The approach
Codify the cadence. Escalate the messy.
Encode the dunning sequence as rules. Invoice goes out, the rules engine handles the polite-then-firm cadence over email and SMS, and flags anything actually weird (refund requests, disputes, partial payments) for a human. The bookkeeper goes from chasing twenty invoices to reviewing five exceptions.
Brand system
Built on a calm, branded surface
Automate the polite reminders. Escalate the messy ones.
Process
How it came together
- 01
Opportunity mapping
Worked with bookkeepers to find where automation actually helps - and where it'd damage relationships.
- 02
Rules architecture
Built a cadence DSL - escalation steps, channel selection, tone calibration per stage.
- 03
Design + build
UI for the rules editor, the exception inbox, and the daily ops surface.
- 04
Internal release
Used at Pointline + with one bookkeeper partner. Validated the exception-only-touch promise.
Where it stands
The agency engagement model that works.
Built and running internally. The reference shape for this category: automate the routine, surface only what humans need to actually decide. Available as a 10-day Pointline sprint.
What we delivered
Four main things.
Brand & visual system
Calm, ops-first identity that reads as competent, not pushy.
Rules engine UX
Cadence editor that bookkeepers can configure without writing code.
Frontend product
Rules editor, exception inbox, daily ops surface, audit views.
Backend + comms pipeline
Rules engine, email + SMS dispatch, exception detection, audit log.
What's inside
Product capabilities.
Cadence rules
Polite-then-firm sequences over email and SMS, configurable per client and per invoice tier.
Exception inbox
Disputes, refunds, and weird replies surface for human review - everything else handles itself.
Daily ops surface
One screen: what changed, what's overdue, what's been resolved.
Audit trail
Every touchpoint logged for compliance and clean handoff between team members.
Surface tour
Next
Snap, extract, categorize.
ReceiptSnap · Pointline product