Troubleshooting
Quick answers to the things people ask most.
Why isn’t Gary calling my customer?
Most often it’s one of these:
- They’re not switched on. Gary calls the customers you’ve turned him on for on the Approvals page, plus new invoices if you’ve left the automatic rule on. See Turning Gary on for a customer.
- No phone number. Gary needs a phone number on the contact. If it shows No phone, add one in Xero (or in Gary) and it appears at the next sync.
- They’re on your do-not-call list. Anyone who’s opted out can’t be called.
- It’s outside your calling window. Gary only calls during your hours (by default 8am–6pm on weekdays, in the customer’s timezone). He waits for the next allowed time.
- The invoice isn’t due yet, or is too small. Your follow-up rules can set a grace period after the due date and a minimum invoice amount.
- Gary is stopped for the whole org. If the switch on Approvals is set to off, no calls go out for anyone until you switch it back.
- Your balance has run out. Gary pauses new calls when your balance runs out. See Balance and billing.
- Gary reached them five times already. After five connected calls about one invoice with no payment, Gary stops and flags it to escalate to debt collection. See What happens after a call.
How do I try Gary safely first?
You choose who Gary rings, so start with one customer you are comfortable with. Open Invoices, pick one overdue invoice, click Get Gary to call, confirm the number, and listen in live. That way you hear exactly how Gary sounds before you widen it.
The rest of the controls stay in your hands:
- On Approvals, you pick which customers Gary is on for. Set the org switch to off and he stops for everyone at once.
- Chase new invoices automatically is on by default, so an invoice that arrives after your first Xero sync gets chased. Switch it off in Settings → Follow-up rules to approve each one yourself.
- Invoices already overdue when you connected Xero are never dialled automatically. You approve those.
- Gary only calls New Zealand numbers, only inside your calling window, and he never calls anyone on your do-not-call list.
Gary called but didn’t reach anyone
That’s a no answer. Gary tries again the same day, after 1 hour, then 2, then 4, and starts fresh the next day while the invoice is owing. Nothing is charged for a call that doesn’t connect.
A customer opted out by mistake: can I undo it?
Opt-outs are permanent by design, so nobody is called again after asking to stop. There’s no in-app way to remove one: contact us, and we only do it with the customer’s agreement.
An invoice is in Xero but not in Gary
Gary reads a narrow slice of Xero: approved sales invoices, past due by your rules, for a customer with a phone number. Gary and Xero lists every filter, and the rest of that page covers connecting, syncing and disconnecting.
Something else
If a page won’t load or a connection shows an error, check the Integrations page, a Xero or mailbox connection may need reconnecting. If you’re still stuck, get in touch and we’ll help.