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Customer Lifecycle — from On Track to Lost

Lifecycle Overview​

Every customer in Paymely follows a defined lifecycle. Transitions happen automatically at midnight (Toronto time) via the nightly check.

On Track → Overdue → Stopped (no follow-up) → In Settlement → Lost
    ↑                                                           ↓
    └────────────────────── Reset cycle ───────────────────────┘

The 8 Possible Statuses​

StatusMeaningTrigger
InactiveAdded but no schedule assignedManual / default on creation
On TrackSchedule running, due date not yet passedSchedule assignment
OverdueDue date passed, after-due reminders still being sentAutomatic (nightly check)
PaidBalance fully settledPayment recorded (auto or manual)
Stopped (no follow-up)All reminders exhausted, no communication runningAutomatic (nightly check)
In SettlementSettlement offer assigned, sequence actively sendingSettlement offer creation
LostSettlement offer expired without responseAutomatic (nightly check)
LegalAll communication blocked (legal proceedings)Manual only

Transition: On Track → Overdue​

When? Every night at midnight (Toronto time), the system checks all on-track customers.

Condition:

  • The customer's due date is strictly past (the day after the due date)
  • Balance is not fully settled

What happens:

  1. Status → Overdue
  2. Reminders continue to be sent normally (after-due stages)

Example: Due date = February 25th. The customer stays On Track all day on the 25th. At midnight on February 26th → Overdue.

Transition: Overdue → Stopped (no follow-up)​

When? Same nightly check at midnight (Toronto time).

Condition:

  • Customer is Overdue
  • All enabled steps of all active (non-settlement) schedules are exhausted
  • The last reminder date has passed

What happens:

  1. Status → Stopped (no follow-up)
  2. No more reminders are sent — the customer is waiting for a decision

Important: A Stopped customer receives no communication at all. It's up to you to decide the next step.

Transition: Stopped → In Settlement​

When? When you create a settlement offer for the customer.

Condition:

  • Customer is Stopped (no follow-up)
  • A settlement offer is created (manually or in bulk)

What happens:

  1. Status → In Settlement
  2. If a settlement schedule is assigned → the sequence messages are sent automatically
  3. The customer receives the offer with a deadline to pay

Transition: In Settlement → Lost​

When? Same nightly check at midnight (Toronto time).

Condition:

  • Customer is In Settlement
  • Associated settlement offer has expired (past its expiry date)
  • No payment received

What happens:

  1. Status → Lost
  2. No more automatic sends

Transition: → Paid (automatic)​

When a payment is recorded (manual or via AI reconciliation):

  • If the total amount paid covers the full amount due → status automatically changes to Paid
  • All ongoing reminders stop immediately

Edge case: If a partial payment is recorded and the remaining balance > 0, status remains unchanged.

Reset the Cycle​

If a Stopped, In Settlement, or Lost customer comes back (e.g., dispute resolved, new agreement), you can reset their cycle:

  1. Open the customer profile
  2. Click Reset cycle
  3. Confirm

What resets:

  • Cycle counter → 0
  • Last cycle completion date → cleared
  • Status → On Track
  • Customer restarts at step 1 of their schedule

Cycle Counter​

The cycle counter tracks how many times the customer has completed a full collection cycle. Useful for identifying repeat offenders.

Known Issue: Late-Added Customers​

If you assign a schedule to a customer whose due date has already passed, the nightly check may move them to Stopped quickly if all reminders are already exhausted, without having sent any messages.

Workaround: Manually check the status after assigning a late schedule.