Invoicing and getting paid for your work should be the easiest step to completing a job. At times however, this still seems to be overly complicated and time-consuming. Using good invoicing software can help to mitigate the problems you may face on a day to day basis.
Here, we explore some of the features good invoicing software has to offer. We’re not just talking about being able to create an invoice, a proforma invoice or a credit note with your invoicing software; these features are to be expected. Rather, we’re looking at the other additional features that must be in place to help you organise your invoicing, accounting, and develop better customer relations.
1. Invoice your customers in their language
Creating good customer relations is vital to business success. And of course, in order to have good relations with your customers, you need to be understandable. Smart invoicing software will recognise this necessity and offer you the option to invoice your customers in different languages.
With Debitoor invoicing software, you can issue your invoice in 18 different languages with a couple of simple clicks. When creating your invoice, go into ‘Options’ and then select the language of the invoice from the drop-down menu. If you want to go the extra mile for your customer, it’s even possible to invoice your customer in a different currency and save them the time of working out the exchange rate!
2. Customise your invoice designs
An invoice is a legal document and must contain specific information about yourself, your customer, and the products and services sold. Your software must also allow for flexibility, such that you can invoice customers overseas and adjust the VAT rates accordingly, for example.
But, just because an invoice a legal document, doesn’t mean that it can’t also be a place to express your creativity. You need your invoices to stand out. Your invoicing software should allow you to create invoices that are noticeably sent from your business.
Debitoor lets you customise your invoices with your business’ logo and the colour scheme that you want. When you upload your logo, Debitoor will automatically update the colour scheme of your invoices to match. If it’s a design that you like, you can keep this new theme, see what else Debitoor suggests, or select your own colours yourself. It’s also possible to change the text’s font.
All of these customisations allow you to create an invoice that works for you. Your invoicing software needs to create invoices that are formulaic and understandable, but also flexible if you want to try something new. The more customisable options your invoicing software offers, the better.
3. Set up recurring invoices
Depending on your line of work, you may well find that you have customers who you sell products or services to on a regular basis. Perhaps you work in marketing or advertising, and have regular clients that you complete work for. Rather than having to create a separate invoice for them every time, good invoicing software will allow you to set up recurring invoices that are sent automatically to your customers, saving you time and hassle.
It’s easy to set up recurring invoices in Debitoor: simply click on the ‘Invoices’ tab and then select the button ‘Recurring’ at the top. You can then create a ‘New Recurring Invoice’ and fill in the details of the invoice like normal.
4. Process online payments
In order to get paid as fast as possible, you want to offer your customers different ways to pay your invoice and make it as simple for them as possible. Your invoicing software should therefore be able to process online payments so that your customers can pay your invoice directly.
Debitoor is partnered with SumUp and PayPal. When you invoice your customer, you can add a payment link directly to your invoice to simplify the process. Using this feature should help to reduce the chance of miscommunication between yourself and your customer and speed up the payment.
5. Issue payment receipts and reminders
Invoicing your customer is not the end of your communication. Your invoicing software must give you the option to issue a payment receipt once you have received their money. A payment receipt tells them that they have paid the invoice and may be necessary when a customer requires proof of payment.
Of course, occasionally payments are not on time and your invoicing software also needs to help you overcome this problem. Issuing your customer with a reminder is the easiest way to do this. Having invoicing software that includes payment reminders will make it easier for you to tell your customer their payment is overdue and know exactly what to say. Debitoor offers a selection of templates for your reminder, making sure that the tone of your message is just right. You can also add a late fee if you wish.
6. Create quotes and delivery notes
All invoicing software will of course be able to issue an invoice. But sometimes, you may have customers who are unsure whether they’re ready to commit to buying your products or services. Perhaps they just want to inquire into your prices. In this case, you don’t want to issue an invoice, but rather create a quotation.
Invoicing software is designed to make it easy to issue your customers with quotes. And when that quote is accepted, it should be simple to convert your quote into a legal invoice.
Your invoicing software should also be able to create delivery notes. A delivery note is a document that comes with a shipment of goods and tells your customer what you have delivered. When you create a delivery note with Debitoor, it uses the infomation you added when you created your invoice. This is the beauty of invoicing software: you only have to add the information once and the software will convert it into whatever form you need. It's fast and minimises mistakes.
7. Get your accountant’s help
If you don’t have a background accounting or finance, it can be a challenge to manage your business’ bookkeeping. Fortunately, some invoicing software can let you give your account access to your data, making your collaboration simpler and faster.
This is a feature that all invoicing software needs. At the end of the financial year, providing your accountant with access to your data will not only minimise back and forth correspondence, but will also give you some peace of mind. When are sorting VAT returns, small businesses may be unsure if they’re complying with all the legal regulations. Using an accountant and giving them direct access minimises this worry.
To set up accountant access with Debitoor invoicing software, you can add your accountant in the ‘Contacts’ tab and then click ‘Invite Accountant’. It’s as simple as that.
More than just invoicing...
Invoicing software is more than just invoicing. Quality invoicing software will allow you to build your business’ identity right into your invoices. It will structure your communication with your customer from the initial quote or invoice, right through to the final payment. Moreover, it will help to minimize risks and simplify your everyday accounting.
