How many reminders before you call a client?

Every firm has a client who gets the fifth reminder. Nobody planned it that way. The first reminder went out, then another a week later, then someone sent a third "just in case", and by the fifth the tone has gone from friendly to tight and the documents still have not arrived. Meanwhile the one action that would have solved it in two minutes, a phone call, never happened because it felt like a bigger step than another email.

The short answer is three written reminders, then a call. This guide explains why three, how to space them for different kinds of requests, what each one should say, and what to say on the call. It also covers the cases where you should not remind at all.

The short answer: three, then call

For one request, send the request and up to three written reminders. If the documents are still missing after the third, stop writing and pick up the phone. Do not send a fourth email.

This is a rule for one request in one period. A monthly bookkeeping client gets the same rule every month. A client who needs the call every month has a different problem, covered at the end.

Why three is enough

Each reminder catches a different kind of client.

• The first reminder catches the client who saw the request, meant to do it, and forgot. This is most late clients.
• The second catches the client who started and stalled: one document was hard to find, so the rest waited.
• The third catches the client who put it off on purpose because the week was full.

After that, the remaining clients are not missing the email. Something is stopping them that writing cannot reach: the email goes to an address they no longer check, the contact has left the business, they lost their online banking login, they do not understand what you are asking for, or they think the item does not apply. A call finds out which in a minute. A fourth email repeats a message that has already not worked three times, and each repeat makes the next one easier to ignore.

Reminder schedules for three kinds of requests

The number stays at three. The spacing depends on the request and how much time you have before your own deadline.

Two adjustments make any schedule work better. First, send reminders during working hours in the client's timezone, on weekdays. A reminder that lands at 6 in the morning on Sunday is read in bed and forgotten. Second, if your deadline is fixed, count the reminders back from it instead of forward from the request, so the last one always leaves time to call.

What each reminder should say

Every reminder lists only what is still missing, by name. "Just checking in on your documents" asks the client to work out what is left, which is the job they have already put off three times. A list of two items is a task they can finish.

Reminder 1, friendly and short:

Reminder 2, the same list with the date:

Reminder 3, the offer of a call:

The third reminder announces the call. That alone gets some clients to send the documents, and it means the call is expected rather than a surprise. More wording for each stage is in the email templates for missing documents.

The call: when, who and what to say

Call the day after the third reminder, at a time when the client is likely to be at their desk. The person who calls should be the person the client knows, not whoever is free. Keep the call short and practical. Its job is to find the obstacle, not to deliver a message.

A four-line script:

1. "Hi [first name], it is [your name] from [firm]. Quick one about the August statements, have you got a minute?"
2. "We are still missing the checking and card statements. Is anything making them hard to get?"
3. Listen. Then solve the obstacle on the call: the right email address, where the statement is in online banking, whether the account was closed.
4. "Great, so you will send them by [day]. I will send you a short email now with the link."

Most calls end in one of five ways: a wrong or old email address, a contact who has left, a lost login, a misunderstanding about which document you mean, or an item that does not apply this period. All five are invisible in email and obvious on a call.

After the call

• Send a two-line email the same day: what was agreed and the link.
• Fix whatever the call revealed: update the email address, add a second contact, mark an item as not applicable.
• Set one new date and pause the written reminders until then.
• If the date passes, decide the next step with your manager or the client owner: work with what you have, or put the job on hold. Do not restart the reminder cycle.
• Note the obstacle on the client's record, so next month's request avoids it.

When not to send a reminder

• The client replied with a date. "Away until the 15th" means pause until the 16th. A reminder before then tells them nobody read the reply.
• The client says an item does not apply. Decide, mark it, and remove it from the list.
• You are waiting on someone else. If the client asked their bank for a statement, remind them after the bank's turnaround, not before.
• The client has sent something you have not looked at. Review first. Reminding a client for a document they uploaded yesterday is the fastest way to lose their goodwill.

Signs your schedule is wrong

Look at last quarter's requests and count how many needed the call. If it is most of them, the problem is upstream: the first request is unclear or arrives at the wrong time, and a better request email will do more than any reminder. If almost none needed a call but your work still starts late, your reminders are too far apart for your deadline. And if the same three clients need the call every month, talk to them about it once, outside the monthly cycle: a different contact, a different day of the month, or a standing arrangement. The client document follow-up workflow puts the whole process on one page.

Questions

Doing this with Pingtail

Pingtail sends reminders on day 3, 7 and 12 by default, and you can change the schedule, up to six reminders. Each reminder lists only the required items still missing, arrives between 8:00 and 21:00 in the contact's timezone, and skips weekends unless you turn that off. After the last reminder they stop and you get a "time for a call" email, and on any request you can pause reminders, send one now, or switch to following up yourself. The reminders page has the details. You can try it on yourself first: send a test request to your own email and upload the wrong file on purpose.