There are all kinds of jobs that business owners have to do but don’t enjoy, and one of the tasks that’s probably going to fall into that category is invoicing. Although it’s great to get paid (it’s why you do what you do when you think about it), invoicing isn’t the most thrilling of chores. It is, however, the key to keeping your cash flow healthy, which is why you need to be careful and more sure you get it done promptly and don’t let it all pile up, so it becomes an even more challenging job that’s massively time-consuming and daunting. 

So that’s the problem, but what’s the solution? Well, the good news is there are a few things you can do to make invoicing easier and less of a burden. If you’ve ever spent too much time chasing down unpaid invoices or manually creating each one from scratch, keep reading to find out more.

Set Clear Payment Terms

One of the biggest reasons why invoices get delayed or ignored is because the payment terms weren’t clearly defined right from the start, and if your clients don’t know when or how they’re supposed to pay, you can expect delays. Yes, they could ask, but with so many things to do themselves, they probably won’t (would you? Do you?). Therefore, setting clear payment terms from the start just makes a lot of sense, and it’ll save you a lot of back and forth later on. 

Firstly, you’ll need to make sure your invoices have a due date on them, and make sure they are easy to see and understand. You can use a few different formats depending on how you run things, so you might include a specific day or use terms like ‘net 30’ or ‘due on receipt’ and so on. The point is, put it in writing so your clients can’t miss it. 

You could also consider including a late fee policy for any overdue payments- a small percentage charge on late payments – that might encourage clients to pay on time.

Of course, if you’re going to use this tactic, make sure you actually follow through, otherwise you’ll keep getting ignored. And don’t forget to include all the payment methods you accept and how people can pay – the more you’ve got, the easier it is for people to pay you, and that’s what you want. 

Use Invoicing Software

If you’re still invoicing everything manually, you’re already doing yourself a disservice—it’s taking so much time and hard work to get it right. And even if it’s not too much of a chore right now, when your business grows, and you’re invoicing more and more, it’s definitely going to be a problem. 

Invoicing software allows you to automate recurring invoices, send reminders for unpaid bills, and track payments all without lifting a finger (or almost, anyway). If there’s less manual data entry to deal with, there’s less chance of making mistakes, not to mention the amount of time you’ll be saving – and there will be fewer missed payments, too, which means your business’s finances are sure to be a lot healthier. 

There are loads of options available if you want to move from manual invoicing to automated invoicing (and you should, especially if invoicing is something you really don’t enjoy or have time to do properly), so you should be able to find at least one that offers you everything you’re looking for – it’s just a question of doing your research, but once that’s done, you can take a step back and focus on other things. 

Use Invoicing Templates

Creating a sparkling new invoice every time you bill a client isn’t just repetitive, but it’s a big waste of time too – you’re just doing the same thing over and over. Surely there’s a better way? There is. You can get the job done much faster and save yourself a lot of stress by using templates that you can customize and reuse.

What’s great is that you can find templates for everything you need, from the invoice itself to a statement of account template, so the whole process from beginning to end can be set up in advance. Templates can really simplify the invoicing process, plus you’ll get consistency, which is something your clients are really going to appreciate. 

That consistency means you’ll have the same layout, format, font, branding. So on every time you send out an invoice, which makes your business look more professional and helps to stop your clients getting confused, mixing you up with a different business, and paying the wrong people (or assuming you’ve already been paid). And since these templates are completely customizable, you can personalize things in any way you want. 

Set Up Recurring Invoices

If you’ve got clients you bill regularly, like monthly, weekly, quarterly, and so on, setting up recurring invoices can save you a ton of time. In other words, instead of creating a new invoice each time they need to pay for something, you can automate the process and send out invoices at specific times – times you choose and schedule in advance.

This idea can really improve things, although it depends on what and how you sell it, so it’s not going to work for every business. However, if you run any kind of subscription service or long-term projects that are split into equal parts, for example, it’s going to work really well.

The best thing about doing this is that once the invoice is set up, you don’t even have to think about it anymore – they’ll be sent out correctly at the right time, so there won’t be any chance of you forgetting (which happens more often than you might think, and which can be a big reason why some businesses don’t have a healthy cash flow. 

Not only are recurring invoices great for you, but your clients will appreciate them, too – they’ll give them more consistency, and they’ll always know what to expect when it comes to paying you at the right time for the right amount. 

Offer Multiple Payment Options 

We’ve mentioned this idea briefly above, but it’s well worth discussing in more detail because it’s a surprisingly easy way to receive payments on time without having to do too much, and that’s always a bonus. 

The fact is that the more convenient you make it for clients to pay, the quicker they’re likely to settle their invoices, and that’s why offering more than one payment option really is a must. While some clients prefer more traditional payment methods like checks, that’s becoming a thing of the past, and most will want to pay digitally, via credit cards, bank transfers, or perhaps a platform like PayPal. If they’ve got the choices they need, there shouldn’t be any delays when it comes to payment. 

Including all the information on your invoices is a great start, but what about taking things one step further and including a payment link? Your clients just have to click it, and they’ll be taken to a payment gateway, making the entire payment process hassle-free and fast.

Once again, thinking of your customers and ensure you’re making it as easy as possible for them to pay you on time with no excuses is by far and away the best tactic to take no matter what you decide to do. 

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