When you begin setting up or editing a SmartCustomer instance with only AR Collections enabled, you are presented with an introduction screen outlining the configuration sequence.
The workflow is organized into the following sections:
Connection
Settings
Classification
Notification
Save and Run
1. Connection
In this step, you connect AR Collections to your ERP and AR mailbox.
Open SmartFlow Skills Management in SmartCustomer.
Create a new SmartFlow or open the existing one used for AR Collections.
On the Connection screen:
Select your system of record (ERP) for AR data (for example, Workday).
Select the AR Collections mailbox that will:
Send dunning and statement emails.
Receive customer replies.
Confirm both connections show as active or successful.
Tip
The ERP and mailbox you choose here determine where AR Collections reads data from and which address appears in your customers’ inboxes.
2. Settings
In this step, you define how AR Collections should behave for your customers.
On the Settings screen:
Turn on AR Collections
Enable the AR Collections option in the SmartFlow.
Choose Dunning level
Customer-level
All invoices for a customer are sent to a single Dunning contact email on the customer record.
Invoice-level
Each invoice uses the Dunning contact from the invoice record (used when different invoices must go to different contacts).
Define consolidation and hierarchy preferences (for customer-level Dunning):
Consolidation preference
Decide how AR Collections handles multiple open invoices for the same customer, such as:
Matching all open invoices to dunning cadences and sending one email per customer per day, or
Using the oldest open invoice to determine when to send Dunning.
Hierarchy preference
Decide how parent and child customers are treated:
Consolidated under the parent (one email to the parent contact with all relevant child invoices), or
Treated separately (each customer receives its own email).
These settings control who receives Dunning and how multiple invoices and customer hierarchies are handled.
3. Classification
In this step, you decide how customers are grouped for different dunning rules and templates.
On the Classification screen:
Choose where classifications come from:
Manage in SmartCustomer
You create and maintain classifications directly (for example, Regular, Key Account, Slow Payer).
Use ERP classifications
SmartCustomer reads a classification field from your ERP (for example, a “Dunning group” field on the customer record).
Review or define the classification values you plan to use, such as:
Regular accounts.
Key accounts.
Special-handling or high‑risk accounts.
Classifications are used later to apply different cadences and templates to different groups of customers.
4. Notification
In this step, you configure when and how AR Collections sends dunning emails.
For each classification:
Set dunning cadences
Choose when to send reminders, for example:
Days before invoice due date.
Days after invoice due date (for example, 10, 27, 40, 56, 60 days past due).
Consolidated dates (for example, last day of the month or specific days each month).
Each selected day creates a separate email template.
Configure templates
For each cadence, define:
Subject (for example, “Payment Reminder – [Your Company Name]”).
Body text (tone, instructions, contact details).
Any variables (customer name, invoice number, amounts).
Add dunning tables, if desired:
Open invoices (with dates, amounts, and balances).
Unapplied credits.
Unapplied payments.
Configure attachments (optional)
Attach:
Invoice PDFs for the triggering invoices.
Statement PDFs.
Statement CSV files (for customers who need spreadsheet format).
The Notification step determines what your customers receive and how often they receive it.
5. Save and Run
After completing Connection, Settings, Classification, and Notification:
Review your configuration:
ERP and mailbox connections.
Dunning level and hierarchy choices.
Classifications.
Cadences, templates, tables, and attachments.
Click Save to store your changes.
Click Run to activate the SmartFlow:
AR Collections will start using this configuration in the next scheduled dunning run.
Any future changes will also need to be Saved and Run to take effect.
Important
Always test configuration changes in a sandbox environment first, using internal email addresses, before applying them in production.
Once you have completed these steps, your SmartCustomer environment is configured to run AR Collections according to your chosen rules and templates.