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Your 5th payment reminder email sits unread whilst your customer actively responds to messages on three other platforms you're not using. B2B buyers bounce between email, LinkedIn, Slack, phone calls, and supplier portals throughout their day, but most collections tools only spam one inbox. Slack payment reminders and multi-channel outreach mean meeting customers where they already are instead of hoping they check email. We ranked eight collections platforms based on channel coverage, who actually does the work, and integration speed to show you which solutions go beyond email automation.
TLDR:
- Multi-channel collections reach customers via LinkedIn, Slack, SMS, and phone calls, not just email
- Invoice Butler handles collections for you across all channels plus supplier portals like Coupa
- Most tools only automate email reminders and still require your team to manage replies
- AI-plus-human model means specialists handle disputes whilst AI manages routine follow-ups
- Setup takes under an hour with QuickBooks or NetSuite, and most teams see results within 30 days
What is Multi-Channel Invoice Collections?
Multi-channel collections means reaching customers through whatever communication method actually gets their attention, not just firing off endless email reminders into the void. Instead of relying solely on email (where your 5th payment reminder sits buried under 200 unread messages), you're meeting people where they already are: LinkedIn DMs, Slack channels, text messages, phone calls, even supplier portals.
B2B buyers work across different channels throughout their day. Your AP contact might ignore email but respond to a quick Slack message in your shared workspace within minutes, which is why collections software for small business focuses on multi-channel approaches. A decision-maker might see your LinkedIn message during their commute when they'd never open your invoice email. The debt collection software market is growing because companies realize single-channel strategies miss payments simply due to communication failure, not unwillingness to pay.
How We Ranked Multi-Channel Collections Solutions
We evaluated these solutions based on what actually matters when you're trying to get paid faster without burning out your finance team.
First, channel coverage: how many ways can the solution reach your customers? Email-only tools miss the mark because people live across different apps. We looked for support of LinkedIn messages, Slack threads, SMS, phone calls, and even logging into supplier portals like Coupa or Ariba.
Second, who does the work? Some tools just give you better software to manage collections yourself. Others take the entire job off your plate. We weighted solutions that reduce your workload, not reorganize it.
Third, integration speed and compatibility with accounting systems like QuickBooks, Xero, or NetSuite. If setup takes weeks, that's a problem.
Best Overall Multi-Channel Collections Solution: Invoice Butler
We built Invoice Butler to handle multi-channel collections for you, not just provide software to manage it yourself. Our team reaches customers wherever they respond: email sequences, LinkedIn DMs to executives who ignore invoices, Slack messages in shared workspaces, text reminders, phone calls, and supplier portals like Coupa or Ariba.
The difference is our AI-plus-human model. Modern AI-powered collections achieve 97% classification accuracy and 80% resolution rates, with AI-authored messages converting 33% more often than human-written emails, but our AR specialists still manage disputed invoices and relationship-sensitive accounts where human judgment matters most.
You connect QuickBooks or NetSuite, and we take over collections. Setup takes under an hour, and most teams see overdue payments drop within the first month.
Billtrust
Billtrust is an enterprise-focused AR automation provider serving Fortune 1000 companies with legacy ERP systems. They offer dashboard and workflow tools for internal AR teams to manage collections, SFTP-based integrations with older enterprise systems, payment portals, and automated email reminder sequences.
The limitation: Billtrust relies on SFTP file transfer instead of real-time APIs, meaning data updates are batched overnight instead of instant. It requires employed AR staff to operate dashboards and handle customer replies, and doesn't integrate with billing systems like Stripe, Orb, Metronome, or Tabs.
Monk
Monk is a new contract-to-cash provider with fewer than 50 customers, attempting to build a broad suite covering contracts, billing, and collections.
The service includes contract management and workflow automation, billing and invoicing capabilities, collections workflows, and reminder emails. Their feature set is still expanding.
The limitation: Monk has few customers, which means the product is unproven at scale. Collections are a secondary feature after contracts. You handle customer email replies yourself instead of having communications managed for you. There's no human service layer for complex escalations or supplier portal work.
Tesorio
Tesorio is a 10-year-old cash flow performance dashboard for existing AR teams to visualize and manage collections workflow.
The service includes cash flow forecasting and analytics dashboards that predict incoming payments, collections workspaces where AR staff coordinate their outreach efforts, SFTP integrations with legacy ERP systems, and an AI agent that monitors invoice and portal statuses.
The limitation: Requires AR employees to action the work. Their AI agent only monitors statuses and flags issues without executing customer replies, portal uploads, or phone calls.
Growfin.ai
Growfin is a cash flow analytics and prediction tool that uses AI to forecast when payments will arrive and helps controllers draft outreach messages.
The service includes AI-powered payment date predictions based on historical data, suggested message templates for collections outreach, cash flow analysis and reporting dashboards, and integration with major ERP systems.
The limitation: Focuses on analysis and prediction instead of execution. You still manually send suggested messages and handle all customer replies yourself. Does not support supplier portal automation for Coupa or Ariba.
Upflow
Upflow is a workflow automation tool that helps AR teams organize collection teams and assign follow-ups internally.
The service includes automated email reminder sequences, internal task assignment to sales or customer success teams, collections workflow visualization and tracking, and integration with major accounting systems.
The limitation: You still handle all customer replies, negotiations, and follow-ups yourself. Cannot manage supplier portals like Coupa or Ariba on your behalf.
Gaviti
Gaviti is an 8-year-old upmarket solution built for large companies with $100M+ revenue, heavily promoting their proprietary payment rails.
The service includes collections dashboards for large AR departments with workflow automation and reminder sequences, zero-fee ACH payment processing through Gaviti's own payment system, and an AI assistant that provides status insights.
The limitation: Doesn't integrate with billing systems like Stripe, Orb, Metronome, Sequence, Tabs, or Maple. Pushes customers to switch to their payment rails, creating friction in customer relationships. Their AI assistant only provides insights instead of handling replies or uploading invoices to portals.
Levers
Levers is a fully AI-driven collections tool that automates invoice follow-ups using trained AI agents.
The service includes AI-powered automated invoice reminders that send follow-ups without human review, AI agents trained to reply to customer questions about invoices, automated escalation workflows based on aging or custom rules, and a training interface where you customise AI behaviour and responses.
The limitation: Fully AI-driven with no human oversight means you train and manage the AI yourself. Errors or hallucinations can damage customer relationships. Does not integrate with Salesforce or HubSpot to find alternative contacts when emails bounce.
Feature Comparison Table of Multi-Channel Collections Solutions
When evaluating multi-channel collections tools, most solutions only handle email automation. Invoice Butler stands apart by reaching customers across LinkedIn, Slack, SMS, and phone calls while every other option relies solely on email follow-ups.
This comparison shows how few tools handle supplier portals, respond to customer messages, or offer human oversight. Invoice Butler includes real-time API integration, contact discovery with escalation paths, and done-for-you service with dedicated Slack support.
Why Invoice Butler is the Best Multi-Channel Collections Solution
Other collections tools give you better software to manage AR yourself. We take the work off your plate entirely.
Invoice Butler is the only solution that reaches customers across email, LinkedIn, Slack, SMS, and phone calls while handling supplier portal submissions in systems like Coupa and Ariba. Every other option stops at email automation and leaves you to manage replies, chase down contacts, and upload documents yourself.
Our AI-plus-human model separates us from purely automated tools. AI handles routine outreach while AR specialists manage disputed invoices and relationship-sensitive accounts. You connect your accounting system, and we run collections for you.
Final Thoughts on Accounts Receivable Automation
Your invoices aren't getting ignored because customers refuse to pay, they're just buried under 200 unread emails. Slack payment reminders and LinkedIn messages reach people where they actually respond, turning weeks of silence into same-day replies. Stop reorganizing collections tasks across your team and start using channels that cut through the noise without burning out your finance department.
FAQ
How do I choose the right multi-channel collections tool for my business?
Start by determining whether you want software to manage collections yourself or a service that handles it for you. Then consider which communication channels your customers actually use (email, LinkedIn, Slack) and whether you need supplier portal management for systems like Coupa or Ariba. Finally, evaluate setup time and whether you have AR staff to operate dashboards and reply to customers.
Which multi-channel collections solution works best for small teams without dedicated AR staff?
Solutions that take the work off your plate entirely (like done-for-you services) work best when you lack AR specialists. Software-only tools require someone on your team to monitor dashboards, action suggested tasks, and handle all customer replies, which defeats the purpose if you're already stretched thin.
Can these tools handle more than just email reminders?
Most solutions in this space only send automated email sequences, which means your reminders still sit buried in crowded inboxes. Only a few options reach customers through LinkedIn messages, Slack channels, SMS, or phone calls: the channels where busy finance contacts actually respond during their workday.
What's the difference between AI-only collections tools and hybrid approaches?
AI-only tools automate everything but require you to train and monitor the AI yourself, with risks of errors damaging customer relationships. Hybrid approaches combine AI for routine tasks with human specialists who handle disputed invoices, relationship-sensitive accounts, and complex escalations which give you automation with judgment.
When should I consider switching from my current collections process?
If you're spending hours each week chasing payments manually, missing follow-ups because invoices slip through the cracks, or struggling with supplier portal submissions, it's time to evaluate alternatives. Also consider switching if your current tool only handles email and you're not getting responses through that single channel.
