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    Why Collaboration Is Crucial For The Invoicing Process

    Today, there is an app available for almost everything. From taking notes to making instant payments, almost any task can be automated. When it comes to team collaboration, there are many impressive solutions out there. 

    Read on to find out more about using software to collaborate better on the invoicing process, whether with clients or staff members.

    Group Collaboration 

    Group collaboration is a vital part of modern business life. When heads of departments or staff members all specialize in different areas to keep a business moving, collaboration is what will help everyone keep on the same page, on track, and operating towards the same goals.

    Here are the benefits of group collaboration:

    • A Better Rapport Is Created - Establishing collaborative activities in the workplace can improve the energy between employees by encouraging communication. 
    • A Clearer Idea Of Tasks And Responsibilities - Collaborating with your team members will keep responsibilities and duties clear and in order. 
    • Fruitful And Effective - By improving communication, multiple members will be able to brainstorm a variety of ideas and this can encourage creative thought. 
    • Fast Innovation - By cutting down the administrative distance between employees, they can clear challenges easily in order to reach quick solutions and new developments. 

    Here is the disadvantage:

    • Disputes Can Be Triggered - Conflicts and confusion are often the main cause of problems in team collaboration in the workplace. Too many opinions can create sensitive topics or even bigger disputes. 

    When it comes to billing, the advantages of collaboration outweigh the disadvantages, seeing as the facts are numbers, and there is not much room for dispute.

    Client Collaboration 

    Collaborating with your team is just one side of the coin. Making your clients active participants has a wealth of benefits and advantages. 

    • Mitigation Of Risks - You can prevent disputes with the help of total transparency with a client. For example, when you invite the client to the invoicing process, they can access different documents without raising a new thread of communication with you when they are mistaken or confused. 
    • Building Trust - When you include the client in the invoicing process, you are offering irreplaceable transparency that also builds loyalty and trust. 

    Read more:

    How Often Should I Invoice My Clients?
    What Invoicing Features You Need When You Have International Clients

    Leading Invoicing Software Collaboration Systems 

    When you feel the need for collaboration with clients or team members, it is best to have an all-inclusive, reliable, and innovative solution at hand. Take a look at the top software solutions below. 

    FreshBooks     

    Offering an all-inclusive software solution, FreshBooks allows you to work with your teammates or customers on projects. It is built for small enterprise owners and you can invite contractors and staff members to projects to seamlessly interact. 

    Use the time-tracking feature to maximize control and efficiency, and stay on top of things by getting a bigger picture of accounting tasks via the overview. 

    Features:

    • Customizable invoices
    • Payment reminders
    • Multi-currency invoicing 
    • Internal chat communication 
    • Create deadlines, E-Signatures and Tax calculations
    • Client management 
    • Third-party integrations 
    • Manage files and deliverables 
    • Create and share images or files 
    • Set access permissions for users 
    • Do all the functions on the go

    Pricing: Starting at $4.50 per month 

    Zoho 

    For managing clients effortlessly, Zoho offers smart features where you can set triggers and permissions for clients, which will alert you whenever the client accesses an invoice or initiates an action. Besides billing directly, you can use the time-tracking feature on this software to improve the efficiency of every member in group collaborations. 

    Your customers can pay via the invoicing software and assess transactions via the overview. You can also bill the customer directly via a picture of the expense receipt on Zoho.

    Features:

    • Branded invoicing
    • Supports multiple currencies and languages
    • Autopilot invoicing
    • Comments for client collaboration
    • Third-Party integrations
    • Work by billable hours
    • Restrict/allow access to software to teams/clients
    • Collect advance payments 
    • Picture capture 

    Pricing: Starting at $9 per month 

    QuickBooks 

    Apart from the standard ease of use for collaboration on accounting software such as dashboards and secure cloud storage, QuickBooks also offers unlimited invoices and accountant-access for businesses. It is a software solution used by over 4.5 million users, and the reasons for its popularity are clear.

    Features: 

    • Sync with bank
    • Multi-currency 
    • Track income tax
    • Third-party integration
    • Monitor expenses
    • Manage up to five users
    • Track inventory
    • Generate budgeting reports 
    • Project tracking and timesheets
    • Mobile app

    Pricing: Starting at $7.50 per month

    Conclusion 

    Collaboration is important in any department, but it is of paramount importance when it comes to billing. This is true for several reasons:

    • Fraud tends to occur when there are cracks in communication between personnel
    • Errors are more common when there is a lack of communication
    • The financial bottom line of the company is the most sensitive part of the business, which needs special attention and protection

    There are many advantages such as productivity, innovation, and faster results when you collaborate. However, there are challenges too. The trick is to trim down the disadvantages such as disputes by using accounting software that manages multiple complex tasks at once. 

    For premium tools and support, choose QuickBooks. On the other hand, if you want an affordable app, FreshBooks does the job perfectly. Last but not least, Zoho is ideal for small businesses with a large number of clients.

    Best Online Invoicing Software

    • One-click payment setup
    • View of outstanding revenue
    • View of business spending
    • Multi-currency & multi-language
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    • Create estimates
    • Automated online banking
    • Report on profit & loss
    • End-to-end management
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    • Time tracking
    • Invoice status tracking
    • Client activity
    • Expense tracking
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