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When you're on a small finance team, chasing late invoices feels like a part-time job you didn't sign up for. You're already handling month-end close, financial reporting, and everything else that keeps the business running. Finance team automation for collections can take that invoice-chasing work off your plate entirely, but the options range from simple email tools to full-service solutions. We've ranked what's out there based on what small teams actually need: something that works quickly, integrates easily, and doesn't require hiring someone new to manage it.
TLDR:
- Small finance teams lose revenue to late payments but lack bandwidth to chase invoices manually
- Collections software ranges from DIY dashboards to full-service AR teams that handle work for you
- Invoice Butler acts as your outsourced AR team, managing follow-ups, portal uploads, and replies
- Most alternatives require your staff to operate software; we do the collections work at a fraction of hiring cost
- Setup takes under 5 minutes with integrations to QuickBooks, Xero, NetSuite, and modern billing tools
What is Collections Software for Small Finance Teams
Collections software automates the accounts receivable process for businesses that invoice other companies. Instead of manually tracking who owes what and sending reminder emails yourself, the software handles invoice follow-ups, payment reminders, and monitoring of overdue accounts.
For small finance teams, this type of software solves a specific problem: you need to get paid on time, but you don't have the bandwidth to chase down every late invoice. Collections software takes that work off your plate, helping you maintain healthy cash flow without hiring a dedicated AR specialist or collections team.
How We Ranked Collections Software for Small Businesses
We evaluated each solution based on what small finance teams actually need to improve collections without adding headcount.
First, we looked at automation depth. Does the software just send templated emails, or does it handle the full collections workflow including customer responses, portal submissions, and escalations? This matters because small businesses lose significant revenue to late payments each year.
Integration ease was crucial. We prioritized solutions that connect to QuickBooks, Xero, NetSuite, and other common accounting systems without requiring IT support or custom development work.
We also distinguished between service-based and software-only solutions. Some options give you a tool to manage collections yourself, while others act as an outsourced AR team. For stretched finance teams, this difference is significant.
Implementation speed mattered too. With cash flow challenges affecting most businesses, small teams need solutions that deliver results quickly, not months-long deployment projects.
Finally, we considered cost relative to value. The right solution should either replace the need for additional headcount or free up existing team members to focus on strategic finance work rather than chasing invoices.
All rankings are based on publicly available information about features, integrations, pricing models, and service delivery approaches.
Best Overall Collections Software for Small Finance Teams: Invoice Butler
We handle collections as a service, not just as software. Instead of giving you another tool to manage, we act as your outsourced AR team, taking the entire collections process off your plate. Our AI handles routine follow-ups while human AR specialists review complex cases, giving you both speed and judgment.
What Invoice Butler offers
Our AI sends personalized payment reminders that sound like they came from your team. When customers reply with questions or concerns, we handle the back-and-forth automatically, so you're not pulled into endless email threads about invoice details or payment timing.
We'll log into your customers' supplier portals (Coupa, Ariba, Tipalti, and others) to upload invoices, fill out required forms, and chase approval statuses. This means you're not spending hours navigating procurement systems or getting locked out of portals.
If initial contacts aren't responsive, we find and escalate to the actual decision makers. We're not limited to email either - we'll reach customers through Slack, LinkedIn, text, or phone calls to get responses and secure payment.
Setup takes under 5 minutes with one-click integrations to QuickBooks, Xero, NetSuite, Stripe, Bill.com, Sequence, Maple, and Campfire. No IT work required, and your invoice data syncs automatically without disrupting existing workflows.
You get a real-time dashboard showing exactly which invoices we've followed up on, what's outstanding, and any overdue amounts. No more tracking spreadsheets or wondering if something slipped through the cracks.
Invoice Butler has helped clients recover over $300,000 in overdue payments and reduce DSO by more than 50 days, all at a fraction of the cost of hiring an AR specialist.
Billtrust
Billtrust is a legacy AR solution built for enterprise-scale companies with large AR departments and older tech infrastructures. The system uses SFTP file transfers rather than real-time APIs.
What they offer
- Dashboard software for existing AR teams to manage collections workflows
- SFTP-based integration with legacy ERP systems for overnight data batching
- AR automation focused on Fortune 1000 companies with established processes
Good for: Large enterprises ($100M+ revenue) with dedicated AR departments and legacy on-premise systems that already have staff to operate collections software.
Limitation: Uses SFTP tech for data integration which provides only overnight batch updates rather than real-time sync, and requires you to have employed AR staff to actually perform the collections work since Billtrust provides software rather than service.
Bottom line: Billtrust works for Fortune 1000 companies with large AR teams, but Invoice Butler is better suited for small to mid-market teams that need someone to actually do the collections work rather than just providing another tool to manage.
Tesorio
Tesorio provides cash flow performance dashboards designed for existing collections teams to work from. The system integrates primarily with legacy ERP systems using SFTP.
What they offer
- Cash flow performance dashboards for AR teams to visualize aging receivables and payment trends
- AI agent that checks payment and portal statuses automatically, surfacing information for your team to act on
- Workflow assignment tools that let managers distribute collection tasks to internal staff and track completion
- System flags which invoices need attention based on aging and customer payment patterns
Good for: Companies with established AR departments that need better visibility tools and want their existing staff to have a centralized workspace for managing collections activities.
Limitation: Requires your team to take action on all insights since their AI agent only provides status checks without executing tasks like uploading invoices to portals or handling customer replies, and primarily supports legacy systems rather than integrating natively with newer billing tools like Orb or Metronome.
Bottom line: Tesorio gives your existing AR team better dashboards, but we eliminate the need for that team entirely by providing both the dashboard and the people to execute collections work.
Upflow
Upflow offers workflow automation and visualization tools for AR teams. The system allows internal assignment of collection tasks but leaves execution to your staff.
What they offer
- Automated email workflow setup and internal ticket assignment to distribute collections work across finance, sales, or customer success teams
- Scheduled payment reminders based on rules you configure
- Invoice-level tracking and reporting dashboards showing aging receivables and collection activity
- Integration with accounting systems like QuickBooks and Xero that syncs invoice data automatically
Good for: Teams with existing staff who want to organize and assign collections tasks internally across sales and customer success.
Limitation: Cannot access or upload to third-party supplier portals, provides no customer-level view of total relationship health, and when customers reply to requests the finance team must manually draft and send all responses rather than having that handled automatically.
Bottom line: Upflow helps organize your collections work, but we actually do the work including portal uploads, reply handling, and finding new contacts when emails bounce.
Growfin
Growfin focuses on cash flow prediction and analysis using AI to forecast when payments might arrive. The system helps draft outreach messages but leaves sending to users.
What they offer
- AI-powered payment date predictions based on historical data
- Tools to help controllers draft personalized collection messages
- Cash flow forecasting dashboards showing projected receivables timing
Good for: Finance leaders who prioritize cash flow analysis and forecasting over execution and have internal resources to handle outreach.
Limitation: Does not integrate with newer ERPs like Campfire or Rillet, provides no supplier portal automation or upload support, and while it helps draft collection messages you must still log in and send them manually.
Bottom line: Growfin predicts when you might get paid, but we ensure you actually do get paid by handling the outreach, follow-ups, and portal work that drives collections.
Gaviti
Gaviti is an upmarket collections dashboard designed for large companies with significant AR teams. The system pushes users toward their proprietary payment rails.
What they offer
- Collections dashboard for large AR departments to track and organize receivables
- Zero Fee ACH payment processing through their payment rails that incentivizes customers to pay via Gaviti's network
- AI assistant that provides status insights and analytics on collection performance
Good for: Large enterprises ($100M-$200M+ revenue) with substantial AR teams willing to migrate customers to new payment methods.
Limitation: Does not integrate with newer billing systems like Stripe, Orb, Metronome, Tabs, or Sequence, and their AI assistant only provides insights without taking action like handling replies or uploading to portals, plus effective use requires customers to adopt Gaviti's payment rails adding friction.
Bottom line: Gaviti serves massive companies with legacy ERPs, but we connect to your existing stack without requiring customers to change how they pay while actually doing the collections work.
Monk
Monk is an early-stage contract-to-cash solution that attempts to cover everything from contracts through billing to collections. The system is very new with minimal customer validation.
What they offer
- Contract management tools for tracking agreements and terms
- Basic billing workflow capabilities to generate and send invoices from contract terms
- Collections email automation that sends scheduled reminders based on rules you configure
- Templates and timing controls for payment follow-ups
Good for: Companies needing integrated contract management and collections who are comfortable being early adopters of unproven tech.
Limitation: Has fewer than 15 customers making it extremely unproven, and while they send collection emails you must handle all customer replies and ensure cash is actually collected rather than having that work done for you.
Bottom line: Monk tries to do many things at once with minimal market validation, but we focus specifically on collections excellence with proven results and work alongside your existing contract tools.
Levers
Levers provides fully autonomous AI-driven collections automation that users must train and manage themselves. The system operates without human oversight.
What they offer
- Fully AI-powered invoice follow-up and reply handling without human review
- Automated collections workflows requiring user configuration and ongoing training
- Self-service AI agent configuration giving you control over messaging tone, timing, and escalation paths
- System that learns from your inputs and applies that learning to future interactions
Good for: Companies comfortable trusting fully autonomous AI with customer relationships and willing to invest time training the system.
Limitation: Requires you to train the AI agent yourself with no human oversight to catch errors or handle edge cases, assumes your contact data is clean rather than managing and updating it, and does not integrate with sales databases to find new contacts when escalation is needed.
Bottom line: Levers requires you to manage and train a bot, but we provide human-in-the-loop expertise that handles edge cases, maintains your contact data, and escalates intelligently when needed.
Feature Comparison Table of Collections Software
Here's how each solution stacks up across the capabilities that matter most for small finance teams.
Why Invoice Butler is the Best Collections Software for Small Finance Teams
Small finance teams don't need another dashboard to check or workflow to manage. You need someone to actually do the collections work while you focus on strategic finance tasks.
That's the difference we make. While other solutions give you software to operate yourself, we act as your outsourced AR team. We send the reminders, handle customer replies, log into supplier portals, and escalate to decision-makers. You get the results without doing the work.
This matters because 86% of small businesses experience delayed invoice payments, yet most can't afford dedicated AR staff. We cost a fraction of hiring while delivering comparable (often better) results. Our clients have recovered hundreds of thousands in overdue receivables and cut DSO by 50+ days.
The alternatives either require expensive enterprise implementations, legacy SFTP integrations, or internal staff to execute on software insights. We integrate in minutes with your existing QuickBooks, Xero, or NetSuite setup and start recovering cash immediately.
Small teams need execution, not more tools. That's exactly what we deliver.
Final thoughts on finding the right collections solution
Small teams need accounts receivable for small teams that delivers results without requiring internal resources to manage. We handle collections as a service, doing the actual work while you focus on strategic finance priorities. You get faster payments and healthier cash flow without adding headcount or learning new software.
FAQ
How do I choose the right collections software for my small finance team?
Start by deciding whether you need software to manage yourself or a service that does the work for you. If you're stretched thin, look for solutions that handle customer replies, portal uploads, and escalations automatically. Check that it integrates with your existing accounting system (QuickBooks, Xero, NetSuite) without requiring IT support, and prioritize options that can start recovering cash within days rather than months.
Which collections solution works best for teams without dedicated AR staff?
Service-based solutions like Invoice Butler work best when you don't have AR specialists on staff, since they act as your outsourced collections team rather than giving you another tool to operate. Software-only options like Upflow or Growfin require your existing finance, sales, or customer success teams to execute the collections work themselves, which may not be realistic if you're already stretched thin.
Can collections software handle supplier portals like Coupa and Ariba?
Most collections software cannot access or upload to third-party supplier portals - they only send emails. Invoice Butler specifically logs into portals like Coupa, Ariba, and Tipalti to upload invoices, fill out forms, and chase approvals on your behalf. If your customers require portal submissions, verify that your chosen solution actually performs this work rather than just tracking it.
What's the difference between legacy collections platforms and modern solutions?
Legacy platforms like Billtrust and Tesorio use SFTP file transfers that batch data overnight and primarily support older ERP systems, requiring weeks to implement. Modern solutions offer real-time API integrations with accounting systems and newer billing tools like Stripe, Orb, and Sequence, with setup times measured in minutes or days. Legacy platforms also typically require large AR teams to operate them, while modern options serve smaller teams.
How quickly can I expect to see results after implementing collections software?
With modern integrations and service-based solutions, you can start seeing collections activity within hours or days of setup. Invoice Butler clients often recover overdue payments within the first month, with some seeing ROI in the first billing cycle. Enterprise solutions with SFTP integrations and lengthy implementations may take weeks or months before delivering results, which matters when cash flow is tight.
