Effective Quote and Invoice Design Professional invoices show you are serious about getting paid and mean faster payment, with less hassle. Invoices are also an important part of your stationery kit and the branding should be consistent with your letterhead and business card.
If you are not intending to use accounting software you may like to consider setting up a template in MS Word for your quotes and invoices, these can include the letterhead background as well as an Excel table to calculate GST. There are a number of key elements to include in your invoices. Getting paid as quickly as possible means not leaving any room for confusion on the part of the client. This is an ideal checklist if you are using MS Word to manage your invoices:
“INVOICE” (or TAX INVOICE if you are GST registered) Make sure the recipient knows what kind of document they are looking at by including “INVOICE” at the top of the document in a dominant font.
Date & Invoice Number The date lets you and the client know exactly when the invoice was sent — a handy reference when a payment is delayed. An invoice number allows you to reference the document in your records, and in communications with your client.
The Sender Include your company’s name, address, telephone number, e-mail address, and fax number. Should problems arise, there should be no question about how to get in touch with you.
The Recipient Include the name and address of the person or organization who is being billed. You may also include telephone and e-mail contact information here.
Line Items List each separate item for which the client is being billed. A typical invoice contains a quantity, description, unit price, and line total on each line. The line total is the unit price multiplied by the quantity.
Job Description Including a short job description helps reduce confusion and should answer any of their questions.
Totals List the total amount due – the sum of the totals of each line. If you are including tax in this total, you should also include a separate box indicating how much tax is being charged.
Fine Print It may be necessary for you to include the specific terms of the contract for which you are providing an invoice. If you do not have standard terms you may like to consult a legal professional for advice.
Cloake Creative can design your quotes and invoices so that they are in keeping with your over all branding.
The Cloake Creative check list for an effective invoice:
- Check that the information is legible
- Double check contact details
- Allow for the address to be included in the correct position for a window envelope
- Cater to faxing and emailing
- Consider logo and fonts so the document is in keeping with your branding.
TIP #1 You can reduce your stationery costs and save time by buying window envelopes; the recipient's address on your letter shows through the window, saving you having to print out their address a second time on the envelope or on a sticker.
TIP #2 If you are looking to use a small quantity of invoices, consider setting up a MS Word document to contain the letterhead in the background as header and footer. This makes printing easy and is a great way to include your branding when saving documents as .pdf files.
If you are using MYOB you may find this link useful for setting up forms and including your logo: How to include a logo in MYOB and set up forms... or for further help call MYOB support 0508 32 82 83 (free for MYOB business SUPPORT members)
