Are you worried about competition in your industry? A businesses that wants to stand out, must ensure that each client receives a very professional invoice from them whether they are old or new.
Remember that the business world is saturated with many options for customers to adopt if you drop standards and begin to make mistakes on simple things like invoicing.
Therefore, business needs more than great products; you also need excellent customer service delivery.
One way to ensure that is by using tools to create a unique customer experience and establish credibility.
Issuing invoices helps you communicate professionalism; however, you must bring your A-game to ensure that it stands out from others and that customers pay promptly.
In this article, you will learn the key elements of professional invoices and how to create professional invoices using the ProInvoice software. Let’s dive in.
What are the Key Elements of a Professional Invoice?
As business owners, whether freelancing or running an online shop, invoice helps to keep your accounting organized.
However, most business owners still need help requesting payment despite using invoices. Why? They either need to improve their formatted invoice or include vital details.
If you want to get a quick response from your clients, these are some key elements to include for clarity and organization:
- Invoice name and number
- Business name, address and contact details
- Client business information
- A list of products or services rendered, and the total cost
- Brand identity elements like logos and colours
- Written terms and conditions
- Payment detail and instructions
- Invoice issue and due date
Do you want to create a professional invoice fast? Check out some of the best free templates from Proinvoice to get started
What are the Benefits of Requesting Payment with a Professional Invoice?
The business space is a rat race case. Everyone invests in tools, skills and networking to stand out. Requesting payment from your clients with a professional invoice helps to set you apart from others. But, besides the apparent edge, it gives you over the competition, there are other benefits, including
- Get paid faster without the back-and-forth calls about invoice details
- Establish your brand identity and professionalism
- Avoid cases of a client refusing to pay for services after delivery because of unclear terms and conditions
- Establish clear terms and conditions that give you an edge in case of legal issues
- Organize your account and bookkeeping process with an invoice numbering system
Now that you know the elements of a professional invoice and its benefits, it’s time to learn how to create an invoice that helps you stand out from the competition
How do you make an Effective Professional Invoice with Automated invoicing Software?
Creating a professional invoice for payment requests is a must-have for all businesses. You can use different methods to create an invoice from Google docs, Excel Sheets or Microsoft word.
However, these processes are prone to error and do not offer additional features. That’s where invoicing software comes in.
With invoicing software, you can create an invoice in minutes, send it via email, set reminders and many more. For example, using Proinvoice software, you can include your brand Logo, accept payment via credit card and set alerts to be sent to your client’s phone number or email address periodically.
In this next section, we will walk you through creating an invoice that helps you stand out using the province software.
You can sign up here if you are not registered on the invoicing software website. Set-up takes less than 20 minutes to complete.
If you have created an account and verified your email, follow these steps to create a professional invoice for your business in Nigeria
Step 1 – Include Invoice Name and Number
The first step to take when creating an invoice is to add the invoice name and number.
An invoice name as well as number will help you keep track of your company’s invoices and make the bookkeeping process organized.
Open your Proinvoice app, go to your dashboard and click on ‘Invoices’. Click ‘create a new invoice’ on the next pop up.
A new window will open with the invoice template structure. Select the invoice name and number and update it to reflect the service rendered.
Step Two: Upload Company Logo
The brand identity of your business is an important factor that determines how well your business stands out amongst other businesses.
It communicates some level of professionalism and creates a substantial base for business interaction.
When setting up a professional invoice, ensure you include a logo. For example, on the Proinovice dashboard, you can use a logo when creating an invoice, as seen in the image below.
Step 3: Enter Company and Clients Details
Once you have successfully added the brand logo, including the client’s information, always cross-check the information to avoid errors and delays in payment.
Proinvoice allows you to pull clients’ details from your contact list and send sms with invoice details when it’s generated.
Step Four: Enter all Services Description and Cost
One principal reason for the client’s delayed payment is an unclear service description.
To stand out from the competition, you must include the complete details of all the products or services they must purchase.
Endeavor to check the cost, tax, discounts and add notes of there’s need for more clarity.
Step Five: Include the Issued and Due Date
The issue and due date state the timeline for payment. It helps to keep clients aware that they have a pending charge.
Also, when you set the due date on the Proinvoice, it will automatically send reminders to the client via text and email, informing them that they have a pending payment.
Step 6: Include Payment Options and Auto Reminder
Most business owners create invoices and include bank account details in the footer. However, this process is stressful, requiring the client to copy and enter the digit into their bank app.
The method of copying can also lead to missing a number which can lead to an error or sending the charge to another account.
Setting up a payment integration helps your customer to pay with their credit card, USSD or transfer directly from the invoice using the payment gateway provider link.
For example, Proinvoice partners with paystack to allow users to receive payment via the paystack gateway for easier service delivery.
You can also set up an auto reminder that delivers a notification to your customers via email or phone number to inform them of a pending charge.
Following these steps will create professional invoices for your business that give you an edge over the competition.
Create a Professional Invoice with Automated Invoicing Software
Are you tired of creating invoices manually with excellent or Google docs? Then Proinvoice is the best solution for your business.
With just a few clicks, you can generate professional invoices for your business, set auto-reminders, and receive payment via credit card. Sounds interesting? Quickly sign up now for free and set up your account to experience seamless invoicing for your business.
