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How Mercury Handles This

Mercury, VIS42’s Secretary agent, manages the communication layer of your receivables automatically:
  • Sends payment reminders to customers as due dates approach
  • Escalates overdue invoices with progressively firmer tone (friendly → firm → urgent)
  • Notifies you when invoices are viewed, partially paid, or overdue
  • Drafts collection emails for your review before sending

Mercury — The Secretary

Configure Mercury to handle your collections automatically

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Key Concepts

TermMeaning
InvoiceA formal payment request sent to a customer
QuoteA price proposal that can be converted to an invoice
Credit NoteA document that reduces the amount a customer owes
CounterpartThe customer or supplier record in VIS42
DSODays Sales Outstanding — average days to collect payment

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Invoice Status Lifecycle

Draft → Sent → Viewed → Partial → Paid (or Overdue → Cancelled)
  • Draft — Being prepared, not yet sent
  • Sent — Delivered to customer
  • Viewed — Customer opened the invoice
  • Partial — Payment received but not in full
  • Paid — Fully settled
  • Overdue — Past due date with no full payment
  • Cancelled — Voided
Once an invoice is marked Sent, editing is restricted. Cancel and re-issue if corrections are needed.

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Creating an Invoice

1

Go to Receivables → Invoices and click New Invoice

Select an existing counterpart from the dropdown, or create a new one inline.
2

Add line items

Select products from your catalog or enter custom line items. Each line includes description, quantity, unit price, and tax rate.
3

Set payment terms

Choose a due date or select a payment terms template (Net 15, Net 30, etc.). Add any notes visible to the customer.
4

Preview and send

Click Preview to see the customer-facing PDF. Click Send to deliver by email, or Download to send manually.
Use payment terms templates (set in Configuration → Payment Terms) to pre-fill due dates consistently across all invoices.

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Creating a Quote

1

Go to Receivables → Quotes and click New Quote

Quotes follow the same line item structure as invoices.
2

Set a valid-until date

Quotes expire automatically after this date — the customer sees this on the document.
3

Send and track

Send to the customer. VIS42 tracks whether it has been viewed.
4

Convert to Invoice

When accepted, click Convert to Invoice. All line items carry over — no re-entry needed.
Converting a Quote to an Invoice preserves all line items and pricing. The original quote is archived automatically.

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Issuing a Credit Note

1

Open the invoice and click Issue Credit Note

You can issue a partial or full credit note against any paid or sent invoice.
2

Enter the credit amount and reason

Common reasons: overcharge, return, discount, correction.
3

Apply or refund

Credit notes can be applied to a future invoice for the same counterpart, or flagged for direct refund.

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Recording a Payment

1

Open the invoice and click Record Payment

Use this when payment arrives outside of an automated channel (bank transfer, cash, cheque).
2

Enter amount, date, and payment method

For partial payments, the invoice moves to Partial status. Record additional payments until fully settled.

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Recurring Invoices

For subscription or retainer billing:
1

Create the invoice and click Set as Recurring

Choose the schedule: weekly, monthly, quarterly, or annually.
2

Configure auto-send

Enable Auto-Send to have invoices created and delivered automatically on schedule.
3

Set an end date (optional)

Leave blank for indefinite recurrence, or set a stop date.
Recurring invoices use the line item prices set at creation time. Update the template if pricing changes.

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Best Practices

Configure Mercury to send a friendly reminder 3 days before due date and an escalating follow-up 7 days after. This saves hours of manual follow-up each week.
Define default payment terms per counterpart in Counterparts → Payment Terms. These pre-fill on every new invoice.
Themis can generate a Receivables Performance report showing your average collection time. Ask Themis for a receivables health KPI report.