How To Streamline Your Invoice Processing?

Managing accounts payable is an essential part of maintaining a company’s financial health. The mission here is not to merely pay the bills but incorporate a system that ensures accuracy and increases the legitimacy of a business.

Invoice processing, for instance, is integral in the proper functioning of the accounts payable department. It ensures smooth and accurate management of invoices and recording in the general ledger.

However, no process is beyond the scope of mistakes, and errors in invoices usually mean that your payment will get delayed. To remove this bottleneck, one can follow a few suggestions to optimise this process.

How to Invoice Processing?

Here are some tips that can streamline invoice processing –

• Prepare A Checklist

Errors in invoices lead to a delay in receiving payments from clients; hence, omitting them at the earliest is essential. Thus, one can curate a checklist of invoice information to resolve this issue. Here are the heads to be included in this list –

• Shipment date
• Total outstanding charges
• Additional paperwork such as delivery proof, landing bill, and lumper receipt
• A detailed description of freight like the number of packages, total weight, measurement, etc.
• Name of the consignee or consignor
• Information of the carrier
• Staring and destination points
• Address and contact number of the contact person

One has the liberty to mend this list as per the needs of his/her business, primarily client and type of product.

• Know What To Put And What Not To

A checklist may streamline the process of preparing an invoice, but entrepreneurs should know how much information they should provide here. Lack of information can lead to clients’ displeasure, as they may expect business owners to provide a set of essential details to help them manage their books easily.

Contrarily, providing too much information can be harmful as well. For example, if you are in a manufacturing business, then listing delivery costs or material costs in an invoice may not be feasible for you. On the other hand, it might lead your client to raise questions about your business and the pricing.

That said, do not withhold any vital information that you have agreed to share.

• Negotiate Better Payment Terms

Negotiating better payment terms is another way to streamline invoice processing. Since you have agreed to a set of payment terms before commencing business with a client, you can refer to it in case of any delays.

Moreover, leverage that agreement and try to move up your payment dates as much as possible.

Nonetheless, you will still come across a client who will ask for a longer payment duration, but you can always negotiate.

If you face unnecessary delays with payments and are in urgent need of working capital, you can get in touch with fintech companies like KredX for quick solutions. They offer a host of working capital solutions to help businesses to meet their monetary needs efficiently.

• Implementing An Automated Service

Another way to streamline invoice processing is through the usage of technology. There is a host of software available in the market that can reduce the backend workflow and help businesses avoid any bottleneck.

Additionally, the usage of software also reduces the chances of human errors, which eliminates discrepancies regarding invoice processing.

Since there are multiple software choices available, you can opt for one that enables customisation. It means you can tailor-make your invoices as per the requirements of your clients.

Software and associated online facilities also allow companies to resolve their client complaints quickly. It contributes to improving their client relationship.

Bottom Line

Cash flow fluctuations are common in any business, and streamlining invoice processing can resolve this issue. Therefore, if you are a business owner overwhelmed by the complexity of invoice processing, you can refer to the tips above to streamline it and ease the pressure on your accounts payable department.