The verdict in three sentences
In Dakar, many B2B SMEs wait 95 days on average to get paid while their suppliers demand 30 to 45 days, and the gap is financed by a bank overdraft charged at around 10 to 12% a year. A system of automated reminders by email, SMS and WhatsApp, with a Wave or Orange Money payment link in every message, costs 2 to 6 million FCFA (about USD 3,500 to 10,500) and goes live in 5 weeks. Cutting the delay from 95 to 60 days releases, for an SME with 420 million FCFA of credit sales, about 40 million FCFA of cash (roughly USD 70,000). For a New York investor or diaspora shareholder, this is one of the fastest working-capital wins in West Africa.
Three packages priced in FCFA
| Package | Content | 2026 budget | Timeline |
|---|---|---|---|
| Essential | Invoice import from Excel or Sage, email and SMS reminders at D-3, D+7, D+15, D+30 | 2,000,000 to 3,000,000 FCFA | 3 weeks |
| Standard | Essential + WhatsApp Business, Wave and Orange Money payment links, automatic reconciliation | 3,000,000 to 4,500,000 FCFA | 5 weeks |
| Advanced | Standard + customer portal, risk scoring, DSO dashboard, escalation to sales rep | 4,500,000 to 6,000,000 FCFA | 6 to 7 weeks |
| Hosting and maintenance | Server, monitoring, minor changes | 50,000 to 150,000 FCFA per month | Ongoing |
| SMS in Senegal | Unit cost at volume | 15 to 25 FCFA per SMS | Variable |
| WhatsApp reminder message | Meta-approved utility template | 5 to 20 FCFA per message | Variable |
| Wave or Orange Money collection fees | Merchant payment | About 1 to 1.5% | Per transaction |
The most profitable item is the payment link: a customer who can settle an 850,000 FCFA invoice in two taps on their phone no longer pushes payment to next week.
Before and after automation
| Indicator | Manual reminders | Automated reminders |
|---|---|---|
| Days sales outstanding (DSO) | 95 days | 60 days |
| Invoices chased on time | 30 to 40% | 100% |
| Collections team time | 60 h per month | 15 h per month, on hard cases |
| Main channel | Phone calls | WhatsApp and SMS with payment link |
| Payments received via mobile money | Under 10% | 35 to 50% of small invoices |
| Receivables over 120 days | 18% of the ledger | 6 to 8% of the ledger |
Reminders must stay courteous and personal: contact name, invoice number and amount, PDF copy, payment link and a number to call in case of dispute.
The reminder sequence that works
A typical sequence for Senegalese SMEs has five steps: a friendly email at D-3, a WhatsApp on the due date with the Wave or Orange Money link, an SMS at D+7, a firmer email with account statement at D+15, then an alert to the sales rep and finance director at D+30 for a direct call. Beyond D+60, the system prepares the formal notice in line with the OHADA Uniform Act on simplified debt recovery. Each payment received is reconciled automatically and stops further reminders.
Mini case study
Mrs Ndiaye, finance director of a 45-person electrical equipment distributor in Dakar, invoices 420 million FCFA a year on credit to 300 business customers. Her DSO stands at 95 days and her overdraft costs 11% a year.
- Standard package project: 4,000,000 FCFA, maintenance 100,000 FCFA per month
- Cash released: 420,000,000 / 365 x 35 days = about 40,000,000 FCFA
- Interest avoided: 40,000,000 x 11% = 4,400,000 FCFA per year
- Collections time saved: 45 h per month x 3,500 FCFA = 157,500 FCFA per month
- Payback: 4,000,000 / (366,000 + 157,500 - 100,000) = about 9.4 months, before counting the drop in bad debt
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FAQ
Do we need to change accounting software?
No. The system reads invoices from Sage, an Excel export or your ERP, and sends payments back for reconciliation. The connector is included in the Standard and Advanced packages.
Do customers accept WhatsApp reminders?
Yes, provided you use WhatsApp Business with approved templates and have the customer's consent, collected at contract signature. In practice the read rate exceeds 85%, against 20 to 30% for email.
How much do Wave and Orange Money payments cost?
Plan about 1 to 1.5% per merchant collection. On a 500,000 FCFA invoice, that is 5,000 to 7,500 FCFA, often less than one day of overdraft on the total ledger.
What about large accounts paying by bank transfer?
Statements and reminders stay automated, with bank details and invoice reference. Transfers are reconciled against the bank statement.
Does the system comply with Senegalese data law?
Yes if data processing is declared to the CDP under Law 2008-12 and hosted securely, with access limited to the finance team.
Let's scope your project. Share your invoice volume, accounting software and current DSO: we will price a reminder and payment solution between 2 and 6 million FCFA, delivered in 5 weeks. Detailed quote within 48 h. WhatsApp +221 77 596 93 33.
Mohamed Bah
Fondateur, Kolonell
Passionate about digital and entrepreneurship in Africa, Mohamed has been helping Sénégalese businesses with their digital transformation since 2020. Founder of Kolonell, he believes every SME deserves a professional and accessible online présence.
