Did you choose your career to follow a passion, or to spend all of your time doing mountains of paperwork? It’s a fact that sole traders spend 35% of their time on admin. The easiest way to change this, and still run a successful business, is with automated invoice processing. It’s possible to automate your invoices in different ways, to suit your specific needs.
Invoicing on the go
The simplest way to start automating is with invoicing software. These provide a professional template that can be personalised with your business’s details. Each time you need to invoice, all you need to input is the specific details of that job. This means that invoicing can be done on the fly. Invoices can also be duplicated, meaning if you have a repeat job, it’s quick to send out. Quicker invoicing will give you more time to devote to the important things, instead of paperwork.
Errors in your invoices can be detrimental to both your cash flow and your reputation with a client. Automating with an invoicing solution will reduce the chances of mistakes occurring. This means you can spend less time worrying about your invoices, and more time building strong relationships with your clients.
Accepting online payments
Using an automatic invoicing solution allows you to receive payments online through a credit/debit card or a payment solution. Customers, on average, pay three times faster when offered the option of online payment. As most invoicing solutions track which invoices have or haven’t been paid, it’s much easier to stay on top of. Many solutions also send out reminders for late payments, so you don’t have to spend time running after late payers.
Automating recurring invoices
If you have any clients that are sent the same bill regularly you should automate the process with recurring invoices. You can use your invoicing software to automatically send out fully completed invoices. See more about how recurring invoices could benefit you in our blog post.
Invoicing solutions
There are many invoicing solutions out there, each with its own pros and cons. It’s important to do your research, and compare all the options to find what will work best for you. For more information, check out our blog post.