Keeping records and sending invoices has been done through software like Excel and Word for quite some time now. Software like Excel are more than capable of doing a good job when it comes to invoicing, but, that doesn’t mean there aren’t any better alternatives. When we say better, we mean faster, more secure, more precise, and easier to use. Put all of those things at once and you’ll get invoicing software that takes everything that Excel and Word do and takes it to the next level.
Keeping records is especially useful when you’re working from home as a freelancer. You need to keep track of every project and stay on top of your finances. Every freelancer knows how time-consuming and boring drawing up a new invoice every time you finish up a project is. It would be much better if you could focus your time and energy on the work you actually do, instead of wasting it on things like these. On that note, here are some reasons as to why every freelancer would greatly benefit from invoicing software.
Improved Cash Flow
Getting paid and getting paid on time is the dream of every freelancer. Having a steady and smooth cash flow is one of the best ways to improve productivity, as you won’t worry about money but only the work you do. With invoicing software, you have the ability to create a smooth, seamless cash flow that will benefit both you and your clients. With this, you’re making sure you’re always paid on time without any additional effort whatsoever. On top of that, your clients will be thankful they don’t have to go through trouble when they have to pay you.
With software like this, it’s easy to link various payment options directly into the invoice itself. What this means is that your client will only have to click on the preferred payment option and they’ll be redirected to a payment screen where they’ll finish the transaction. A clean, fast and elegant solution that benefits both you and the client.
It’s Easy To Spot Mistakes
Another thing that can be really troublesome when you’re making invoices traditional way, meaning using Excel or Word, is that it is really easy to make a mistake that goes unnoticed. We make mistakes – it’s just a way of life. No matter how careful we’re being, accidents happen and that’s just the way it is and that’s why we double-check. However, if you’ve ever had to find an error in Excel sheets, you know how hard that actually is. Now, a small error, in this case, means you’re not getting paid, which is not a small error from that perspective.
On the other hand, with dedicated invoicing software, it’s a walk in the park when it comes to avoiding and spotting mistakes. In most cases, there are alerts within the app if you make a mistake. Basically, you can spot a mistake before you even make one. Another brilliant thing is that you no longer have to worry about calculating the costs – the program does it for you. You just input the figures and the software does all the dirty work (and does it error-free).
Professional Design
Invoices don’t have to look good, you could just print the necessary info on a white sheet of paper and you’d still get paid. However, a good-looking invoice can leave quite an impression on a client. It’s the small things like these that set apart professionals from amateurs. Branding is paramount in business and if you can brand your invoices – you absolutely should.
With professional invoicing software like Billdu.com you get to choose from hundreds of customizable templates. There are numerous ways in which you can customize and design your invoices. You can create a colour scheme, you can choose fonts and formats you like, you can add a logo, edit the header and so on. And the best thing about all of this is that it takes no design knowledge whatsoever to create a good looking invoice. It’s all there, pre-made – you just have to pick and choose. The second-best thing? It would take you ages to do this is Word or Excel.
It Saves Time
Time is our most precious asset and we need to be wise with it. We live in a busy day and age where everything is urgent and everyone’s in a rush and on a tight schedule, which means that every second of our day is precious. So, how do we save time? Well, we stop doing unnecessary things over and over again for starters. What do we mean by that?
Many freelancers have clients that they charge for their services each month. That means they are sending out virtually the same invoice each and every month. Now, instead of wasting time drawing up an invoice and sending it via email every single time, you could automate the whole process with dedicated invoicing software. Add all the necessary data and information into the program, set up a schedule and let it fly. If you have a lot of clients on a retainer, this will save you so much time.
You can automate virtually anything, including late payment reminders, which as we all know is something many have to send out on a regular basis.
On top of automated services, you can also save time with software like this just by efficiently tracking your financials. Excel spreadsheets can get really messy and hard to go through, which means you’ll spend way too much time combing through them just to keep track of your financials. With dedicated software on the other hand, you’ll have it all sorted and saved in a way where you won’t have to waste more than a second to find what you’re looking for.
As you can tell, using dedicated invoicing software has a plethora of benefits and we couldn’t name them all even if we wanted to. In summation, all you have to know is that it’s faster, cleaner and it will make your life ten times easier. Whether you work with two or ninety-two clients, you can benefit from software like this.