Be thorough. Be accurate. Be timely and creative. Let's explore how you can improve the quality of your invoices in QuickBooks Online.
Unless your business always collects payment for items and services on the spot (or accepts credit cards on your website), you'll need to know some best practices for creating invoices. QuickBooks Online makes this easy--you can complete invoice forms and send them to customers within about 15 minutes of logging into your QuickBooks accounting software.
However, if receiving customer payments quickly is an issue, we have five solutions that can help you grab your customers' attention earlier and receive payments faster.
1. Include all necessary information in your Customer Invoice
Think like a customer for a moment. Why do some invoices capture your attention better than others? As you're completing your own bill pay processes, keep this question in mind, pay attention to invoices that stand out, and make note of any reasons why!
At a minimum, we recommend that you ensure your invoices have thorough information for your customers, especially if omitting information could cause them to hesitate or change their perspective of your business! Be sure to:
Provide comprehensive contact information for your company and your customer—it's good to review this information regularly. If the invoice goes to the wrong contact, it may take longer for the company or individual to pay it.
It’s critical that you have the correct contact person in your customer record.
Do the same for your product and service descriptions, so they know you've recorded their purchase correctly.
Display the due date prominently.
Fill in QuickBooks Online fields for sales reps, reference numbers, shipping addresses, etc. – anything at the top of the form that applies.
Make sure adjustments like sales tax and discounts have been applied correctly!
2. How to Create a Professional-Looking Invoice
Appearances are everything, and you can do a lot to shape your customers' impression of your business by having a polished, professional invoice! Make sure everything on an invoice is spelled correctly, the type and any graphics are clear, and your customers can easily read your forms.
3. Offer an Unexpected Discount to Regulars
There's a great deal of debate about the pros and cons of discounting your services. One reason you might consider offering a discount is to foster goodwill among repeat—or even brand-new—customers.
Consider if including occasional, unexpected discounts on your invoices would benefit your client relationships. If your invoice template doesn’t display a field for discounts, click the gear icon in the upper right on the homepage and navigate to Account and settings. Click Sales and turn Discount on.
4. How to Customize a Message on an Invoice in QBO
“Thank you for your business” will be the default Message on invoice. While this message is certainly adequate, you might be able to replace it with something more meaningful to your customers in your company's brand voice! You can even write a message specifically for one invoice. This can be a helpful practice to adopt in instances where a customer has purchased a new item or service from you, they have paid their last invoice early, or if there was a delay in the delivery of their purchase. If you have a personal relationship with your customers, you can even sign this message with your name. You can include messages that:
Suggest similar items they might consider.
Tell them you hope they’re pleased with their purchase.
Let repeat customers know how much you appreciate them.
Alert them to upcoming sales, discounts, new offerings, etc.
And yes, do thank them for their order.
5. How Long Should You Wait to Send an Invoice?
When you promptly send invoices after orders are placed, you demonstrate that you are organized, professional, and attentive to detail. This quick response not only enhances your company's image, but also fosters trust with your customers, showing them that you value their business and are committed to providing excellent service. Additionally, sending timely invoices can help streamline your accounting processes and improve your cash flow by ensuring that payments are processed promptly. Overall, it sets a positive tone for your customer relationships and emphasizes your dedication to smooth and efficient transactions.
Rolling Changes Coming to QuickBooks Online
Intuit is introducing some new invoice and dashboard layouts and navigation tools! While these features are being released to QuickBooks customers slowly, when the new features are active for your account, you’ll notice some new links. These new features are easy to learn, but you can revert to the old invoice layout if you don’t have time to adjust to the new layout immediately. We'll be sure to cover these adjustments in a future tutorial, but in the meantime, please don't hesitate to reach out if we can do anything to help you improve the effectiveness of your invoices!
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