Billing: There’s an App for That

FINANCE

BILLING: THERE’S AN APP FOR THAT!

One of the toughest tasks that small business owners have to master is billing. We review five online tools to take the headache out of your monthly checks and balances

Thanks to the internet, there’s a wealth of tools at your fingertips to get organised (and stay that way) when it comes to billing. From managing vendor quotes to keeping track of unbilled amounts, a billing app will streamline the monthly slog of balancing income and expenditure. Downloading an app is effortless (and often free), and will give you greater means to control and manage your business. Especially relevant for small business owners without massive accounting departments to back them up, a billing app will also free you up to focus on what you love: your business. But if you’re intimidated by the amount of apps to choose from, we’ve done the legwork for you. Check out these five billing apps:

Quickbooks

www.quickbooks.intuit.co.za

Easily the most popular and widely recognised billing and invoicing app for small businesses, Quickbooks gives you the ability to update your invoices from a single dashboard. Your data is secure and is backed up to Quickbooks’s servers. Plus, you can access it on any of your devices, whether you are working on a computer, tablet or mobile phone. All you need is the internet. Quickbooks also allows you to give access to your employees, but it lets you limit what information they can view and modify.

Best Features:

• Synced devices: Quickbooks automatically syncs data across your computer, tablet and mobile phone, saving you time. • Easy set-up: It takes minutes to get started and is automatically customised for your specific type of business. • Priorities: Your Quickbooks dashboard instantly feeds important information to you, such as overdue invoices and your next steps. • Customised invoices: You can create your own invoices in minutes. • Automated: You can send automated invoices to your customers, all from a single dashboard. • Tracking: Quickbooks will give you a bird’s eye view of your expenses, sales and income. • Payroll: there are even features that allow you to pay your employees • Free trial: Quickbooks offers a 30-day free trial for new users.

FreshBooks

www.freshbooks.com

Easy to use and boasting top-notch customer support, FreshBooks is the ideal accounting solution for nonaccountants. Built specifically for small businesses, FreshBooks will get you organised in no time. Plus, it’s cloudbased, meaning you can access it from all your devices.

Best Features:

• Automate your workflow: Save time and get paid quicker by setting up recurring invoices. You can even autobill your client’s credit card so that you never miss a payment. • Bank imports: FreshBooks saves you time by automatically importing and categorising expenses from your bank account and credit card. • Easy tracking: You can assign expenses to clients and know instantly which receipts are unbilled and which have been recouped. • Expense reports: Customise your expense report according to category, vendor, client, project and date range. • Flags: Instantly spot who’s not paying on time with FreshBook’s accounts aging and time to pay reports. • Free trial: There’s a free 30-day trial for new users. your account from anywhere – as long as you have an internet connection.

Best Features:

• Easy to use: Invoices are sent as PDFs by email. • Easy to manage: Track your invoices from a single dashboard. • Paypal: Instead of necessitating that you set up your own Paypal account,

Invoiceable lets you accept online credit card payments, using theirs. • Works across all your devices: Send and receive invoices using your

Android, iPhone or iPad. • Automated: Automatic and recurring invoice features are available. • It’s free: Send unlimited invoices to unlimited clients for free.

Invoiceable

www.invoiceable.com

Another cloud-based accounting application, Invoiceable lets you access

work seamlessly with Wave’s free accounting tools. • Tracking: Not only does Wave offer the usual tracking features, it also allows you to track when your clients have viewed your invoices. • Free: It’s totally free, and available on the App Store.

Wave Accounting

www.waveapps.com

For Apple users, Wave Accounting is a great (and free) all-in-one accounting solution for your small business. This Mac-friendly app not only gives you all the handy invoicing tools you need, but it also works seamlessly as a one-stop accounting set-up.

Best Features:

• Full cycle invoicing: Whether you’re sending an estimate to close a sale or a receipt once payment is received, your full invoicing cycle is covered. • Automated: Keep track of late payments with automated reminders. • Integrated solution: Invoices

Blinksale

www.blinksale.com

Another cloud-based billing app to consider, Blinksale is easy to set up and easy to use.

Best Features:

• Customized: Choose from at least a dozen professional invoice templates. • Easy to manage: Manage your invoices from a single dashboard. • Automated: Set up recurring invoices and automated payments. • Efficient: The user interface is designed to make invoicing fast, simple and easy on the eyes. • Support: Every Blinksale account comes with email and phone support. • Free trial: Blinksale offers a free trial to first time users. • If you haven’t made the move to paperless billing yet, take advantage of free trials (where available) before investing in a full program. What works for one business might not work for another, and test driving certain software will quickly give you an indication of whether or not it’s the right fit for your needs.