Invoicing Tips

Invoicing is a crucial part of running any business. If you compare your business to the human body, invoices would be the nutrition your body needs to keep running. Your invoicing process is a very important detail that would be a mistake to overlook. Today we are going to review some important factors when you are creating an invoice template and an invoicing process.

Legibility

We are thinking about how your customer sees the invoice when we refer to legibility. When you are creating your invoice template think about some of these questions. Is it easy to read? Is it simple enough that they can identify the important information your customer needs like price, due dates, etc.? If your invoice is overly complicated or focused more of the design instead of the usability, it can be frustrating for you customer when it comes time to issue the payment. You want you invoice to be direct and clear, while still being pleasing to the eye. It is important to remember that this isn’t a marketing piece, this is a tool for you to get paid! Thinking of it in this way will make sure you are looking at the key points of the invoice when designing your template.

Informative

Is your invoice have all the information your customer needs? That is a very important question when you are creating your invoice template. The amount due is probably the most obvious piece of information on the invoice, but there are other items to consider including as well. Do you have contact information that can be easily found? Is there a clear breakdown of what they are being charged for with any notes of change orders that may have happened? Is there an invoice number? A due date or terms of payment that were agreed upon? Late fees and what is considered a late payment? Is there a list of how can they make payment to you, credit card, check, ACH? All of these items will help your customer when they are going through the payment process.

Process

It is also crucial step to have an invoicing process for you and your staff. Who creates the invoices and ensures that they are sent out on time? Who do customers speak to when they have questions about their invoice or payment? Who from your staff follows up with the customer on overdue or late invoice payments? Addressing all of these items in advance are key to ensure you get your payments in a timely and orderly fashion.

Whether you are starting from the beginning or are reviewing your invoicing processes, we hope that these tips help you. When you choose to work with Devine Consulting we can help you with this whole process! Call us today at 281-545-4000 to see how we can help you today.