The verdict in three sentences
In Côte d'Ivoire, Kenya and many other markets, B2B SMBs often run a days sales outstanding (DSO) above 90 days, while contracts usually specify 30 to 60 days. Manual chasing by an assistant is irregular and stops as soon as the team gets busy. A custom automation with email, SMS and WhatsApp sequences, a mobile-money or card payment link and an aged receivables dashboard connected to accounting (FCFA 3,000,000 to 7,000,000, about USD 5,000 to 11,700) targets a DSO cut of 15 to 30 days, often freeing tens of millions of FCFA in cash.
What a 90-day DSO costs
Every day of delay ties up part of your revenue. For an SMB invoicing FCFA 1.5 billion a year (about USD 2.5 million), one day of DSO represents roughly FCFA 4,100,000 of blocked cash. With overdraft rates in Abidjan around 9 to 12% a year (and higher in Nairobi), that cost is very real.
| Annual revenue | Value of one DSO day | Cash freed (DSO -15 d) | Cash freed (DSO -30 d) | Financing costs avoided (10%/yr, -30 d) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| FCFA 300,000,000 | FCFA 820,000 | FCFA 12,300,000 | FCFA 24,600,000 | FCFA 2,460,000 |
| FCFA 600,000,000 | FCFA 1,640,000 | FCFA 24,600,000 | FCFA 49,300,000 | FCFA 4,930,000 |
| FCFA 1,000,000,000 | FCFA 2,740,000 | FCFA 41,100,000 | FCFA 82,200,000 | FCFA 8,220,000 |
| FCFA 1,500,000,000 | FCFA 4,110,000 | FCFA 61,600,000 | FCFA 123,300,000 | FCFA 12,330,000 |
| FCFA 3,000,000,000 | FCFA 8,220,000 | FCFA 123,300,000 | FCFA 246,600,000 | FCFA 24,660,000 |
On top of that come receivables that end up as bad debt: beyond 180 days, the probability of collection often drops below 50%.
Three ways to chase your customers
| Criterion | Manual chasing | SaaS collections tool | Custom automation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Upfront cost | FCFA 0 | FCFA 0 to 500,000 setup | FCFA 3,000,000 to 7,000,000 (USD 5,000 to 11,700) |
| Recurring cost | 1 to 2 days a week of an assistant (about FCFA 150,000 to 250,000 a month) | USD 50 to 300 a month | FCFA 60,000 to 150,000 a month (hosting, SMS, WhatsApp) |
| Channels | Phone, email | Email, sometimes SMS | Email, SMS, WhatsApp Business, scheduled call |
| One-click payment | No | Mostly card | Wave, Orange Money, MTN MoMo, M-Pesa, bank transfer, card |
| Accounting link | Excel export | Mostly European or US connectors | Sage, Odoo, Xero, local software or custom database |
| Consistency | Variable | Good | Complete, sequences per customer profile |
| Time to deploy | Immediate | 2 to 4 weeks | 6 to 10 weeks |
International SaaS tools are well designed but rarely handle WhatsApp natively, local mobile money or local accounting software. In Abidjan or Nairobi, a WhatsApp reminder is read within the hour in over 90% of cases, versus under 30% for an email.
A dunning sequence that works
The automation runs on sequences tailored to the customer profile: key account, regular SMB, at-risk customer. Each reminder includes the amount, the PDF invoice and a payment link. As soon as payment arrives, the invoice is reconciled and reminders stop.
| Step | Timing | Channel | Content |
|---|---|---|---|
| Courtesy reminder | D-5 before due date | Invoice, due date, payment link | |
| Due date | Day D | Short message, amount, mobile-money link | |
| First reminder | D+7 | Email and SMS | Firm reminder, statement of account |
| Second reminder | D+15 | WhatsApp and scheduled call | Task assigned to the account manager |
| Formal notice | D+30 | Letter and email | Contractual penalties, new orders on hold |
| Escalation | D+45 | Management task | Payment plan or collection procedure |
The aged receivables dashboard (0-30, 31-60, 61-90, over 90 days) refreshes every night and is emailed to the CFO every Monday.
Mini case study
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Mr Kouassi, managing director of an industrial supplies distributor in Abidjan (45 staff, FCFA 1 billion in revenue), runs a DSO of 95 days. His assistant spends 1.5 days a week chasing payments. The custom project is quoted at FCFA 5,200,000, plus FCFA 100,000 a month. After six months, DSO drops to 70 days: 25 days x FCFA 2,740,000 = FCFA 68,500,000 (about USD 114,000) of cash freed. In the first year, avoided overdraft costs reach about FCFA 6,800,000, and the assistant gains 6 days a month. The project pays back in under 10 months on financing costs alone, before counting lower bad debt.
FAQ
Do B2B customers accept WhatsApp reminders?
Yes, provided the tone stays professional and the customer shared the number in a business context. We use the official WhatsApp Business API, at roughly FCFA 20 to 50 (USD 0.03 to 0.08) per message.
Can the tool connect to Sage or local accounting software?
Yes. Sage, Odoo, Xero and most local packages export invoices and payments. Sync runs nightly or hourly, for FCFA 800,000 to 1,500,000 depending on the software.
What happens when a customer pays by mobile money?
Payment is confirmed by webhook, the invoice is marked paid and the following reminders are cancelled. Wave merchant fees stay around 1%.
Does automation replace the account manager?
No. It handles about 70 to 80% of routine reminders and hands sensitive cases to the account manager from D+15.
What DSO gain is realistic?
As a 2026 order of magnitude, 15 to 30 days within 6 months, provided payment terms are written on quotes and invoices.
Let's scope your project. Share your invoice volume, accounting software and current DSO: we will scope a project between FCFA 3,000,000 and 7,000,000 (USD 5,000 to 11,700), delivered in 6 to 10 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.
