PingtailThis page explains the automatic document reminders in Pingtail: what a reminder says, when it goes out, how it ends, and what you can change. Following up is the part of document collection nobody likes. You have to remember who still owes what, write a polite email, and do it again next week. So the reminders are careful: short, only what is missing, at a reasonable hour, and with a clear end.
What a reminder contains
Moore Books sent Acme Cafe the August request on Monday. Mira Chen uploaded the card statement the same day and then got busy. Three days later she gets this, and nothing about the card statement she already sent:
Subject: Acme Cafe: 2 items still needed for August
Hi Mira,
Moore Books still needs 2 items from Acme Cafe for August:
- Business bank statement for August
- Payroll report for August
Everything else you sent has arrived. You can use the same link as before. Nothing you did is lost.
[Button: Upload the missing items]
You received this email because Moore Books asked Acme Cafe for documents. If you have a question, reply to this email and it will reach Moore Books.
Stop reminders | Report this request
The wording is an illustration; the shape is the point. A reminder lists only the missing required items, plus anything your firm sent back for a fix. Optional items are not chased. Like the first email, it comes from "Moore Books via Pingtail", greets the contact by first name, and has one button. Replies go to your own inbox.
When are reminders sent?
By default on day 3, day 7 and day 12 after you send the request. You can change the schedule in your firm's settings, with up to 6 reminders. A reminder goes out only if a required item is still missing or a file was sent back; a client who has finished hears nothing more.
Reminders are sent between 8:00 and 21:00 in the contact's timezone, or your firm's timezone if the contact has none. A client on the other side of the world does not get an email from you at 3:00 in the morning. Weekends are skipped by default. If your clients are restaurant owners who do their paperwork on Sunday, you can turn that off.
Each contact has a setting for whether they receive reminders. One contact at a client can get the request while another gets the reminders.
The hard stop and the "time for a call" email
Reminders do not go on for ever. After the last reminder in the schedule, reminders for that request stop, and your firm gets a "time for a call" email.
We built it this way on purpose. If three emails did not work, a fourth and fifth will not work either, and they only annoy your client. At that point a phone call from a person is the better tool.
A cut-off date, not a sixth reminder
Most firms do not want to chase for longer. They want a date after which they stop waiting, and proof that they asked. You can give each request both.
- Reminders counted from the due date. Instead of day 3, 7 and 12 after you send, reminders can count back from the due date: 7, 3 and 1 days before, on the day, then 3 and 7 days after. A moment that has already passed when the request goes out is skipped, not sent late.
- A cut-off notice. One last email in your firm's name, on a day you choose around the due date: 0 is the due date itself, -2 is two days before. It tells your client that after that date you will go ahead with what you have, and lists what is still missing.
- Then it stops. Automatic reminders end, the request is marked "Cut-off passed", and your firm gets an email saying the notice has gone. The request stays open and the client's link still works, so a late file still reaches you.
- The chasing log. Each request and each client has a log of every message, visit and upload, with the time and its status. Print it, or download it as a CSV, for the day a client says nobody asked.
Before you send, the request shows the date of every reminder and of the cut-off notice.
Pause, send now, or "I will follow up myself"
On each request you have three controls.
- Pause reminders. For when your client tells you they are away, or you already know the documents will be late.
- Send one now. For when you have just spoken to your client and they asked for the link again.
- I will follow up myself. For the clients who should only hear from you in person. The request stays open, and the automatic reminders stop.
The dashboard helps you decide who needs which. It counts open requests, requests that are overdue, and requests the client has not opened yet.
One-click stop, and bounces
Every email has a "Stop reminders" link. A contact can stop reminders with one click, without signing in and without writing to you. This is a courtesy, and it also protects your firm's name: a client who cannot stop an email is more likely to mark it as spam.
If an address does not work, you need to know. Bounces and complaints are recorded and shown on the contact, so you can correct the address or call. If email is not the right channel for a client, copy the request link and share it yourself.
What reminders do not do
- They go by email, and on WhatsApp from your own number where that is available for your country; the WhatsApp page has the details. There are no text message reminders.
- They come from "Your firm name via Pingtail", not from your own domain. Replies still go to your inbox.
- They do not write to a client who is already complete, and they never chase optional items.
There is no monthly email quota on any plan. And if you have five clients and like writing to each one yourself, plain email is fine and you do not need this. Reminders earn their place when the same follow-up repeats every month for many clients.
Related pages: what your client sees, how uploads are checked, and the full feature tour.