How many invoices do you make each month? 5? 30? 80? Depending on the industry of your business, these numbers can be very different, and don’t necessarily provide an indication of the success of your company.
However, no matter your business, there are five central pillars of invoicing that should always be kept in mind. We walk you through them in five easy-to-follow steps:
Step 1: Complete the order
In most cases, an order or service is completed before an the invoice is issued. An exception is deposits, which are paid in advance and taken into consideration when creating the invoice. Many invoice templates allow for deposits to be easily included.
*Tip: Don’t spend too much time creating an invoice. It should be written and sent to the customer as soon as possible after the order or service is complete.
Step 2: Use an invoice template
If you’re ready to write your invoice, using online invoice tools like invoice templates can make the task much faster and easier than trying to create one from scratch in your word processor. You can reuse an invoice template for each new invoice you create, not only ensuring you include all the right details, but saving you time.
Invoicing software like Debitoor offers invoice templates that will automatically keep track of your invoice numbers, and allow you to save customer and product details, making it even faster and easier to create an invoice.
Step 3: Write the invoice
Let’s get to the point: creating the invoice. There are a number of crucial points to keep in mind. Make sure that each invoice you create includes the following information:
- Name and address of both you and your customer
- Invoice issue date
- A unique invoice number that falls in line with your invoice number sequence
- Your VAT registration number (if applicable)
- Description, quantity and price for your product or service
Also be sure to make note of any payment terms and any means that make communication or payment from your customer easier. This could include:
- Your email and/or phone number
- Details for your business bank account for payments
- The due date of the invoice
*Tip: You do not need to add all of this manually each time. Online invoicing software like Debitoor allows you to customise your invoice, so it’s ready to go with all the necessary details and you need only fill in the customer and product/service!
Step 4: Offer online payment options
If you’re looking to speed up the time between sending an invoice and getting paid, you should consider including online payment options.
With an online invoicing programme, connecting to an online payment option automatically adds a “Pay Now” button to each invoice emailed to your customers. When they click this, they have the option to pay you online, immediately.
Step 5: Final check and send
So your invoice is all done. At this point, one last step is crucial: check over your invoice one last time. When creating an invoice, errors are always possible, and are unpleasant to deal with after the invoice has been sent out.
Looks good? Then you’re ready to send. If you use invoicing software, this take just a click and arrives immediately in your customer’s email, sparing you the costs of paper, printing, and postage. Or even just the hassle of attaching a Word document to an email!
