What features do I need for billing software?

Billing software for small businesses is often more than just a paper biller. This is the opportunity for you to computerize other daily operations to get the most out of your software.

Each publisher adds their two cents to differentiate themselves from the others. However, by differentiating ourselves we specialize. Some software is therefore better suited to certain sectors (Construction, Doctors, Lawyers, etc.), others are generalists and specialize by company size (self-employed, Craftsmen, VSEs, SMEs, etc.).

For small businesses, the choice of general purpose software is often the wisest choice because it is the one that provides the best value for money. Indeed, specialized software, under the pretext that it is specialized and that it will do everything for you and will require a greater budget and a greater investment in terms of learning.

However, when choosing general purpose software, you need to make sure that it has the functionality you need. Here is a list of the best known and most used features that you will probably need:

– Management of quotes and invoices: Creation, status monitoring, duplication, transformation into invoice, Personalization with logo, customer signature on iPad or Android tablet, document sending by email, down payment invoices, performa invoice…

– Payment management: add a payment; link the payment to an invoice…

– Customer and supplier management: manage your contact base

– Library of articles: possibility to save the list of articles used in documents

– Reports and statistics: various reports allowing you to follow the state of your turnover, your outstanding customers…

A good advice is to choose the best invoicing software in its main function. For example, avoid choosing software that gives you very nice statistics but on the other hand is very tedious to create your invoices and quotes.

The best way to ensure good functionality is to test the software yourself. This is why you should give preference to solutions that offer a free mode that allows you to get a precise idea of ​​the application.

Another important point, is the publisher of the chosen solution listening to add new features that have become necessary over time? Indeed, nothing more painful to have to change tool because it has become obsolete. Make sure that the chosen publisher maintains its application well and stays close to its user community.

Who will use the software?

This is a seemingly trivial question, yet very important when it comes to an IT solution.

Indeed, two aspects are linked to this question:

– Difficulty of handling,

– Right of access and modification

Indeed, some billing applications are more difficult to learn than others. It will be necessary to take into account the ability to use the IT tool of those who will be working on it. If you know your team isn’t full of computer wars and will take time to be productive with the tool, the best invoicing software for you should have a very user-friendly if not minimalist interface.

Another important point is the availability of an efficient and easily reachable customer service at the publisher (chat, email, phone) which will help you get started during the first days and will be available for you at any time for you.

The second aspect concerns the right of access of your employees. If you need your team to not have access to only part of the information (quotes only for example), you will need to make sure that the software gives the possibility to configure the rights of each.

Note also that some solutions offer the possibility of giving access to your accountant to facilitate the completion of your accounting. This is a significant point knowing the accounting issues of small businesses.

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