How to create failed payment alerts with Pipedream

Workflows > New Workflow

Create new workflow in Pipedream

Navigate to pipedream.com and click New Workflow in the top right. You'll see the workflow builder interface with an empty trigger step. Click on the trigger step to configure it. This opens the source selection panel where you'll choose your Stripe webhook trigger.

1. 1Click 'New Workflow' button in dashboard
2. 2Click on the empty trigger step
3. 3Search for 'Stripe' in the sources panel
4. 4Select 'Stripe - New Event (Instant)'

Trigger Step > Configure Source

Configure Stripe webhook for payment failures

Select the 'invoice.payment_failed' event type from the dropdown. This specifically catches failed payment attempts on invoices. Connect your Stripe account through the authentication panel. Pipedream will automatically create the webhook endpoint in your Stripe dashboard pointing to your workflow URL.

1. 1Click 'Connect Account' and authenticate with Stripe
2. 2Select 'invoice.payment_failed' from event types
3. 3Click 'Save and Continue'
4. 4Copy the generated webhook URL

Workflow > Add Step > QuickBooks

Add QuickBooks connection step

Click the plus icon below your trigger to add a new step. Search for QuickBooks and select the 'Create Item' action. This lets you create tasks, which QuickBooks treats as to-do items. You'll need to authenticate with your QuickBooks company file during this step.

1. 1Click the '+' icon to add new step
2. 2Search 'QuickBooks' in the actions panel
3. 3Select 'QuickBooks - Create Item'
4. 4Click 'Connect Account' and complete OAuth

QuickBooks Step > Configuration

Configure QuickBooks task creation

Set the Item Type to 'Service' to create a task item. In the Name field, use dynamic data from the Stripe webhook like customer name and invoice number. Set the Description field to include failure reason and amount. The Active field should be set to true so the task appears in your QuickBooks to-do list.

1. 1Set 'Type' dropdown to 'Service'
2. 2Click 'Name' field and select Stripe customer data
3. 3Add invoice details to 'Description' field
4. 4Set 'Active' toggle to true

QuickBooks Step > Field Mapping

Map critical payment failure data

Use the data explorer on the right to map Stripe webhook data to QuickBooks fields. Map the customer email, failed amount, and failure reason from the Stripe payload. The invoice ID and attempt count are useful for tracking repeated failures. Click on field names to see the full Stripe webhook structure.

1. 1Expand the Stripe data tree in right panel
2. 2Map 'data.object.customer_email' to Name field
3. 3Map 'data.object.amount_due' to Description
4. 4Add 'data.object.last_finalization_error.message' for failure reason

Workflow > Add Step > Slack

Add Slack notification step

Add another step and search for Slack to notify your finance team. Select 'Send Message to Channel' action. Connect your Slack workspace and choose the finance team channel. This step runs after the QuickBooks task is created, so you can confirm the task was added successfully.

1. 1Click '+' to add another step
2. 2Search 'Slack' and select 'Send Message to Channel'
3. 3Connect your Slack workspace
4. 4Select your finance team channel from dropdown

Slack Step > Message Configuration

Format Slack notification message

Create a message that includes customer name, failed amount, and a link back to the Stripe dashboard. Use Slack markdown formatting for better readability. Include the QuickBooks task name so your team knows the task was created. Add urgency indicators for high-value failures.

1. 1Click in the 'Text' field to open message editor
2. 2Add customer name and failed amount from Stripe data
3. 3Include Stripe dashboard link using invoice ID
4. 4Reference the created QuickBooks task name

Workflow > Deploy > Test

Test the complete workflow

Click 'Deploy' to activate your workflow, then trigger a test by creating a failed payment in Stripe's test mode. Use a declined test card to generate a real payment failure event. Check that both the QuickBooks task appears and the Slack notification sends correctly.

1. 1Click 'Deploy' button to activate workflow
2. 2Go to Stripe dashboard and create test invoice
3. 3Use declined card number 4000000000000002
4. 4Check QuickBooks tasks and Slack channel for results

Add this code step between Stripe and QuickBooks to format currency properly and add priority flags for high-value failures. Paste this in a Node.js code step after the Stripe trigger.

export default defineComponent({
  async run({ steps, $ }) {
    const stripeData = steps.trigger.event.data.object;

export default defineComponent({
  async run({ steps, $ }) {
    const stripeData = steps.trigger.event.data.object;
    
    // Convert cents to dollars with proper formatting
    const amountFailed = (stripeData.amount_due / 100).toFixed(2);
    
    // Determine priority based on amount
    const priority = stripeData.amount_due >= 10000 ? 'HIGH' : 'NORMAL';
    
    // Clean up failure reason for readability
    const failureReason = stripeData.last_finalization_error?.message || 'Payment declined';
    
    // Format task name with priority indicator
    const taskName = `[${priority}] Failed Payment: ${stripeData.customer_email}`;
    
    // Create detailed description
    const taskDescription = `Amount: $${amountFailed}\nReason: ${failureReason}\nInvoice: ${stripeData.id}\nAttempts: ${stripeData.attempt_count || 1}`;
    
    return {
      formatted_amount: amountFailed,
      priority_level: priority,
      task_name: taskName,
      task_description: taskDescription,
      needs_urgent_follow_up: stripeData.amount_due >= 10000
    };
  }
});