Manual Post Production Invoicing Vs Rapid-Billing

April 11th, 2010

Post-Production Invoicing is very important in order for you to get paid.

When you manually do post production invoicing, you have to make sure :

  • Your Invoicing Template is pretty neat
  • Your Invoice looks professional
  • Your invoice has full itemized description of what your customers are been charged for.
  • Accurately keeping track of Records or Rates etc
  • Maintain Status of being Paid or Unpaid.
  • Invoice correctly based on pre-agreed terms like Net30 or Net60 and so on. So you have to manually set Due Dates on your Invoices.
  • Go after them for collections!

Finally when you have billed them, it is possible that they are “busy” or “on vacation” or have some other frivolous issue that you don’t care about. They may or may not pay on time. It’s not that they don’t want to pay but they just might have forgotten about your invoices. This makes business suffer because in a growing startup : the more the money supply, the more the activities.

Rapid-Billing introduces a great new paradigm shift in Invoicing. It allows you to invoice your clients and get paid pro-actively while you are not around. If you are using Rapid-Billing, all you have to do is create the invoice and send it to the customer. The system takes care of the rest!. It timely reminds your client that their invoice is due based on the settingst.

Some of salient features of Rapid-Billing Invoicing system are :

  • Your Invoices looks absolutely professional with your branding
  • Full Description about the services that you have rendered.
  • Keeps track of your Rates and Discounts
  • Automatically maintain status of invoice, whether it’s paid or not
  • Set Due dates on Invoice and even Schedule it for later – to accommodate whatever payment terms you have agreed with your buyer.
  • You don’t need to go after them. Spend that much more time on growing your business!

Rapid-Billing is a dead simple product, using it is very affordable. Starting plans from just $0/month. Now that is cheap even by cheapest standards. Don’t burn your money in keeping your books “fresh”!  Instead switch to Rapid-Billing and make life simple.  Sign up now at Rapid-Billing

Non-Profits are cutting expenses to survive

April 11th, 2010

2009 was a bad year for all businesses but specially for non profit organizations. When the economy is not doing well first thing the businesses do is cut their sponsorships, then marketing, and then the lay offs follow.

Contributions are way down this year. At least the ones I’ve spoken to. Some will not survive this economic turmoil. How will this effect the community? I am afraid it will effect the community negatively. When they are short of funds, they have to cut on the services that they provide, to animals, people, children, woman etc. What will happen to the recipients?

I think we should all get together to help the local charities. I believe they are doing so much for the community that the government can’t. Here are some good tips for them to afloat during these bad times. http://www.ncrp.org/blog/2008/12/suffering-nonprofit-sector.html

We at Rapid-Billing.com understand the importance of  the Charities and non-profits for our community. We’ve always supported them and continue to support our local charities. Since collecting donations are essential for the charities, we though may be we can expend our support and help any charity who would like to collect their donations faster could use Rapid-Billing.

So, we decided to give it for free to any charity who has less then 500 customers. And 50% discounted rates for the more advanced packages. They can sign up for a free account and then email us their 501 c documents and we upgrade their account to GOLD package ($39/mo.) for FREE.

Spread the word to help your charity. Tell them to sign up for a free account athttp://www.rapid-billing.com/nonprofits.html

How important payment terms are while generating invoice?

April 11th, 2010

If payment fails to arrive for goods or services you have provided, your cash flow can be under real pressure. Cash flow keeps business in business and – if you think you are being paid on one date and your customer has a different date in mind – you could be in trouble! Making assumptions is dangerous and formally agreeing payment terms in advance is vital.

Can you answer yes to all these questions?

  • Do you discuss and agree payment terms with your customers (and with your suppliers) before you accept (or place) an order?
  • Do you confirm the agreed payment terms in writing before you accept (or place) an order?
  • Do you negotiate payment terms with your suppliers that allow you longer to pay than the terms on which you are paid by your customers?
  • If the answer to the question above is no, do you have finance or a finance facility in place to bridge the gap between the time you pay and the time you get paid?
  • Do you produce, and then regularly review, a cash flow forecast to ensure that everything is under control and there is nothing waiting to surprise you?
  • Do you have standard payment terms in place and a policy within your organization saying that they cannot be changed unless properly authorized?
  • Is the payment due date clearly shown on all invoices?
  • Do you have a strategy in place for dealing with requests from customers who suddenly and unilaterally demand a longer time in which to pay?
  • Do you include your right to make late payment and interest charges on your contracts and invoices?

If your answer is “NO” for any of above questions read below.

  1. Set out and agree payment terms in advance and in writing. It’s better to know what to expect than to leave things to chance and wonder why the money hasn’t arrived later.
  2. Watch out for any wording in documents from your customer that changes the agreed payment terms. If you accept their order, you might also be accepting their changed payment terms. If their documents contain terms that are different to yours and you fail to challenge them, their terms will take precedence.
  3. Whenever you write about payment terms, and on your invoices, include the words: “We will exercise our statutory right to claim interest (at 8% over the Bank of England base rate) and compensation for debt recovery costs under the Late Payment legislation if we are not paid according to our agreed credit terms.” Even if you don’t intend to do so, it can be a useful deterrent against late payment.
  4. Raising a further invoice for interest and late payment charges is an excellent way of gaining your customer’s attention and raising the profile of your outstanding invoices.
  5. If your customer unilaterally tells you they are going to take longer to pay in future, you will have to decide how important their orders are to your business. If they’re claiming the extended payment terms for invoices already raised, you should demand payment under the previously agreed terms for goods or services previously supplied.

Top tips in credit management to keep the cash flowing

April 1st, 2010

Businesses are being tested today like never before. The widely reported difficulties within the US sub-prime mortgage sector that has given rise to the potential ‘credit crunch’ and which has primarily been an ‘inter-bank’ issue may yet impact on the UK economy. Whilst the full extent of any impact is yet to be felt.

TIP 1 : KNOW YOUR CUSTOMER

Knowledge is power, as the phrase goes, so make sure you use it wisely.

  • Check the exact name and legal status (you’ll need this if you ever have to take legal action to recover debt)
  • Use headed paper to verify company details
  • Make sure the order is from the same entity
  • Use a reference agent to further verify details and check their credit status
  • Ask for references from other suppliers and check them (and other suppliers) out.

TIP 2: AGREE PAYMENT TERMS BEFORE YOU SUPPLY

To assume is always dangerous, so be clear from the outset how you will conduct your business.

  • Don’t assume you’ll be paid on 30 days or end of month following
  • Set out payment terms in writing and try to get written acceptance
  • Make sure customer’s order doesn’t suggest different terms
  • Set our penalty (late payment charges and interest) if payment is late – you don’t have to invoke them but the right to do so is useful

TIP 3: INVOICE ACCURATELY, CLEARLY AND PROMPTLY

Attention to detail can make all the difference in getting paid on time.

  • An invoice can’t be paid until it’s received.
  • An invoice won’t be paid if the goods or services aren’t clearly specified.
  • An invoice won’t be paid if the customer’s order number isn’t quoted.
  • An invoice won’t be paid if it’s sent to the wrong address or has the wrong company name on it
  • A disputed invoice won’t be paid.

TIP 4: DON’T BE AFRAID TO ASK FOR PAYMENT

The only good customer is paying customer, and if you don’t ask, you might not get.

  • For large or important amounts – email us before the due date to make sure everything is OK
  • Make immediate contact when payment hasn’t arrived
  • Be assertive about what you expect and when you expect it
  • Make the consequences of non-payment clear
  • Follow up promises to make sure they’re met
  • Do what you say you’re going to do when you said you

You can accomplish all of the above with Rapid-Billing. Signup for an account now and start getting paid quickly. Remember it’s free up to 5 customers and very affordable for more.

Get it FREE: Rapid-Billing Gold Package License

March 30th, 2010
Get it FREE: Rapid-Billing Gold Package License

Giveaway: Free 1 Year Billing Software Membership


We are pleased to announce that Rapid-Billing is giving away 5 subscriptions of its Gold Package License absolutely FREE for 1 Year. You can buy the best license for your business here.

A bit more about Rapid-Billing

Rapid-Billing is an online billing application that enables you to streamline your billing cycle with timely error-free invoices – - which generate faster payments. The Rapid-Billing Application comes with many free standard features that every freelancer or entrepreneur wants and needs:

  • Invoice Reports
  • Payment Reports
  • Tax Reports
  • Create New Invoices
  • Create a Customer Record
  • Online Payments for Your Customers
  • Import Export Customers
  • Currency Settings
  • Create New Service Items
  • Create ARB (Automated Recurring Billing) Instructions
  • Online Account Statements
  • Set up Tax Rates
  • Set up Reminders
  • Print All Invoices
  • Export Invoices, Statements
  • Predefined Communication Templates
  • Accept Credit Cards or PayPal Only
  • PCI Compliant
  • CIM (Customer Information Manager)

Can I use Rapid-Billing for free?

To help you try it, there is a free plan with all of the standard features available, but only if you have a limited amount of customers. If you have a larger customer database, Rapid-Billing plans start from as low as $6.99/month. The winners of the contest, however, will receive a Gold package worth $39/Month absolutely free for 1 Year.

How can you win?

It’s as simple as flipping a coin; you can take part in this contest and stand a chance by tweeting about this contest and confirming your tweet by commenting at the twitter status URL (you have a Retweet button at the end of this post). ex. http://twitter.com/SalonSpaSource/status/10974521827. You can reach this URL by clicking the link just below the twitter entry containing text like this: “about 2 hours ago from web”.

Important Points

The weekly winners will be selected randomly and will be announced on our Rapid-Billing blog.
Fill out your name and e-mail address correctly because the winners will be contacted via e-mail only.
Post your comments each week before the contest ends on April 30th. After that date, all comments will be closed.

The contest begins on Tuesday, March 30th and is open until Friday, April 30th 2010, with weekly winners being announced on every Monday at 12:00 PM EST.

Good luck and don’t forget to follow @rapidbilling on twitter!

Tweet for Giveaway offer

Tweet for Giveaway offer

Proud to launch online billing and invoicing software application

March 30th, 2010

Rapid-Billing™ Helps you streamline your billing, collect faster and save money!

www.Rapid-Billing.com

St. Petersburg, Fla. — Rapid Web Services, LLC, a  St. Petersburg based software development, Web design and Internet marketing company, releases a browser based invoicing,  billing and productivity software system named Rapid-Billing™.

Highlighted features of the custom application software enable users to create Invoices, automate billing, access daily reports, get paid online, automatically notify customers, and calculate monthly sales tax.
The site “is secure and fully PCI Compliant as software developers worked closely with Authorize.net to ensure the application was created in a safe and secure online environment.” says John Tuncer, CEO of Rapid Web Services, LLC.
The Rapid Web Services, LLC development team worked closely with end users to plan and ensure the site’s finished product is everything they need. “The site serves a dual role as the central billing and a Customer Information Manager (CIM) system and contains a lot of detailed instructions and step-by-step guides. Options and settings are customizable, yet both are intuitive and structured to guide users,” Tuncer says.

The simplicity and user-friendly ability of Rapid-Billing makes it easy to integrate as a part of any day-to-day business billing process. It is affordable to set-up and automates businesses invoicing effortlessly.  Rapid-Billing™ offers enhanced free subscriptions to nonprofit 501 c3 organizations.  Preview a FREE version of the new Rapid-Billing™ Web site application at www.rapid-billing.com .

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About Rapid Web Services, LLC: Rapid Web Services, LLC does whatever it takes to get businesses, throughout Tampa Bay and beyond, found on the Internet. We are a software development, Web design and Internet marketing company, founded in 1996 and based in St. Petersburg, Florida. We are known for taking an ahead-of-the-curve approach to Internet marketing, developing the user-friendly RapidVector® content-management system, and being the world’s largest reseller of VeriSign’s RapidSSL security certificates. The company combines Internet savvy with technical expertise to drive online traffic to sites, through creative design, content management, and SEO marketing and copywriting. Our latest way for businesses to be seen online is Search-Metro.com, an affordable solution to tap into local markets. JCTWEB.com offers a full range of Internet solutions,

About Search-Metro.com: Search-Metro, an affordable Internet marketing service, was developed by JCTWEB, a Web design and Development Company based in St. Petersburg, Florida, and founded in 1996. We believe in helping entrepreneurs and businesses get found easily on the Internet. JCTWEB’s professional staff of Web designers, Web developers, Internet marketers, and SEO copywriters ensures that clients get a Web site that produces amazing results. www.search-metro.com