With Invoicera you would now be able to create a customized invoice where you get to decide which field should be displayed on the invoice. For instance, if you are not required to show the discount column on the invoice then you can leave the field empty and this field will not show on the invoice. Similar you have the option to hide other fields such as description, quantity and tax.

If you are required to make use of customized invoice to allow you to do tons of tailoring and set up your own preference screen, then select the ‘Customized Template’ from the template dropdown. In all there are 6 business invoice templates that can be used, but to have selected fields on the invoice you need to make use of the ‘Customized Template’. All other templates cannot be used for customization.

Other Updates:

When incorporating the custom invoice capability we also took the opportunity to enhance the overall functionality by providing the following new option:

Separate Billing and Shipping Address – This has been one of the most craved features and therefore we have responded to our users’ request by providing separate billing address and shipping/delivery address. While billing address is mandatory, delivery address has been made optional. Delivery address would only get displayed on invoices if it has been entered for the client.

When businesses start to think about joining the exponentially growing list of companies shifting their billing and invoicing on-line there are certain misconceptions that need to be addressed.

1) My business does not require online invoicing and billing – There is enough evidence to show that more and more companies are ready to switch to online invoicing. A study reveals back in 2002 the payment for over 500 invoices was made online. This number increased to 3.6 billion in the year 2007, an increase of whooping 620%. Considering this growth, businesses that would still refuse to accept online business are sure to fall in an endless pit.

2)  Online invoicing will have little or no impact on invoicing cost – Contrary to this, one reason why companies are more than willing to integrate online invoicing is because it saves staggering amount of time and money. The average cost that businesses spend in preparing, sending and processing payments for invoices is close to $14 – $15. This cost can be reduced by almost 50% with the use of online invoicing. These are important savings that can be achieved only through online invoicing.

3)  Customers will not accept invoices online – Today customers are demanding fast and efficient service, as e-commerce continues its growth. Customers are quick to leave a company or supplier if the service is poor and at the same time 44% of the users expressed their preference for receiving bills online.

4)  It is difficult to integrate online invoicing software – One of the biggest myths associated with implementing any online application is that it is complicated. In fact, it is much simpler, faster and cheaper than preparing manual bills and invoices. All you are required to do is sign-up for any invoicing application and start sending invoices almost immediately.

5) Implementing online invoicing won’t improve ROI – Your return on investment will be impacted dramatically through less time and resources that are used to track your payments. Your clients have the option to access to their billing history and details 24×7. Therefore, they are more like to pay you instantly without any delay.

We hope these less known facts about online invoicing propel businesses large or small to harness the advantages rendered by e-invoicing practice.

The news is of greater significance as this is the first ever integration at Invoicera. Starting today, All Google Apps users will be able to add our online invoicing and billing application i.e. Invoicera into Google Apps.

If you are the domain admin for Google Apps, you’ll now have an option to add Invoicera to your domain through Google Apps Marketplace. Once the domain admin adds Invoicera application to their domain, all users within the domain will have access to Invoicera through Google universal navigation.

Selecting the application in Google universal navigation opens Invoicera in a new browser tab. When you access the application for the first time, you are directly taken to the dashboard inside the application. You are not required to sign-up separately for your Invoicera account. This is the single sign-on process where your Google Apps details are used to create your Invoicera account as well.

With this integration Invoicera credentials have indeed become impressive and we also welcome all the users of Google Apps to try our contemporary online invoicing and billing application. Google Apps is a great platform for millions of users to search for top of the line web applications and we are honoured to be a part of it.

We have made subtle changes in the login page and have slightly customized it for your liking. From now on if any user uses the unique login URL to login to Invoicera, they would have their company logo and their name displayed on the login page. In case no logo has been uploaded then the login page would display as normal i.e. with default Invoicera logo. This was one of the requested features and since many users would prefer to see their own company logo and name, we decided to go ahead with it almost instantly.

The other minor change that has been brought about within the application is the date format. Till now the available date formats displayed the month only in words i.e. 31st May 2010. But option has been provided to have universal date format i.e. 31-05-2010. No matter how trifle this particular update might seem to be, it is of significant value to the users of those countries where the latter format is followed strictly.

To select/change the date format go to general preferences under the settings button and select the date format from the dropdown. The dropdown has been divided into two sections, the latter half of the section with ‘Months in number format’ displays all date formats with months in numeric value. This gives you ample choice in terms of date format that you wish to use.

We’ll keep checking in to see what further updates we can bring your way during the rest of the week, but don’t forget to drop in your feature requests and feedback to keep our week busy!

Therefore, from this moment onwards our users from India would be able to view the pricing in Indian Rupee (INR). They would also be able to make payments in INR through Moneybookers payment gateway. This has been specifically done to increase visitor satisfaction and to enhance user interface.

With this new enhancement we look to be equally interactive with visitors who wish to use currency other than USD, or who live outside countries with the largest Internet user bases, like USA, UK, Australia and so on. But with some of the largest growing economies like India using Internet more than ever before, ignoring specific user requirements is no longer a smart decision.

Its time to get smart and by being aware of users from different nationalities who speak different languages or use different currencies, we have attempted to create a truly global application displaying information tailored specifically for them without altering its behaviour for other visitors.

Off lately, we have been on feature adding spree that eliminates any limitations associated with International invoicing.  And we believe this update would be particularly useful for our Indian customers.

As always we welcome your suggestions and feedback for this update.

Invoice Template Customization and Multi Language Invoicing would be soon launched, but with a difference.

With the introduction of this feature you would be able to do something different with our invoicing application. You would be able to create invoices and estimates in any language…Almost! And you would be able to customize and change invoice and estimate headers with your own custom fields and in any language.

With the release of our new invoicing capabilities, all our users would be able to transact globally with Invoicera’s multi-currency and multi-lingual invoicing. Record foreign currency invoices and expenses without compromising on decimal precision. Now you will be able to send a Factura to your Spanish client, Fattura to your Italian client, a Rechnung to your German customer and in various other languages. Feeling excited already?

Hold on to your mounting excitement for just a little longer till we make this feature available. So stay tuned for our next big update.

Happy Invoicing!

From the day of its invention, paper has become an important part of our daily activities. Paper is being used and recycled to such an amount that it has lead to deforestation, one of the major causes of ‘global warming’. Every phase of paper’s life cycle contributes to global warming, from cutting of trees to production of pulp and paper and finally disposal.

While we are consciously finding the ways to reduce the impact on the environment, we cannot ignore the number of paper invoices generated each year. According to a study, “Businesses within only the U.S, trade in excess of 13 billion invoices annually, which accounts for more than 25 billion pieces of paper that are floating around offices each year.” It costs about $2.65 to issue one paper invoice (including the cost of printing, envelope and postage).

The serious environmental issues require companies to shift from paper invoices to e-invoices or online invoices. This would benefit environment, in terms of reduced amount of wood used to produce paper and the amount of fuel used to deliver it. By submitting invoices electronically, businesses can now save as much as 90 per cent of the cost for each invoice. All they need is a computer with Internet connectivity to complete their transaction with their customers and other businesses. The online invoicing approach of managing bills and invoices fits in perfectly with the need to cut cost, reduce staff and manage invoicing and accounts payable.

The impact on environment can easily be eliminated by replacing a slow, inaccurate manual process of paper invoicing with a faster and more efficient online invoicing. Not just paper invoices can be replaced, all financial supply chain documents including delivery notes, purchase orders, statements, remittances etc can be sent/received online. Just imagine how much your business can contribute to environment by saving a large amount of energy and resources, and that’s only with online invoicing.

To know more about how paper invoicing is affecting our environment and the extent of damage it has already caused we would recommend reading another intriguing post at bestdesigntuts.com

Along with the application, the Invoicera website will also undergo significant changes right from the new design to new color scheme. After a lot of thought process and numerous brainstorming sessions, the final design has been selected to make it look more contemporary and unique.

We would also be looking to expand our association and partnerships with some of the other applications to make your business like a lot more easier and simpler. To give our partners more options we will also be developing our own API’s. We are a strong believer of the fact that the sub-systems of the larger system should work together to make the larger system work.

Just to extend the Invoicera experience through the entire invoicing cycle, we will be adding new features to make Invoicera work for you the way you have always expected it to. Already you might be nervous about Invoicera adding loads of features and getting crafty. But we know why you are with us, and any feature we load in will not unscramble the Invoicera underlying principal: Simple, quick, and yet powerful.

Our user database also consists of those who are constantly moving around and need to travel a lot for personal and business trips. Understandably invoicing is one process where they are unwilling to spend a lot of time. For them invoicing on the go is a priority and hence the mobile version of the application is on the cards.

If there is anything you feel is missing in the existing application or would like to suggest any feature, please e-mail us at support@invoicera.com

Happy Invoicing!

But the problem did not finish here we had to make sure that it becomes possible for our users to add product/services from the invoice page directly. This would allow saving a considerable amount of time and much reduced clicks. Though the option of importing products/services was included; still another tab had to be clicked.

Now, most of you might be wondering if we knew the bug why the hell we did not fix it. Well it isn’t as simple as it sounds. Since Invoicera supports multiple currencies it was just a little harder to come with a solution. But our assiduous developers did come with a one and it is now possible to add new product/service while you are in the middle of creating an invoice. The screenshot above would tell exactly what I am talking about.

Add your contact information – Place your company name, address, phone number, email address, and even your website at the top of the invoice. This is the general Pro-forma and should be followed religiously.

Creating an invoice number tracking system helps– It is important to mention the invoice/estimate number on the invoice. Even though it is not a mandate, it is useful as a reference no. in case there is a spat between the parties. Also it helps in better invoice tracking and management.

Add receiver’s details – Just like you add your contact details on top of the invoice, the receiver’s address also needs to be mentioned. You still need to include your own invoice number for your own records and tracking system.

Clearly mention the particulars – All the standard particulars like product/service, unit cost, quantity, price, discount and tax should be mentioned in the invoice. These are the standard fields and makes the invoice self explanatory. As a result, there is less probability that the client will get back to you with dim-witted queries.

Add a short description – In some cases it becomes imperative to add a brief description about the product/service. The nature of description can be left to the sender’s discretion. It is advised to have this field in the invoice as your client would know exactly what product he has purchased from you or the nature of services that have been rendered to him.

Include the terms of service – This should go without mentioning but many freelancers, service providers, small businesses, etc. don’t comply with this rule. The terms and conditions of services should include among many things the ‘due date’ of the invoice and the penalty that will be imposed thereafter.

Send invoice as an attachment – If you are sending invoices using the Internet as a medium then it is always suggested to attach the invoice with the mail. This makes sure that the receiver has a proper look at the complete invoice and clarifies issues, if any.

Enter your activities in your invoice tracking system – As soon as you send the invoice, make sure you record the invoice number, date sent, invoice amount, and any other details you think necessary. This way, you can keep track of who has paid and who is in arrears. And, when your invoice is paid, make sure to record the date you received payment

Tracking down late payments – When you email an editor asking about a late payment, make sure you include your invoice number, amount and the date when invoice was sent.

Many of the activities mentioned above become cumbersome when traditional methods of invoicing are used. On the other hand people who are already using any online invoicing application would know that it takes the pain out of invoicing. Using an online medium of sending invoices automatically carries out many activities mentioned, thus saving a lot of time and money.