Relying on pen and paper to invoice each customer is like riding a horse on the highway. Getting from point A to B may be possible, but it will be slow and inefficient. Your competitors (other cars) will blow right past you.

Enter field service management (FSM) software.

By digitizing your invoicing process, a field service management platform can help you eliminate data errors, automatically calculate the right rate per client, and most importantly help you get cash in the door faster. No more time-consuming manual processes or delays when sending invoices out to clients. With an FSM tool, you can send invoices instantly after a job is complete, reduce administrative costs, improve the accuracy of your invoices, and help accelerate your bottom line.

But, why are so many commercial contractors slow to adopt this technology? As with many things, it's often a matter of habit and inertia. 

By embracing today’s best practices and investing in an FSM tool, you can take your invoicing capabilities to the next level. So, if you're still relying on pen and paper to manage your invoicing, it's time to leap. In this article, we’ll cover the top 7 must-have features to help you improve your invoicing process and get cash in the door faster. 

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Invoicing Tip #1: Digital Customer Signatures

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As a commercial contracting business, keeping your clients happy is key to your success. And when it comes to invoicing, one small but important detail can make a big difference - digital customer signatures.

You most likely are already collecting customer signatures on an invoice or work order. However, when you collect this digitally, you’re able to instantly pass that signature back to the office for faster work order approval and invoicing. You're also creating an audit trail that can be your safety net in case the customer disputes the invoice. By having a signature that confirms the customer has reviewed and approved the work performed, you have a stronger case to back up your charges and avoid any disputes.

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Invoicing Tip #2: Quote More Business From the Field

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Are you willing to miss out on potential upsell opportunities and leave money on the table by not using an FSM tool to quickly and accurately provide quotes on the spot as a commercial contractor?

As a commercial contractor, you know that time is money. Every minute that your technicians spend filling out paperwork or waiting for the office to create a quote is time that could be better spent on billable work. When your technicians can create quotes on the spot, they can save valuable time and get the job done faster. Instead of waiting until they're back in the office to create a quote. 

But the benefits of field quoting are more than just faster invoicing. It also opens up new upsell opportunities that may not have been possible. For example, you're a commercial HVAC contractor and your technician is on a service call. They notice that the customer's air conditioner needs an upgrade. With the ability to create a quote on the spot, the technician can offer the customer an upgrade to a more efficient unit, complete with a quote for the installation. The customer signs right then and there and you, my friend, just secured more revenue for your business.

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Invoicing Tip #3: Access Customer Service History From Anywhere

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FMS tools give field technicians the ability to access a customer's service history directly from their mobile device. Instead of spending valuable time trying to track down information about the equipment or the customer's previous service calls, technicians can access this information quickly and easily, allowing them to get to work on the equipment faster. This means that they can complete more jobs per day, and increase the rate at which the office team is sending out invoices. 

Let's say that a commercial electrician needs to replace a faulty circuit breaker, they can quickly see the part number and cost from the service history, allowing them to easily add it to the invoice. By streamlining this process, any information the electrician inputs to the work order is immediately synced to the office for them to approve and process the invoice to the customer immediately after the job is complete, reducing the time between service delivery and payment collection.

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Invoicing Tip #4: Digitally Attach Notes and Photos to Invoices

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Adding notes and photos to an invoice can be an effective way to prove that work was done. By including detailed notes about the work performed and photos of the completed job, commercial contractors can provide customers with visual evidence that the work was completed to their satisfaction. With this in your corner, you should reduce the chances of a customer disputing the invoice. Plus, it’s a professional way to present your business. 

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Invoicing Improvement #5: Automatically Link Field Data to the Office

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How often do your technicians lose their time sheets? What about their work orders? Does your office team have a hard time reading Randy’s handwriting? Syncing the data between the field and office is a game-changer for commercial contracting businesses looking to streamline their invoicing process. By digitizing the entire workflow from work order creation to invoicing, contractors can eliminate the manual steps that often lead to delays and errors.

For example, when a technician completes a job in the field, the work order is automatically updated in the field service management tool, which triggers an approval process. By having all the necessary information digitally linked, managers can review and approve the work order quickly, without the need for phone calls or emails back and forth. Once the work order is approved, the invoicing process can begin immediately, saving valuable time and increasing cash flow.

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Invoicing Improvement #6: Automatically Adjust Invoices for Each Client

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A commercial contractor has multiple contracts with different clients, each with different rates and terms. Manually generating these invoices is often time-consuming and error-prone. However, with a field management software platform, the invoicing process can be automated based on the specific contract and rate for each client, eliminating the need for manual data entry and reducing the risk of errors.

Imagine you’re a plumbing company (lucky you if you are! This example will hit home with you) that has multiple contracts with different property management companies. Each contract has different rates and terms, making it challenging to keep track of each job and invoice. With an FSM tool, each contract's specific rate and terms are automatically calculated, instantly generating an invoice for the correct amount.

If you’ve never experienced this before, it’s a game-changer for commercial contractors.

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Invoicing Improvement #7: Connect to Your Accounting Tool for Better Reports and Faster Invoicing

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Having a field service management platform that connects to accounting platforms like QuickBooks can open up a world of possibilities for commercial contractors. Not only can it streamline the invoicing process, but it can also provide valuable insights into the business through extensive reporting capabilities. Some reports include:

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1. Time and materials: Track time and materials used on each job, providing valuable insights into productivity and profitability.
2. Work in progress (WIP) accounting: Track the progress of ongoing jobs and provide a snapshot of revenue and expenses that have not yet been invoiced.
3. Customer-level profitability: Understand which customers are most profitable and which ones may require more attention.
4. Technician profitability: Understand which technicians are most efficient and profitable.

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By having access to these reports, commercial contractors can make data-driven decisions about their business and speed up their invoicing process.

All in all, using field service management (FSM) software can help commercial contracting businesses improve their invoicing capabilities and get cash in the door faster. By digitizing the invoicing process, contractors can eliminate data errors, reduce administrative costs, and improve the accuracy of their invoices. If you’d like to learn more about how Operix can help streamline your invoicing process, give us a shout. We’d love to walk you through the platform.