Cleaners · Getting paid

Get an email the moment a client's Direct Debit fails

Set-up time20 min
DifficultyEasy
AppsGoCardless Zapier Google Workspace Microsoft 365

The problem

You only find out a Direct Debit failed when you check the dashboard days later.

The result

A failed GoCardless payment sends you an email straight away so you can contact the client.

How to set it up: Zapier

Create a Zap with GoCardless as the trigger app and choose "Failed Payment".
Add an action: Gmail "Send Email" or Microsoft Outlook "Send Email", sent to yourself.
Put the payment amount, customer and failure reason in the subject and body.
Optional: use Gmail "Create Draft" instead to prepare a polite note to the client that you check before sending.
Test, then turn the Zap on.

Get AI to help you build it

Paste this into ChatGPT, Copilot, Gemini or Claude:

Write a short, kind UK-English message to a cleaning client whose Direct Debit has failed. Ask them to check their bank and let me know when to retry. Under 60 words.

AI tools can get menu names wrong. Check against the sources below.

Before you start

Don't forward full bank details in the email: you only need the customer, amount and reason.

Integrations used

GoCardless + Zapier

Works via connector

Yes. GoCardless on Zapier can start Zaps on payment and mandate events, and can create mandate requests, payments and subscriptions.

Sources

Last checked 22 October 2026. Software changes; check the vendor's docs before you rely on this.