--- title: "Guides & Playbooks | Rex" description: "Step-by-step playbooks for running and improving back-office finance operations." canonical: https://www.rex.inc/resources/guides --- # Guides & Playbooks Step-by-step playbooks for running and improving back-office finance operations. - June 16, 2026 **[How to prevent late payments before they happen](https://www.rex.inc/resources/guides/how-to-prevent-late-payments)** Most late payments are preventable. Here are the upstream tactics, from clear terms to pre-due reminders, that stop invoices going overdue in the first place. - June 15, 2026 **[How to handle delinquent accounts without damaging the relationship](https://www.rex.inc/resources/guides/how-to-handle-delinquent-accounts)** A tiered playbook for delinquent accounts: how to sort them by risk, apply the right pressure to each, and know when to escalate or write off. - June 14, 2026 **[How to reduce DSO: a step-by-step playbook](https://www.rex.inc/resources/guides/how-to-reduce-dso)** Reducing days sales outstanding comes down to a handful of operational levers. This playbook walks the steps that pull DSO down and keep it there. - May 29, 2026 **[Friendly first reminder vs final notice: how to get the tone right](https://www.rex.inc/resources/guides/friendly-reminder-vs-final-notice)** A side-by-side guide to the two ends of the dunning spectrum, with examples of the friendly reminder and the final notice, plus how to escalate and match tone to risk. - May 20, 2026 **[How to build a payment reminder email sequence that collects on autopilot](https://www.rex.inc/resources/guides/payment-reminder-email-sequence)** Build a before-due, due-date, and post-due reminder cadence that collects most invoices automatically, with templates, timing, and the metrics that prove it works. - May 17, 2026 **[How to handle payment disputes and still collect on time](https://www.rex.inc/resources/guides/how-to-handle-payment-disputes)** A payment dispute is a customer's reason for holding an invoice. Here is a step-by-step process to resolve disputes fast, the templates to run it, and how to keep cash moving. - May 16, 2026 **[How to chase invoices politely and still get paid fast](https://www.rex.inc/resources/guides/how-to-chase-invoices-politely)** Polite persistence collects faster than aggression. Here are the email templates, the right follow-up cadence, and how to escalate courteously when a customer ignores you. - May 10, 2026 **[How to collect outstanding invoices faster: a step-by-step guide](https://www.rex.inc/resources/guides/how-to-collect-outstanding-invoices)** A repeatable process for collecting outstanding invoices, from first reminder to escalation, with email and call templates and tips to stop repeat late payers. - May 10, 2026 **[How to ask for payment professionally without sounding pushy](https://www.rex.inc/resources/guides/how-to-ask-for-payment-professionally)** Phrasing and ready-to-use templates for asking customers to pay, before and after the due date, that stay firm and polite without burning the relationship. - May 7, 2026 **[How to improve your AR collection process in 7 steps](https://www.rex.inc/resources/guides/how-to-improve-ar-collection-process)** Most AR collection problems are process leaks, not effort problems. This 7-step audit shows where the cycle breaks down and how to fix each gap for good. - May 4, 2026 **[How to write a credit policy that prevents bad debt](https://www.rex.inc/resources/guides/how-to-write-a-credit-policy)** A credit policy is the written set of rules for who gets terms and how much they can owe. Here is a template, the decision rules behind it, and how to keep it current. - April 30, 2026 **[How to apply cash and match payments to invoices faster](https://www.rex.inc/resources/guides/how-to-apply-cash-to-invoices)** Cash application matches incoming payments to open invoices. Here is the process, where it slows teams down, and how to clear partial pays and remittance faster. - April 28, 2026 **[How to reduce DSO without hiring more AR staff](https://www.rex.inc/resources/guides/how-to-reduce-dso-without-hiring)** You can cut days sales outstanding without adding headcount by automating the repetitive bulk of collections and pointing your people at the accounts that need judgment. - April 27, 2026 **[How to negotiate a payment plan with a late-paying customer](https://www.rex.inc/resources/guides/how-to-negotiate-a-payment-plan)** A payment plan turns a stuck balance into scheduled cash you can count on. Here is how to structure one, the scripts to propose it, an agreement template, and how to enforce it. - April 26, 2026 **[How to deal with non-paying customers: a B2B collections playbook](https://www.rex.inc/resources/guides/how-to-deal-with-non-paying-customers)** An escalation ladder for non-paying B2B customers, from reminder to legal action, with scripts for each rung and how to protect cash flow while you collect. - April 26, 2026 **[AR aging report: how to read it and act on it](https://www.rex.inc/resources/guides/ar-aging-report-how-to-use)** An AR aging report sorts open invoices by how overdue they are. Here is how to read the buckets, turn them into a prioritized worklist, and track the trend. - April 20, 2026 **[How to reduce bad debt and protect your bottom line](https://www.rex.inc/resources/guides/how-to-reduce-bad-debt)** Most bad debt is preventable. This guide covers the levers that stop invoices going bad, from credit screening to early follow-up to a clear write-off policy. - April 12, 2026 **[How to escalate to collections: a decision framework for AR teams](https://www.rex.inc/resources/guides/how-to-escalate-to-collections)** Escalating to collections should follow clear triggers, not gut feel. Here are the thresholds that justify escalation, the internal-versus-agency choice, and a handoff checklist. - April 9, 2026 **[How to automate payment reminders without losing the personal touch](https://www.rex.inc/resources/guides/how-to-automate-payment-reminders)** Automated reminders scale, but generic ones get ignored. Here is how to automate the cadence while keeping every message personal, and what good automation actually does with replies. - April 8, 2026 **[How to build a dunning email sequence that reduces late payments](https://www.rex.inc/resources/guides/dunning-email-sequence)** A dunning email sequence is a scheduled set of reminders that escalate in tone as an invoice ages. Here is how to structure one for B2B AR and the templates for each step. - March 28, 2026 **[How to build a collections workflow from scratch](https://www.rex.inc/resources/guides/how-to-build-a-collections-workflow)** A collections workflow is built from three parts: stages, triggers, and owners. This blueprint shows how to define each one and wire them into a working end-to-end system. - March 27, 2026 **[How to set payment terms that get you paid on time](https://www.rex.inc/resources/guides/how-to-set-payment-terms)** Payment terms set when and how a customer pays. Here is how to pick terms that protect cash flow, communicate them so they stick, and word them on invoices and contracts. - March 24, 2026 **[How to collect overdue invoices: templates, timing, and escalation](https://www.rex.inc/resources/guides/how-to-collect-overdue-invoices)** The full overdue-invoice workflow, with a day-by-day timeline, copy-ready templates for each touch, escalation rules, and when to write off versus keep pursuing. - March 23, 2026 **[How to run an effective collections team](https://www.rex.inc/resources/guides/how-to-run-an-effective-collections-team)** Structure, metrics, and cadence for a high-performing AR team. How to assign accounts, coach collectors, and free them from busywork to focus on real conversations. - March 19, 2026 **[How to forecast collections and predict your cash flow](https://www.rex.inc/resources/guides/how-to-forecast-collections)** A collections forecast predicts how much of your open receivables will land, and when. Here is a method, a template, and how to keep it accurate week to week.