Automating Your Billing System

Automation allows you to focus on your core business

As your business grows and gains new customers, the relatively simple act of billing and receiving can get out of hand. However, automating your billing system can save you time and improve the efficiency of the process. If you have a business where your customers are billed the same amount at regular intervals, a fully automated recurring bill-pay system is the way to go. For companies offering a wider variety of products or services at different price points, a more hands-on system that helps you track and send bills is the best bet. Popular billing options include:

1. Email billing
2. Automatic withdrawal from customer bank accounts
3. Automatic credit card charges
4. Bills mailed through a contract with a third-party service.

Use Electronic Options for Greatest Efficiency

If you can switch all of your customers to electronic billing, you can eliminate the need for paper invoices and achieve a better return on investment.

Choose a Processor That Can Accommodate Multiple Options

If some of your customers prefer print invoices over electronic or vice-versa, look for a single solution provider who can handle both.

Send Professional Invoices Via PayPal

PayPal lets you send electronic invoices but isn't fully automated for recurring billing. You can also integrate QuickBooks invoices to automatically create e-mail invoices with click-to-pay buttons.

• Sending e-mail bills that offer an option to pay instantly can be efficient and cost-effective, but it also has two problems: Your customers may not be ready to receive and process invoices via e-mail, and your invoices may get blocked by anti-spam solutions. Choose your automatic billing solution based on customer needs.
• Some billing services let you use their online billing and e-mail billing services for free but charge a fee for paper bill processing. Since many businesses need a blend of electronic and paper billing, make sure you understand the costs of each fully before you spend too much time learning to use a particular system.
• If a third-party solution provider has access to your customer accounts, make sure adequate security features are in place to protect your customers before you begin using their automated billing services.
• While e-mail billing can be the most appealing option on the surface, some customers may have concerns about receiving e-mail bills due to fraudulent phishing scams.

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