Why Is Mailing Invoices a Bad Business Practice?
While invoices are mission-critical transactional mail that many companies use for a variety of purposes, they represent a considerable cost for in-house printing and mailing operations. However, these costs can be minimized when organizations have a good understanding of why invoices are being sent and how to make them more efficient and cost-effective.
(Looking for “outsourcing insurance company direct mail“? Contact us today!)
The Importance of Invoice Emails
Invoices are a major source of revenue for many companies and an essential part of the business-to-business (B2B) relationship. They help keep track of sales, ensure accurate invoicing, and communicate with clients. They also serve as a vital customer service tool that can help establish relationships with your customers and retain them for life.
The Key to a Successful Invoice Email
A good invoice email should be brief, clear, and professional. It should include all the important information about the service you’re invoicing for, and it should make a point of letting your client know that you’ve attached an invoice to the email message. This is a great way to show your customer that you care about their business and want them to pay you.
When you send an invoice via email, it should include the following: The name of the company that the service is being provided for and the company’s logo. It should also include the contact details for the company. These can be important for bookkeeping or for tax purposes in the future.
In addition to the name of the company, it should also have a short message about the service. This will help your client feel like you have taken the time to write the email. It will also help set your company apart from the competition if you’re sending out an invoice to a large number of people.
The Importance of a Due Date
No matter how long a project takes, it’s always important to provide a clear due date on your invoice. Without one, you can risk delaying payments from your client. Additionally, if you add a late fee or penalty to the invoice, your client will know that they need to pay you as soon as possible in order to avoid losing their credit rating and other financial issues.
The amount to be paid is nearly as critical to an invoice email as a due date. If your customer doesn’t have the amount to pay on hand, they may decide not to send payment and you may end up having to reissue the invoice.
It’s a good idea to include the date on which the invoice was issued as well. This will give your client a sense of how close you are to the project’s completion and allow them to plan their own cash flow accordingly.
A good way to ensure that an invoice is received by your customer’s AP team is to have your company’s financial software automatically re-route invoices to the right account payable department within your customer’s organization. It’s a great way to reduce the time that it takes for your customer’s AP department to receive and review your invoice, which can significantly improve your chances of getting paid on time.
