Promises & Payment Plans Workflow

Last Updated: 2025-12-02 10:22 UTC

Personas: Controller / A/R Manager / A/R Operator / CSM

What you'll learn

• Decide when to log a promise versus a payment plan.
• Configure approvals, caps, and reminders.
• Track adherence and receipts.

Step-by-step

1. Start with the Commitment Radar.
   • The merged top row now highlights promises due today/overdue and plans approaching default, complete with badges that explain why each item is urgent (“Missed”, “No invoice link”, “High exposure”).
   • The same row shows promise exposure + adherence and active plan exposure, so Controllers see cash risk before diving into the board.
2. Capture promises-to-pay.
   • From any invoice, click Add Promise to record the committed amount, date, and payer contact.
   • The inspector (right-hand panel) exposes amount, due date, status, and one-click actions (Mark kept/missed, Send reminder) so you never leave the workspace.
3. Set up structured payment plans.
   • Use the Create payment plan card to define installments. Click Prefill from selected promise to auto-populate invoice, customer, amount, and first installment.
   • Plans beyond your approval limit automatically route to the Controller or Legal. Guardrail messages appear inline so approvers know what changed.
4. Monitor adherence with the inspector.
   • Selecting a plan reveals its schedule, guardrails (e.g., “Plan exceeds $50K—Controller approval required”), adherence %, next due date, and action buttons (Resend link, Mark paid, Cancel). Defaulted or high-risk plans bubble to the radar automatically.
   • When a payer misses a milestone, Plixo re-enters them into the cadence with a tailored follow-up and flags the plan in the inspector.
5. Send receipts and updates.
   • After a payment posts via Stripe, Plixo emails the payer a receipt and updates the plan timeline.
   • Operators can manually send status updates or attach revised invoices when amounts change.

Success checks

• Promises are logged for every verbal commitment with accurate due dates and keep/miss status.
• Approval turnaround time stays under one business day for plans above cap.
• Adherence rate remains above 85% thanks to timely reminders, Today’s Focus triage, and inspector actions.
• Teams create plans via the new Prefill workflow to avoid data entry mistakes.

Common pitfalls

• Overusing plans for short delays. Use simple promises for commitments within a week to avoid unnecessary approvals.
• Leaving context blank. Approvers need rationale (e.g., "renewal pending") to make quick decisions.
• Forgetting to close completed plans. Mark plans as complete once the final payment posts to keep reports accurate.

Related pages

• Next step: Disputes Workflow
• A/R Operator Guide
• CSM Guide