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brett701
12-08-2011, 08:54 PM
What is the best accounting software. Currently I have Quickbooks pro 2010 and invoicing is a pain in the ... I've been looking into the competitors , but there are so many. Freshbooks is mainly an invoicing software and it lacks the ability to warn clients that there will be a recurring payment. I basically want something that make invoicing super easy. If the software happens to be solely invoicing , i would like for it to integrate easy with the accounting software (quickbooks/quicken/xero/ or whatever other ones there are).


Thanks for your help.

nealrm
12-09-2011, 11:08 AM
I agree sending invoices from Quickbook really stinks. For a package that bills itself as an accounting and invoice system, it really does a poor job on the billing and customer accounting side. I have been forced to generate invoices from outside of Quickbook and then record them into it for tracking. There are packages that allow for access to the data portion of Quickbooks, however every time that Quickbooks does an update you have to rewrite your system. That was a huge pain. Quickbook does offer an invoicing "service". For and extra monthly and per invoice fee that will send the invoice and allow your customer to see the information online.

So you know, I use a simple MySQL database with a PHP web interface to create the invoices. It is setup so that I simple email my customers a link and they can see the invoice online. A simple Paypal button allows for credit card payments or they can print it off and send me a check.

jamesray50
12-09-2011, 12:23 PM
brett - what exactly do find so difficult about QuickBooks? If it is setup properly, using items like they should be used, then processing invoices should be a breeze. Your accounts receivables will be debited and the sales/revenue will be credited. When you receive a payment for the invoice your accounts receivables will be credited and undeposited funds will be debited. When you deposit those funds, your bank account will be debited and your undeposited funds will be credited.

If you have recurring invoices each month, you can memorize them and they will automatically invoice the customer each month. You can set up reminders for this. If the amounts or dates change you may have to edit each invoice before you send them.

I will be glad to help you with this if you have any questions.

brett701
12-09-2011, 01:23 PM
Maybe i should investigate a bit more. However, for this company i invoice maybe 100 companies per month on a recurring schedule. This quantity is always changing. A lot of times the invoices do not get paid or things are lost in the shuffle. I am also looking for a system that will send a reminder invoice(with the quantity owed so that they can make sure hte money is available in time) a few days before they are billed and receive the actual invoice. In addition, is there a way to set up an automated invoice to be sent out if the customer hasnt paid or attempted to pay.

billbenson
12-09-2011, 01:43 PM
I agree sending invoices from Quickbook really stinks. For a package that bills itself as an accounting and invoice system, it really does a poor job on the billing and customer accounting side. I have been forced to generate invoices from outside of Quickbook and then record them into it for tracking. There are packages that allow for access to the data portion of Quickbooks, however every time that Quickbooks does an update you have to rewrite your system. That was a huge pain. Quickbook does offer an invoicing "service". For and extra monthly and per invoice fee that will send the invoice and allow your customer to see the information online.

So you know, I use a simple MySQL database with a PHP web interface to create the invoices. It is setup so that I simple email my customers a link and they can see the invoice online. A simple Paypal button allows for credit card payments or they can print it off and send me a check.

This is why I started the database thread over the Thanksgiving holiday. A custom database can do all the things you need exactly if set up properly.

I'd also give Jo Ellen a call. Maybe Quickbooks can do what you need?

jamesray50
12-09-2011, 02:58 PM
Brett - I'm not sure what type of business you are referring to, but if you are selling something and your customer are receiving goods, they can receive a bill of lading that shows the amount that will be due before they receive the invoice. At the end of the month, or preferably the beginning of the next month you can send statement for all customers who have not paid their invoices for the prior months. You can also send out reminder invoices, reminder letters, collection letters. There are several options on collecting the money owed. As for making them recurring, you wouldn't want to do that because the customer would be changing on a monthly basis. You can add what you would want to do on a To Do List and the day you want to do it and set it to remind you so that you won't forget. If you have 2012 there is a calendar, a new feature which will show the To Do list. Hope this helps.

Evan
12-17-2011, 09:53 PM
You can also memorize invoices if it is to repeat every month, and have QuickBooks automatically enter the invoices... If you have e-mail addresses for each client in there, this could be a fairly easy process.