Setting up Invoicing properly is crucial to be able to use the Invoicing module to it's full potential. If you are a user that will be using Invoicing simply to generate billable items to export, then you can utilize the defaults that we are shipping with.
In Settings, you will see a number of items to fill out and customize under the Invoicing section.
This article will cover all 6 primary settings within Invoicing. Select below to jump to a specific section in this article.
1. Chart of Accounts
Your chart of accounts are the high level Ledger accounts that your company uses. These are fairly standard no matter what industry you work in and Crelate comes included with defaults to make set up easy.
You can add accounts as needed and we suggest you name them with the exact name that your accounting system uses. Each account added needs an Account Type and you choose that from the drop down list. **Please Note** These Account Types are fixed and cannot be customized.
2. Ledger Action Mappings
Once you have created your Chart of Accounts, then you can start setting up your Ledger Action Mappings. This section should mirror your accounting system and reflect exactly how your debits and credits work. It is important to set up the debit and credit accounts correctly, because this information fuels reporting for your accounting team to use at the end of each period. Just like with your Chart of Accounts, Crelate comes included with defaults to make set up easy.
3. Billing Profile Templates
Users have the ability to set up Billing Profile Templates for maximum flexibility with customers. While there are a lot of options to customize, most users are using Billing Profile Templates to determine customer terms. **Please Note** Billing Profiles must be assigned to a company record to send an invoice. Learn more here about assigning Billing Profiles to your clients. These term determine when the customer needs to pay their invoices and when invoices start to show Past Due. Should you have clients who require slightly separate terms (such as a Net 30 vs Net 90), simply use the plus sign to create a separate Billing Profile.
4. Global Invoice Settings
Here you choose where the invoices are going to be remitted to. This information shows up on the invoice and directs your customers to who and where to sent payments to. You can include instructions and customize with your logo.
Fields Explanations:
Invoice starting number - This is important to set correctly and will be the first invoice number sent from Crelate. Once set, you cannot change or undo this number. Each preceding invoice will automatically follow the number set.
We recommend customizing this number if needing a natural progression from your current Accounting/Billing software.
Email - This is the email that they can reach out to if they have questions of something that is on their invoice
Phone number - This is the number you want customers to call if they have an issue with their invoice
Address - This is the address that customers can mail payments to
5. Invoice Templates
Users have the ability to create multiple Invoicing Templates to use for customers. There are many options you can choose to have on your invoices which provides flexibility and a more customizable feel for clients.
There are 5 main options to utilize on the Invoice Templates
Attach Receipts - Users have the ability to attach receipts to the end of the invoice. This happens through a manual billable item process or through time & expense
Attach Time Cards - Users have the ability to attach a table of time card information to the invoice. This will display a table of the employee's time appended to the invoice.
Attach Time Card Notes - If you choose to attach time cards to an invoice, you also have the option to attach notes that the employee submitted with their time card.
Default Tax Rate - A default tax will automatically be added based on the total of the invoice. This can always be changed on the invoice itself and we recommend enabling if you have a tax rate that is standard on most invoices.
Logo - Choose which logo you want to be on the invoice template. This overrides the default logo you set up in the Global Invoice Settings portion of set up.
6. Invoice Email Template
Here you set up the email template that you would like used for your invoices. Utilizing Crelate's mail merging feature, you can add a number of fields to pull data into these emails that will be customized depending on the customer you are sending them to. There are a number of built in fields for you to choose from regarding invoicing. Include items such as balance, discounts, Invoice date, etc.
In order to set up a default email address to send invoices from, select the Setup Sender Addresses to navigate to the Email campaign settings area. This will allow you to add an email address and choose that you want it to be available to send invoices from. Use the same process you used to set up Email Campaigns. Sender Addresses use the email addresses that you have set up for Email Campaigns. In order to send invoices out of Crelate, Email Campaigns will need to be set up.
**Please Note: You do not need to use the same Sender Address for each invoice. You will have the ability to choose which sending address you wish to use with each invoice you send**
What's Next?
With your invoices now ready to go, take a quick look at Billables. You'll ultimately be claiming billables on your invoices so they are an important next step to review. Also, check out our full Master Guide that services as a one-stop-shop for all things Crelate Deliver!