Planned featurePlanned
Cake balance reminders and pickup reminders
A cake balance reminder works best when it is short, friendly and specific: the customer's name, the order, the amount still due, the pickup date and how to pay, sent a day or two before pickup. Automatic payment and pickup reminders are planned in Farinu and not available yet. Below you will find messages you can copy today, what Farinu already does with deposits and balances, and what the planned reminders will add.
Why balances and pickups slip
Most custom cake orders follow the same pattern: the customer pays a deposit to book the date, and the rest is due at pickup or delivery. Between the two there can be weeks, and in that gap the details fade on both sides.
The customer forgets the exact amount or the time they agreed. You remember the cake but not who still owes what, because the deposit came by transfer, the order came by message and the notes are on paper. Chasing money feels awkward, so the message gets put off until the cake is already gone.
- A balance you did not ask for before pickup is harder to collect after it.
- A customer who forgets the pickup time leaves a finished cake in your fridge.
- Writing every reminder by hand takes time on your busiest days.
Writing a cake balance reminder that gets paid
Keep it to three or four lines and put the amount in the message, so the customer does not have to ask. Send the first one one or two days before pickup, and a short one on the morning of pickup if the balance is still open.
These are examples you can adapt and send from your phone today:
- Before pickup: Hi Maria, your chocolate cake for Saturday is on schedule. The balance is $60, payable by transfer or cash at pickup. See you Saturday at 11 am!
- Pickup day: Good morning Maria, your cake is ready for pickup at 11 am today. Remember the $60 balance. Thank you!
- After delivery: Hi Maria, I hope the party went well. A quick reminder that $60 is still pending for the cake. Here are my transfer details. Thanks so much!
What you can do in Farinu today
Farinu already keeps the facts a reminder needs in one place. Each customer can have a WhatsApp number, and each custom order records its delivery date, its lines from your price list, the deposit and every balance payment, so the open balance is always calculated for you.
When an order is delivered, still has a balance due and the customer has a WhatsApp number, the order page shows a WhatsApp link that opens a chat with the customer and a pre-written balance message. You review it and press send yourself. What does not exist yet is scheduling: Farinu does not send reminders on its own before pickup.
Worked example: one order, three reminders
This example shows when each message would go out for a typical custom order. The amounts are illustrative.
| When | What happens | Amount due |
|---|---|---|
| Order day | Customer confirms and pays the deposit | $60 paid |
| 2 days before pickup | Balance and pickup reminder | $60 due |
| Pickup morning | Short pickup reminder | $60 due |
| Pickup | Customer pays the balance, order is paid | $0 |
| Day after, if unpaid | Polite balance reminder | $60 due |
What the planned reminders will do
The goal is that you never have to remember who to message. Plans can change before release, but this is what the feature is meant to cover:
- Suggest a pickup reminder for each confirmed order a set number of days before its delivery date.
- Prepare a balance reminder with the exact amount still due, taken from the order's payments.
- Use the WhatsApp number already saved on the customer.
- Show a daily list of reminders due, so you can send them in one go.
- Stop reminding as soon as the order is paid or cancelled.
Questions
- Can Farinu send payment reminders automatically today?
- No. Automatic reminders are planned. Today, a delivered order with a balance due shows a WhatsApp link with a pre-written message, if the customer has a WhatsApp number, and you send it yourself.
- When should I send a cake balance reminder?
- One or two days before pickup, with the amount and how to pay, plus a short message on pickup morning if it is still open. After delivery, send one polite reminder the next day.
- Do I need the paid plan for orders and reminders?
- Creating orders and recording payments is free for up to 50 orders a month, and Team removes the limit. Recipe costing is free for up to 10 recipes.
- Will helpers be able to send reminders?
- Helpers already manage orders and see prices, totals and balances, but never costs. Reminders are expected to follow the same rules.
Related pages
Keep every balance in one place
Create a free account to cost your recipes in Farinu and track up to 50 orders a month with deposits and balances, or move to Team for unlimited orders, while payment and pickup reminders are on the way.