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With tons of invoicing software hovering over the internet, it becomes a painstakingly cumbersome job to find the best invoicing software, which saves one from the trouble of billing every single purchase made by the clients.
Small businesses to well-established ones, an invoice system that can take care of the payments with easy-breezy clickety clicks, and the job gets done within a couple of minutes is the need of the hour in today’s fast-paced world where the phrase truly fits –the time is money.
The more choice in software that there is (you can click here for one such example) the more confusion there is in deciding which software to buy to help your business facilitate its invoicing functions smoothly. So, to help our readers, we have prepared the best tips worthy of penning down before one makes the purchase.
10 Best Things to look for in invoicing software
1. Aesthetically pleasing:
We can’t let go of the basics! Appearance does matter if you want to set a professional image of your business among your customers. An invoice that is meticulously laid out with the company’s logo or stamp, and is readable by the customer is well appreciated.
There are so many impressive invoice templates available which a business owner can choose as per his or her choice. Think a little creative, a template which is too upfront in design may not be suitable for a boutique business. Similarly, flowers and frills will be quite awkward for a business that is in construction.
Choosing a template for your invoice is an important decision, and one thing that good invoice software will have is the variety of options to choose from the way the invoice will look.
2. Clean, understandable & smart dashboard:
Invoice software comes with many functions and features, but what distinguishes good software from a bad one is their dashboard. If the virtual workplace, that is, where you will manage the records and other data is incommodious, it will hinder productivity and take a lot of time to get used to it or train someone later.
Run software for a free demo, which usually the service providers will give at the time of purchasing. If not possible, then you can request or watch video tutorials to get the knack of how it works and if it will be beneficial for you or not.
3. Flexible Invoicing:
From time to time, your business may require customizing the invoices depending on the client’s needs and requirements. From auto-generated invoices to doing it manually, if an online payment platform allows easy customization, then that becomes a huge sigh of relief.
Flexible Invoicing is an asset of the software, and it must have this feature. You may not require this function at the initial steps of setting up a business, but as your progress, multiple queries, invoices, and other such things will occupy your desk.
If you have to do everything manually, then what is the point of getting the software? It will only entangle one in its web, making the job time consuming and tiresome.
When buying any online payment platform, invest wisely. Switching over to a new one will be chaotic and full of hassles.
4. Instant Quotes:
One of the best features of using best billing & invoicing software is that it helps with instant quotes. After the customer gives his consent and approves, the summary of their orders gets listed right away in the invoice generated.
They can then move to the payment gateway, and voila, within a couple of minutes, the order made is successful.
5. Features to facilitate faster payments, Accepting Credit, Debit Cards & other payment options:
From flagging outstanding invoices, cancellation orders, payment gateways, accepting cryptocurrencies, other means of payments, etc. features are well intact in a premium quality best invoicing software available in the market.
6. Saving the havoc of Data Entry:
Now you can save money as you don’t need an accountant to maintain a ledger for filing tax returns. Invoice software can be linked with the tax software that your company uses, and work in coordination where the figures get automatically updated whenever an invoice is approved; payment is made or is pending. This way, a full ledger is maintained online with the full record of your revenue made in a financial year.
This way, your record is not prone to errors at all, which can be in the case where a person is employed manually feeding the data in the software.
7. Feature to include taxes, discounts, shipping charges & other details:
An invoice can have as many details as you want to be listed for your customers to have a look. From taxes deducted, discounts offered, and the shipping charges –the information can be on the invoice for the customer to see.
Also, you don’t have to manually do it for every bill that gets generated on the system. It is automatic once you enter the function.
8. High-tech Security encrypted:
A lot of free business invoice software is available, but they will have limited features, and to unlock all of them, you will need to pay to get the service.
High-tech security is a must! A client will be sharing their sensitive credentials that are prone to get hacked. An encryption system that the best invoice software will provide is of paramount importance.
Only make a purchase when you are sure that the provider is offering high-tech security encryption, which will mean that the payment gateways will run securely without a problem.
9. Accessible from anywhere around the world, on the choice of your device:
Off course! How can we leave this one out? The best part of online payment platforms is that a business owner can access the information from anywhere around the world. You have access to the software where you can open and see the progress there and then at the convenience of your time. Also, you can make changes to the rates, update tax deduction information, shipping charges rates that change quite frequently, and much more.
10. Last but not least – responsive customer support:
Any new software that you purchase, there can be times when you find yourself in the middle of the road, and you need customer care assistance. If the business invoice software providers are not responsive, then it will be like knocking on a locked door. Time, energy, and a bad investment can be hefty on the pocket.
The Bottom Line!
Be smart, and instead of going for free software, make a good one-time investment. Choose the best invoice software by chalking out and using the tips above, and then making a fruitful decision. Every penny saved is a penny earned! So, if you want the business to progress smoothly without any delays, errors, and loopholes, investing in online billing software will save you a load of work and a great time.
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