Introduction
Invoicing is important and should take no effort.
With Tribe CRM, you can see at a glance the invoices that can still be invoiced.
With Tribe CRM, you can send invoices online in just a few clicks and always to the right contact person.
Possibly automate the sending of periodic invoices (and reminders).
The invoicing module contributes to a healthy cash flow and ensures that you know where to step in. You get a grip on your debtor management.
How do I create an invoice template?
How do I create a new invoice?
How do I see the status of an invoice?
How can I (automatically) send reminders?
How can I credit invoices?
Working with sales orders instead of invoices.
Invoicing policy
1 How do I create an invoice template?
Before you start invoicing, it is necessary to create an invoice template and e-mail template. The knowledge base contains a number of different articles on creating and customising templates. You can use these as reference for the adjustments you want to make.
2 How do I create a new invoice?
The starting point for creating an invoice depends on your specific situation. It is possible to link an invoice directly to a relation, but you can also create it from an activity, such as a sales opportunity, project, work order, time registration or subscription. The handling of the invoice is otherwise the same for each situation.
You only see the above-mentioned activities when you have activated the modules of the same name. Creating an invoice through one of these activities is very intuitive through the invoice button. All product rules are transferred directly from these activities to the invoice, making invoicing quick and easy. The articles on the various modules explain this in more detail.
In this paragraph, we will explain how to create an invoice directly at a relation.
Find and open the relation to whom you want to send an invoice.
Click the + invoice button in the bar (open the options under + more, if necessary).
Enter the required data and select the appropriate invoice template. Click on save.
The invoice does not yet contain any product lines. Now first add one or more lines by clicking on the + product button. Here you can select products from the product book or add a new product directly. The added lines are automatically saved on entry.
By clicking on the preview tab you can preview the invoice before sending it.
Should you wish to add an additional comment on this particular invoice, for example, click on the edit tab. The chosen template will then be displayed. The change you make will only apply to this invoice. So you are not modifying the template.
Click the send button.
An e-mail window will open. Adjust the text of the e-mail if necessary and click send.
The e-mail will now be sent and the invoice will automatically be attached to the e-mail.
Did you know?
The invoice number and date are not created until the invoice is actually sent.
By default, the relation's financial e-mail address is used for the invoicing e-mail address. If this is not filled, the general mail address of the organisation will be used, if this is not filled the mail address of the contact person will be used.
A copy of the invoice through the BCC address can be sent to accounting. You can set this in configuration > invoicing.
The default payment term can be set in configuration > invoicing.
3 How do I see the status of an invoice?
To give you immediate insight into the status of the various invoices, there are two widgets on the invoicing dashboard by default:
Invoices by phase: Every invoice goes through a number of phases. This widget lists all invoices per stage. So you immediately have a clear overview, for example, of all draft invoices that have yet to be invoiced.
Invoiced: This widget gives you a total overview of all invoices that have already been invoiced.
Of course, you can also create your own widgets or views based on the data you want to see. You can read more about creating widgets in this article and about creating a view in this article.
4 How can I send reminders automatically?
Unfortunately, it sometimes happens that an invoice is not paid on time. Tribe CRM allows you to automate the sending of the first and second reminder. Tribe CRM already includes a standard e-mail template for reminders, which you can customise as you wish. Sending reminders is done through automation. This is not activated by default. Follow the steps below to activate it:
Navigate to configuration > activities > invoice.
Open the automations tab.
Activate both automations by turning on the slider.
Did you know?
It is possible to exclude certain relations when sending a reminder. To do so, activate the do not send reminders slider on the customer card.
The automations ensure that reminders are sent every day at 7 am. The reminder is only sent when the conditions below are met. A copy of the invoice is attached to the reminder.
1st reminder:
The do not remind slider is not activated.
The invoice has the status sent.
The due date of the invoice is equal to the current date minus 1 day.
After sending the 1st reminder, the status of the invoice will automatically be changed to 1st reminder.
2nd reminder:
The do not remind slider is not activated.
The invoice has the status 1st reminder.
The due date of the invoice is equal to the current date minus 7 days.
After sending the 2nd reminder, the status of the invoice will automatically be changed to 2nd reminder.
5 How can I credit invoices?
It is occasionally necessary to credit an invoice. This can easily be done through the dot menu in the invoice.
Follow the steps below to send the credit invoice.
Open the invoice to be credited.
Click on the dot menu at the top right of the invoice > credit invoice.
The credit invoice will be created with draft status. It can be found in the timeline under open activities. The original invoice is in the timeline under closed activities and has the status credited.
Open the credit invoice and click the send button.
An e-mail screen will now open. Adjust the text of the e-mail if necessary and click send.
The e-mail is now sent and the credit invoice is automatically attached to the e-mail.
6 Working with sales orders instead of invoices
Do you use sales orders instead of invoices? Adjust this in the Tribe CRM configuration. By simply selecting the checkbox Working with sales orders instead of invoices in configuration > invoicing, the system will make the necessary adjustment. If you want to use the sales order activity, you will also need the invoicing module.
7 Invoicing policy
The Tribe invoicing module comes with an updated invoicing policy, implemented from 1 April 2024. By default, the policy is set to strict. Under this policy, the user can create and send an invoice as described in this article. Once the invoice is sent, it is 'frozen'. This means that further adjustments are not possible. Any credits can be made through the invoice credit button. Although it is possible to change the phase of the invoice, such as to 'reminder sent', the invoice cannot be re-opened for editing. All changes within the invoice are accurately tracked in a log within the audit trail.
The billing policy will remain on accommodative by default for customers who used Tribe before 1 April 2024. Changes can still be made under this policy after the invoice is sent.
The administrator has the option to adjust the policy setting as required, depending on the needs of the organisation. This is possible through configuration > billing > billing settings.