Wholesale distribution
Accounts receivable automation for distributors and wholesalers
Modern takes on trade account collections: it chases every customer by email, phone and SMS, matches lump sums and short-pays to the right invoices, and posts them to your ERP. Your credit team keeps the calls, the credit decisions and the key accounts.
Harbour Foods paid A$38,460No remittance. Reading the bank line...
Match to 3 open invoicesChecking open items in Xero...- Note the A$180 short-payDamaged stock, per their email...
A$38,460 covers three invoices, less A$180 for damaged stock. Post it to Xero?
EFT deposit · Oct 2
Works with
and +100 others
Why distributors pick Modern
Every account chased. Every payment matched.
- Bayside Cafe GroupReorders · On trackDay 1 · Follow upFriendly reminder for INV-5532Email sentDay 4 · Ease off“Paying on the 20th.” Reminders pausedPausedDay 21 · New approachPromise missed. Switched to a callCall bookedDay 22 · Needs a humanDamaged stock claim, handed to SamWith SamPaid in full · Next order placed
Every trade account chased
Modern works the long tail by email, phone and SMS, eases off when a customer promises to pay, and hands your credit controller a short list each morning.
- Bank lineEFT · Oct 2
- PDF remitSent to sales · Oct 3
- EmailDamaged stock · Oct 3
- Open invoices3 due in September
EFT-20871Matched 3 of 3A$38,460.00Harbour Foods · EFT · Oct 2Applied toINV-5511A$12,400.00INV-5524A$9,860.00INV-5532A$16,380.00A$180 short-pay: damaged stockLump sums matched the same day
One transfer for a month of invoices, no remittance, a short-pay for damaged stock. Modern works out what it covers and posts the match after approval.
- Your controlsApprove every sendSkip key accountsMax 2 touches a weekEmail, calls and SMSCalls 9 AM to 5 PMNo weekend contactDay 1 · EmailSent 9:12 AMSentDay 14 · Call10:30 AM, in hoursBookedDay 21 · Payment planNew step, so it waits for youApproved by AR lead
Nothing reaches a key customer without sign-off
Modern sends from your mailbox in your tone. At the start your team approves every message, and key accounts can stay with a person entirely.
How it works
From aged receivables to cash in the bank
Chase
Modern ranks every open trade account, then chases by email, phone and SMS. It eases off when a payment is promised and changes approach when one is missed. Your credit controller starts the day with a short list, not the whole ledger.
- Scoring open trade accounts
- Checking promises to pay
- Flagging accounts at risk
- Building today’s list
31 trade accounts need a touch today. Six need a call from you.
To: Credit team
- XeroBayside Cafe Group · 45 days overdueCaptured
- GmailCoastal Grocers · promise missedSent
Google CalendarHillcrest Hotel · call at 10:30Booked
Google DriveAged_receivables.xlsxGenerated
Match
A month of invoices in one transfer, with the remittance in the wrong inbox or none at all. Modern reads the bank line and any remittance, works out which invoices the payment covers, and posts the match to your ERP once you approve.
Yes, A$38,460 on Tuesday with no remittance. It covers three invoices, less A$180 for damaged stock. Ready to post to Xero.
- XeroHarbour Foods · 3 invoicesMatched
OutlookFwd: Remittance (sales inbox)Read
ExcelBank statement · Oct 2Connected- Google DriveRemittance_HF_Sep.pdfConnected
Resolve
Short-pays for damaged stock, pricing queries and missing credit notes get logged against the invoice with the reason, and routed to the person who can fix them, so the next order is not held up by an old dispute.
Two cartons arrived damaged. I logged it against the invoice.
- Customer email · photos attached
- INV-5532 · A$180 short-pay noted
Sent to Sam for a credit note
Report
Every call, email, SMS, promise and match is logged in one place. The CFO sees where overdue stands each week, and no one has to ask whether an account has been chased.
Overdue is down on last week. Three accounts need a call today, and the aged receivables report is ready.
- XeroAged receivables · all accountsConnected
- OutlookPromises to pay · this weekConnected
- ExcelCall log · 14 callsConnected
- Google DriveWeekly_aged_receivables.pdfGenerated
Made for your credit team
Approval first,
audit trail always
Live in days. Modern plugs into your ERP, email and phone, and your stack stays exactly as it is. Your team approves before anything new goes out, and every call, email, SMS and match is logged.
- Audit trail on every action
- Approval by default
- AI never sees credentials
- GDPR
- Role-based access control
- SSO with SAML or OIDC
- OAuth sign-in
- TLS encryption in transit
- AES-256 storage encryption
- Private by default
- 99.9% uptime SLA
- SOC 2 Type II in progress
How distributors compare
Which AR tools do distributors compare?
In Australia, usually ezyCollect or lower-cost reminder apps; US platforms such as Monk, Billtrust and Versapay target larger distributors. On Xero? See our best AR software for Xero guide.
| Tool | Price | Matches bank transfers without remittance | Where they win |
|---|---|---|---|
 | Book a demoPriced on your volume |  | Chases every account, matches lump sums, any ERP |
| Credit controller + Xero reminders | Included in Xero (opens in a new tab)Up to 5 email reminders | ×By hand | No new software; your team knows every customer |
| ezyCollectSidetrade | Quote only (opens in a new tab) | × | Widest AU ERP coverage, credit data |
| Chaser | A$399 to A$1,799 a month (opens in a new tab)By annual revenue | × | Proven reminders, SMS, calls, managed service |
| Paidnice | A$99 to A$1,199 a month (opens in a new tab)By invoices a month | × | Lowest price, AI reads replies |
| CreditorWatch Collect | Quote only (opens in a new tab) | × | Australian credit risk data built in |
| Monk | Quote only (opens in a new tab)“Flat and predictable” | Blank memos included | Distribution focus, AP portals, US case studiesNetSuite, SAP, Dynamics, Xero and more |
| Billtrust | Quote only (opens in a new tab) | Not stated | Scale and a B2B payments networkNo Xero named |
| Versapay | Quote only (opens in a new tab) | Not stated | Customer portal and payments at scaleNo Xero named |
No built-in credit data: ezyCollect and CreditorWatch Collect have it. Only need reminders? Chaser or Paidnice costs less.
FAQs
Frequently
Asked Questions
Can’t find what you’re looking for? Send us a message and a person on the team will answer.
Software that does the repetitive part of collecting from trade accounts: reminders before and after the due date, reading the replies, and matching each payment to the invoices it covers. Modern does that work inside the ERP you already run, while your credit team keeps the calls, the credit decisions and the key accounts.
Hundreds of trade accounts on 30-day terms, many small invoices and thin margins. In September 2026 only 48% of Australian B2B invoices were paid by the due date, and 19% of food and beverage services payments were more than 60 days overdue (CreditorWatch Business Risk Index, October 2026).
Automate the long tail and keep people on the accounts that need a call. Modern chases every customer by email, phone and SMS, eases off when a payment is promised and logs disputes against the invoice. Your credit controller gets a short list each morning: broken promises, real disputes and accounts at risk.
Modern reads the bank line and any remittance, even one sent to the wrong inbox, and works out which invoices a transfer covers. It notes each short-pay with its reason and posts the match to your ERP the same day, after approval.
Groups often pay centrally for invoices raised to each branch. Modern learns which branch accounts belong to which group and matches a head office payment across their invoices. When it is not sure, it asks your AR lead and remembers the answer.
Not if your team stays in control. Modern sends from your own mailbox in your tone, your team approves every message at the start, and key accounts can stay with a person entirely.
Yes. Modern works with any ERP, including Xero, MYOB, NetSuite, Pronto and SAP Business One. It reads invoices and contacts and posts matched payments back, so nothing changes in how you keep your books.
Yes. Modern works with any customer AP portal: its agent learns each portal as it navigates it, so invoices for larger retail and hospitality customers get submitted and checked like any other account.
Reminder apps list from A$99 to A$1,799 a month, suites like ezyCollect and Billtrust quote on request, and Modern is priced on your volume. On A$75m of revenue, one day of DSO is about A$205k. Modern's pilot customers averaged over 40% more cash collected, an over 42% reduction in DSO and about 29 hours saved a month (pilot results, not a promise).
Most teams go live within days. Modern connects to your ERP, email and phone, so there is nothing to migrate and no IT project.