You have customers who pay you every month. The same services, the same amounts, the same routine. Yet somehow, you’re still chasing those payments like they’re one-off projects instead of ongoing commitments.
Every month, the cycle repeats. You create invoices for the same clients. You send them. You wait. You send reminders. Some customers pay on time. Others are a few days late. A handful forget completely, and suddenly you’re following up on revenue that should have been the most predictable part of your cash flow.
When you’re providing consistent value month after month, payments should match that consistency. The problem isn’t your customers. Most genuinely intend to pay on time. The problem is asking busy people to manually process the same payment over and over when the entire process could happen automatically.
Getting your customers to use Finli’s Autopay solves this completely. Once they set it up, payments process automatically without requiring action from anyone. Your recurring revenue becomes genuinely predictable.
Why Manual Recurring Payments Cost More Than You Think
Let’s be honest about what “recurring revenue” looks like in your business right now. You probably have 5-15 customers paying you monthly for retainers, subscriptions, or ongoing services. That might represent 30-50% of your total revenue.
But it’s not predictable. Some months, everyone pays within a few days. Other months, half your recurring customers are late, and you’re scrambling to cover expenses because money that should have arrived on Tuesday still hasn’t shown up by Friday.
The time costs add up fast. Creating the same invoices every month, tracking who’s paid and who hasn’t, sending reminders to late payers, answering questions about payment details you explained last month. The average small business owner spends 8+ hours weekly on payment-related tasks, and a big chunk of that time goes toward managing payments that should be automatic.
The hidden costs run deeper. When recurring payments don’t arrive on schedule, you can’t rely on your cash flow projections. You hold off on purchases because you’re not sure if expected revenue will actually materialize. You make conservative decisions when you could be investing in growth, all because payments that should be guaranteed keep surprising you with delays.
How to Present Autopay to Your Customers
Getting customers to adopt Autopay starts with how you present it. Frame it as a convenience for them, not just a benefit for you. Because it genuinely is. Once they set it up, they never have to think about your invoice again.
When introducing Autopay to existing customers, focus on what they gain:
“I’m now offering automatic billing to make your life easier. Instead of receiving and manually processing an invoice every month, you can set up Autopay once and you’re done. You’ll still get payment confirmations, but the actual payment will happen automatically on [date] each month. You’ll never have to remember to pay an invoice again.”
Most customers appreciate this option. They already trust you. They’ve been paying you for months or years. You’re offering to remove administrative burden from their plate. Many will wonder why you didn’t offer this sooner.
For new customers, present Autopay as your preferred method for recurring work: “For ongoing services, I offer automatic billing. You set it up once in under two minutes, and payments happen automatically each month. Most of my clients prefer this because they never have to worry about missing a payment deadline.”
Make Setup Easier Than Manual Payment
The reason customers agree to use Autopay is simple: setting it up once is easier than manually processing payments every single month. The setup process through Finli takes under two minutes.
When you send a recurring invoice through Finli, customers receive a link to enable Autopay. They connect their bank account through Plaid using their existing online banking credentials. No verification codes to wait for. No micro-deposits to confirm. No multi-day setup process. The connection happens instantly with the same security protocols major banks use.
Once connected, they authorize the recurring payment schedule. They see exactly what they’re agreeing to: the amount, the frequency, when the first payment will process. After that one-time setup, they’re done. Payments happen automatically without them lifting a finger.
The key is emphasizing that this two-minute setup saves them time every single month going forward. That’s a compelling value proposition for any busy professional.
Start With Your Most Reliable Customers
Don’t try to get everyone on Autopay at once. Start by encouraging your 3-5 most reliable recurring customers to adopt it first. These are clients who already pay consistently. They’ll appreciate the convenience and serve as your success stories when encouraging others.
Monthly retainers for consulting, marketing, bookkeeping, or any ongoing professional services work perfectly. Subscription services, maintenance contracts, and regular project work where you serve the same clients on consistent schedules are all ideal candidates.
Reach out personally to these customers rather than sending a mass email. A quick message like “I wanted to reach out to you first since you’ve been such a reliable client. I’m now offering Autopay for monthly retainers, and I think it would make your life easier. Would you be interested in setting it up?” shows you value the relationship while making the offer feel exclusive.
Once these first customers are using Autopay successfully, you can reference their experience when encouraging others: “Most of my recurring clients have switched to Autopay and love not having to think about invoices anymore.”
Address Common Concerns Upfront
Some customers hesitate to adopt Autopay due to concerns about control or unexpected charges. Address these proactively in your communication.
Control concerns: “You maintain complete control. You can view your payment schedule, update your payment method, or cancel Autopay at any time through your customer portal. Nothing changes without your authorization.”
Security concerns: “Autopay uses bank-level security through Plaid, the same system trusted by major financial institutions. Your payment information is encrypted and secure.”
Commitment concerns: “There’s no long-term commitment. If you want to switch back to manual invoices at any point, just let me know. Most clients prefer Autopay once they see how convenient it is.”
Being transparent about these details builds trust and makes customers more comfortable enabling Autopay.
What Changes When Customers Use Autopay
Payments arrive on schedule, every single time. No more wondering if this month’s retainer will be on time. Once customers enable Autopay, payments process on the scheduled date, and money hits your account predictably.
You eliminate all invoicing and follow-up work for customers using Autopay. No more creating the same invoice every month. No more tracking payment status. No more reminder emails. Those hours you spend managing recurring payments disappear completely.
Your customers never have to think about it. After the initial setup, they’re done. No monthly invoices to process. No due dates to remember. It works automatically, month after month, without requiring mental bandwidth from anyone.
Your cash flow becomes genuinely predictable. When you know exactly when recurring payments will arrive from customers using Autopay, you can plan with confidence. You can commit to expenses, make investments, and grow your business based on reliable revenue instead of hopeful estimates.
What to Do When Payments Fail
Even with Autopay, occasional payments will fail. Expired cards, insufficient funds, or closed accounts can interrupt automatic billing. The difference is how quickly these issues get resolved.
Finli notifies both you and your customer immediately when a payment fails. Your customer receives clear instructions on updating their payment method or retrying the payment through their portal. Most customers resolve the issue in under a minute without needing to contact you.
When reaching out about a failed payment, keep it simple: “Hi [Customer], just a heads up that this month’s Autopay didn’t go through. Finli sent you a link to update your payment method. It takes about 30 seconds to fix. Let me know if you have any questions!”
This is dramatically better than the manual alternative, where a failed payment might go unnoticed for days until you realize the expected deposit never arrived.
The Numbers That Matter
Let’s quantify what happens when your customers use Autopay. Assume you have 10 recurring customers each paying $500 monthly. That’s $60,000 in annual recurring revenue.
Time savings: Managing recurring invoices takes roughly 30 minutes per customer monthly. For 10 customers, that’s 60 hours annually. At $75/hour, you’re spending $4,500 yearly in opportunity cost.
Eliminated late payments: 57% of invoices to small businesses are paid late. When customers use Autopay, late payments disappear completely for those accounts.
Lower processing costs: Finli’s Autopay uses ACH transfers with 0% fees. If you previously collected via credit card at 2.9%, you were paying $1,740 annually in unnecessary fees on that $60,000.
The combined impact: $4,500 in reclaimed time plus $1,740 in reduced fees equals $6,240 in annual value when just 10 customers enable Autopay.
How to Increase Adoption Over Time
Getting customers to use Autopay is an ongoing process, not a one-time push. Build it into your normal business operations.
Include Autopay information in new customer onboarding materials. Make it part of your standard conversation when discussing ongoing services: “For monthly retainers, most clients use Autopay so they never have to think about invoices.”
Add a line to your email signature: “Ask me about Autopay for recurring services. Never miss a payment deadline again.”
When customers ask about payment options, mention Autopay first: “The easiest option is Autopay, which handles everything automatically. I can also send you a regular invoice each month if you prefer.”
Celebrate the convenience with existing Autopay users occasionally: “Thanks for using Autopay. It makes life easier for both of us!” This reinforces the value and may come up in conversations they have with other business owners.
Takeaways
Start by identifying your recurring customers. Calculate how many hours you currently spend managing these payments and what that time is worth.
Reach out personally to 3-5 reliable customers this week to encourage them to adopt Autopay. Explain the convenience, address any concerns, and send them the Autopay invitation through Finli. Most will complete setup in under two minutes.
Track the results over your first month. You’ll see payments arriving on schedule without follow-up, hours reclaimed from invoicing, and cash flow that matches your projections.
Then encourage more of your recurring customers to enable Autopay. Reference the positive experience of customers already using it. The time you save compounds quickly. 10 customers using Autopay saves dramatically more time than manually managing even 5.
Finli’s Autopay comes included at $39/month along with professional invoicing, automated reminders, 0% ACH fees, real-time tracking, and built-in customer management.
The businesses with the healthiest cash flow aren’t the ones working hardest to chase payments. They’re the ones whose customers have adopted Autopay, so revenue arrives predictably, without fail, every single time.
