Automated SMS payment reminders
Get paid on time without chasing every customer by phone. DARSMS reminder schedules send personalised SMS reminders before each due date for school fees, loan instalments, insurance premiums, rent and invoices.
Overview
Many late payments happen simply because people forget. A polite reminder a few days before the due date, with the amount and payment details, is one of the lowest-cost ways to improve collection for schools, lenders, insurers, landlords and service providers.
Instead of sending reminders by hand each month, create a reminder schedule in DARSMS. Add each customer with their total and instalment amounts and dates, choose a weekly or monthly frequency, and set how many days before the due date the reminder should be sent. The platform then sends every reminder automatically.
Common uses
- School and college fee balances.
- Microfinance and SACCO loan instalments.
- Insurance premium and renewal reminders.
- Monthly rent and service charges.
- Subscription and invoice due dates.
- Contribution and pledge reminders for events and churches.
How it works with DARSMS
- 01
Create a schedule
Name the schedule, pick your Sender ID, choose weekly or monthly frequency and set the start and end dates.
- 02
Add recipients
Add each customer with their phone number, total amount and instalment, individually or from a spreadsheet.
- 03
Write the template
Write one message with placeholders for name and amount so every customer receives their own figures.
- 04
Let it run
DARSMS sends reminders the chosen number of days before each due date. Pause, edit or end the schedule at any time.
Example messages
Dear John, your loan instalment of TZS 60,000 is due on 25/07. Pay via M-Pesa till 123456. Thank you - Imara SACCOS
115 characters
Hello Fatma, rent of TZS 450,000 for Apt 4B is due on 01/08. Kindly pay to account 0150-XXXX and share the slip. - Makazi Properties
132 characters
Best practices
- Send the first reminder three to five days before the due date.
- Always include the exact amount, due date and how to pay.
- Keep the tone polite; the goal is to help the customer pay, not to pressure them.
- Stop reminders as soon as a payment is received to avoid confusion.
- Review failed deliveries monthly and update wrong numbers.
Frequently asked questions
Can reminders repeat automatically every month?
Yes. Reminder schedules support weekly and monthly frequencies between a start and end date, and send each reminder a set number of days before the due date.
Can each customer receive a different amount?
Yes. Each recipient in a schedule has their own amounts and dates, which are inserted into the message template when the reminder is sent.
What does an automated reminder cost?
Each reminder uses SMS credits like any other message: one credit per 160 standard characters. There is no extra fee for using reminder schedules.
Related pages
Ready to get started?
Create a free account with 5 SMS credits to test, then buy credits with mobile money as you grow.