Invoice templates come in all shapes and sizes...so where do you start?

When it comes to formatting and presenting your invoices, you won’t be stuck for inspiration! If you Google “free invoice template” you’ll be given around 40 million results...the only challenge is cutting through the clutter to find a template that works for you.

But it’s not a decision to be taken lightly. Whether you’re a one person business or a huge multi-national, raising an invoice is the start of a long process that ends when payment reaches your account. Somewhere along the line, your customer could get distracted or decide to prioritise other bills – so it’s vital to find a template with clear itemisation and prominent instructions for payment.

So what are your best choices?
Perhaps the obvious route is to choose a template from a desktop application like Word or Excel. Both provide attractive and well-designed invoices, with space for personalisation - so you can add customer details, product and service descriptions, and even your company logo.

If you’re happy to wander a little off the beaten track (and maybe spend some money), there are software packages out there that will generate invoices for you. Most work in much the same way as the desktop templates, but some will also generate sequential numbers. This will help you to store and retrieve old invoices, and avoid the classic mistake of overtyping the last invoice raised.

Both of these options will ‘do the job’, but both have their limitations, because they only offer you two choices – print and post, or send by email.

If you take the print option, there’s a cost to you (not to mention the environment). And if you opt for an email attachment, your important invoice will sit in someone’s inbox alongside thousands of less vital messages.

In the digital age, we can do better
Today, the best alternative is to use a bill presentment service, which renders your invoice as a full digital bill. Your customer can view their bill online - still in its familiar offline format – and click through for more details, storage options, delegation...and to make payment!

One example of electronic bill presentment is PaySwyft.com, where sole traders, partnerships and other companies can create simple, professional invoices that encourage customers to act swiftly. Using the site’s free invoice template, you can personalise your bills just as you would with a desktop or software template.
The difference is, you can present them online and make it easier than ever for your customers to pay.