Whether your client requires a detailed analysis of all the work you’ve done or a narrative style of invoice, Synergist's project billing and time billing functionality will provide it quickly and professionally. You can create and send invoices easily, producing invoices from templates for less admin. Plus, control over the layout of your invoices means they can enhance your brand too.
However, the key function of invoicing systems should be to ensure invoices are accurate, they go out promptly so you get paid on time and that they seamlessly integrate with your time billing system.
So here’s how the Synergist system makes time and project billing for agencies and other project-based businesses quick and easy:
All invoices are posted electronically (with nominal analysis) to your chosen accounts system including:
If you ever have to deal with either recurrent billing like retainers or stage payments, you will find billing plans to be invaluable.
Creative agencies, for example, often have to deal with both retainers and stage payments at various times, therefore many in the creative, marketing and digital sectors will be particularly familiar with them, as will project-led companies such as engineering or professional services consultancies.
1. Retainers
Retainers are agreements between a company and a client to work together for a particular length of time, for a fixed fee. This is an alternative to working project by project.
For some types of client, this is an advantage to them. If they have consistent long-term needs, and want to spread costs evenly throughout the year for budgetary and cash flow purposes, it makes sense. In theory it can also give them preferred-client status and priority treatment, as well as a reduction in fees in view of the commitment.
From the agency perspective, everybody knows that retainers are harder to get nowadays. But even if they manage only a few, they need to have a way to handle them efficiently, safely and quickly.
2. Stage Payments
Stage payments are interim payments made by the client at specified milestones of a project’s life. They reflect costs and resources invested in the project at agreed stages. On large projects, this significantly reduces the service provider’s risk.
Having a simple invoice app is not enough – you only get full benefit from any invoice application when it’s fully integrated with the rest of your system and it can handle the full range of invoices you need to produce.
When choosing a system you will want to ensure the system gives you flexibility, intelligent error reduction and seamless integration with the rest of your processes.
Billing plans can be at job or phase level.
Auto billing plans can be set up, ensuring that all jobs get a billing plan by default. Note that auto plans can be converted to manual plans (and vice versa).
Billing Plans have various sections: