Common Mistakes to Avoid

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Solido rules work best when they are short, directive, and focused on tone and style. Each reminder stage lets you add multiple rules, and Solido combines them with the invoice details it already knows: the customer name, invoice number, amount, and due date. Your rules just need to tell Solido how to say it, not what to say.

Here are the six most common mistakes we see, and how to fix each one.

1. Being Too Vague

A rule that gives Solido no direction forces it to guess at tone, length, and emphasis. The result is a generic email that could have come from any company.

Instead, give Solido a clear directive. Even a single sentence is enough if it describes how the email should feel.

2. Hardcoding Variable Data

Solido automatically pulls the customer name, invoice number, amount, and due date from Xero and inserts them into every email. When you put these details in your rules, the same hardcoded data gets applied to every customer, which means every email except one will contain the wrong information.

Focus your rule on how the email should read. Let Solido handle the data.

3. Giving Conflicting Instructions

Because you can add multiple rules per reminder stage, it is easy to accidentally send mixed signals. If one rule says “be friendly and casual” and another says “be very firm about consequences,” Solido has to choose. The result is an email that feels inconsistent.

Pick one tone direction per stage. All the rules within a single stage should point the same way.

4. Forgetting Reminder Stage Context

Each reminder stage represents a different moment in the collections timeline. A pre-due nudge is not the same as a 30-day overdue follow-up. Using identical rules across all stages produces a flat sequence that never escalates and loses its effectiveness.

Write different rules for each stage so the tone and urgency increase naturally over time.

5. Threatening Language in Early Stages

Jumping to threats in a first or second reminder damages customer relationships. Most overdue invoices are the result of oversight, not avoidance. Aggressive language early on makes customers less likely to pay and more likely to dispute.

In early stages, assume good intent. Keep the door open for the customer to respond.

6. Writing Paragraph-Length Rules

Rules are directives, not drafts. When you write a paragraph that describes every detail of the email you want, you are doing Solido's job for it. Long rules are harder to maintain, more likely to contain contradictions, and do not produce better results than concise ones.

Say the same thing in fewer words. Short, directive rules give Solido clear guardrails without micromanaging the output.

Summary

Avoiding these six mistakes will immediately improve the quality of the emails Solido generates for you:

• Be specific: Even a short rule should set a clear tone and intent.
• Do not hardcode data: Solido pulls invoice details from Xero automatically.
• Stay consistent: All rules within a stage should point in the same tone direction.
• Write stage-appropriate rules: Escalate tone and urgency across stages.
• Save firm language for later: Assume good intent in early stages.
• Keep rules concise: Short directives outperform paragraph-length instructions.

Review your existing rules against this checklist. Even small adjustments can lead to noticeably better reminder emails.