3 Tips For Quality Invoicing That Encourage Timely Payment

Are you a freelancer?

If yes, then you probably already know that good invoicing skills are not an option for you!

After all, how timely or untimely clients pay you depends largely on the kind of invoice you share with them.

What Constitutes Quality Invoicing?

Part of what makes you a professional and gives you an edge as a freelancer is an ability to create/send a comprehensible invoicing system.

Do not make assumptions or leave anything to guesswork. Your job is to remove the confusion/guesswork from reading an invoice, not add to it.

One quick look at an invoice should tell your client –

  • What payment method do you prefer
  • The due date for the payment
  • The exact amount they owe you

Often beginner freelancers wonder how to send an invoice via email.

You do get a variety of options to pick from. Some may sound more effective than others depending on your industry. Read on to see all available solutions –

  1. Sending it as an email attachment; the DIY route.

If you like to keep it simple and basic, stick with Google Sheets or Excel Spreadsheet. See to it that your invoice includes all essential fields like –

  • Date of issue
  • Client name and contact information
  • Due date
  • Details of services
  • Discount (if any/applicable)
  • Cost per service
  • Serve fees and taxes (if applicable)
  • Total amount due
  • Late fee (if applicable)

Do not leave out the preferable payment method. Include your payment address if you use digital payment services like PayPal and Stripe. Pay special attention to AVOIDING TYPOS.  One misspelled word can make you lose your payment and hard work.

Save the invoice as PDF so no one can change the information. Attach the PDF file to the email. It’s better to include the invoice number in the subject line.

The body can include a note along the lines of, “Please find the attached invoice for October. Kindly remit the payment to the address mentioned in the invoice. Thank You”

Note – Since the whole process is manual, the responsibility to send reminders will fall on your shoulders. Also, know that this invoicing style is highly prone to incorrect keystrokes and typos.  

Do not send email invoices if you send some personally identifiable financial data. They are unencrypted and unsecured. Certain project types and industries may not accept email-based invoices if the payment is going via direct deposit or directly to your bank account.

  1. Professional Billing Services and Invoicing Software

This is another way to invoice via email. An invoice generator takes a lot of work out of this otherwise tedious/manual process. Typically you can pick from various templates to fill in all the relevant information. Much of the language in invoice templates come pre-filled, which removes much effort. It’s one of the systems you need to skyrocket your freelancing career.

Benefits of Using Invoice Generator/software

  • Option to integrate expense tracking
  • Ability to discern how much profit you are making as a small business
  • Better cash-flow management
  • Awareness of the total amount clients owe you
  • Information about pending freelance bills

The best part of using an invoice generator service is – easy integration with digital payment platforms like PayPal, Chase Pay, Zelle, and Stripe. Clients can click a button to pay directly through their business account, which cuts down on the number of steps involved and the time taken to make the payment.

Built-in functionalities also avoid the chances of typos and mistakes, so your money doesn’t end up in the wrong account. Sending reminders is also easy with an invoice maker.

However, on the flip side, these services can often be expensive for beginner freelancers or those with only one or two clients.  

Weigh the pros and cons to see if it hits the sweet spot regarding ROI.

  1. Freelance Management Toolkits

A freelancer management suite such as Bonsai gives you the perks of dedicated billing functionalities. Translation? You can set up custom invoice templates for different clients, send them securely, and track the money from all channels.

Companies design these suites/toolkits with the knowledge that most freelancers don’t have hundreds of clients. That is why the often price their services rather reasonably.

Often these systems incorporate other elements of freelancing that enable you to earn more and be more professional.

Benefits of Using Freelance Management Toolkit

  • Setting your expectations right in terms of what you charge
  • Option to create bespoke service proposals
  • Time tracking
  • Expense management
  • Project milestone management for different clients
  • It gives you the big picture of the entire project
  • Easy billing with a one-click option

Unpaid invoices will automatically trigger a reminder/alert to your client after the due date. You can customize such a courtesy reminder at any time.

The best part – these suites are available at more or less the same pricing as bookkeeping services.

So, Which One Is The Best?

Let’s say what is best for you may not be for another freelancer. It all boils down to your budget, number of clients, expectations, nature of the business, industry, etc.

Freelancers who are short on time often find that good invoicing practices save them time and billable hours to devote to more productive business activities.

If you spend too much time on administrative tasks like invoicing – you may want to explore professional invoice creator and management toolkits. 

4 Must-Have Features of Prisoner Transport Vehicles

Prisoner transport vehicle

Transferring prisoners from one jurisdiction to another is risky for both the prisoners being transported and the police officers or third-party contractors who handle their transport. In response to the need for prisoner transport vehicles, manufacturers have created various solutions to make the process safer and more efficient. Nowadays, there are several kinds to choose from, and here are a few must-have features you need to look for when it comes to securing the right prisoner transport vehicle:

  • Exhibits durability. For both safety and longevity of use, a durable vehicle that can transport inmates from one location to another is always preferred. Choose vehicles that are made of high-quality materials, such as those with all aluminum construction and with a white powder coat finish. Aside from heavy-duty doors and windows, the overall build of the prisoner transport vehicle must be sturdy enough to stand regular transport and even long and frequent ones.
  • Compartmentalized and secure. The prisoners must be segregated from the police officers or contractors, as well as from their fellow inmates, during transport. Vehicles with extra-tough partitions, compartments, and seat dividers, prevent any untoward incident that can delay the process or harm anyone during prisoner transport duty. Similarly, look for window guards, door panels, and door lock restrictions for added safety and security.
  • Well-ventilated. In-vehicle temperature regulation is a must during transport. To ensure that the officers, contractors, and, most especially, the inmates are comfortable during travel, prisoner transport vehicles need good ventilation. Choose prisoner transport vehicles that have heating and cooling system setups.
  • Allows for add-ons. First aid kits, intercom features, and meal pass-hinged doors are examples of useful accessories that can be added to a standard prisoner transport vehicle. For some models, video camera systems monitoring inmates are also available as an added security feature. Others also opt to install in-car computer mounts that allow whoever is in charge to access necessary files, even while on the road.

Because of the nature of prisoner transport, safety and security are among the highest considerations when it comes to choosing the right vehicle. Comfort for the inmates, as well as convenience for the police officers/contractors in charge, should also be considered.

Top online resume assistance platforms to land a job faster

a clipboard near pen and laptop on a marble surface

The paper version is moving to online platforms. Some websites and applications allow you to turn ordinary text into bright infographics. Moreover, you do not need to create something new: a set of templates is already in the service itself.

What for? A bright resume will make you stand out from the crowd of other applications. It also becomes easier to understand: a table and a diagram can be learned in seconds, while a recruiter will wade through unstructured paragraphs for 10 minutes.

Today we are sharing a selection of 3 sites that will make your resume stand out from other applications.

Where to look for some resume assistance

Needless to say, it would be a good idea to ask for professional resume writing assistance from writers who have written many such resumes while working for a resume assistance company. They are the best in this kind of service and are called professionals. But if you have decided to try to make it on your own, feel free to look through the following list of special services for creating a resume. 

Canva 

Canva is an app for those who enjoy the design, layout, and presentation process itself.

Why is it useful? You can create a memorable resume from scratch, use ready-made templates or customize your own, choosing a color, font, stickers, and illustrations.

What else can you do?

Make up a daily, monthly, or yearly schedule, personal calendar, multi-page logs, diaries, habit trackers, posters, invitations, cards, social media headers, and more.

If you want to create a creative presentation of yourself step by step, turn to the built-in resume builder. When searching for templates, write “Resume” – you will immediately see many options. Choose the one you like, or open a new file and create a resume from scratch. Add shapes, dividers, and social media icons. Add text by double-clicking on the already existing blocks in the template. If you are making a resume from scratch, click “Text” on the left. Customize colors, and fonts. Add a photo (via the “Downloads” section).

Canva offers free and paid subscription options. What is the difference? All formats are available with a free subscription (resume, poster, letter, invitation, etc.). However, there are restrictions on some graphic elements or features. So, for example, both versions allow you to create a resume, but a premium subscription allows you to add your fonts, create animations, and much more.

Another nuance is that a premium subscription makes most of the templates free. Whereas in the regular version of the site, you will have to pay $ 1 for some of them. But there is a way out: you can always find a free analog or remove paid elements from the template (usually a font or pattern), which will also make it free.

Vizualize.me

Application for students and young professionals with work experience aimed at working abroad or in international business.

Why is it useful? 

Without much effort, here you can make a full-fledged resume in English from your LinkedIn account, post it on social networks or download it on a PC and send it to recruiters.

What else can you do?

Turn your resume into a straightforward outline.

If you have already looked for a job, then you probably know about the existence of LinkedIn. So, Vizualize.me takes data from your LinkedIn profile and turns it into a complete resume that you can share with potential employers as if writers did. For those who do not have an account, registration via email is available, but in this case, all the data must be entered by yourself.

What are the benefits of vizualize.me? From your knowledge and experience, it creates a semblance of a map, convenient for viewing and editing. Choose a template, and change colors and fonts in the tabs on the left. There are few ready-made options, but you can create a unique resume by changing the data. On the timeline, you can visually reflect on which company and how long you worked or interned. The languages ​​learned will be marked on the world map. The acquired skills are also displayed as icons and numbers from 1 to 10.

The only difficulty that the user may not like is that the site is presented entirely in English. Therefore, even if you fill in the information in Russian, the section titles will be in English. You should not send it to Russian corporations for a resume, but for other companies that work in English, the designer will be a godsend. 

Among the sites similar in functionality are Kinzaa, Google Templates, ACenter, and CVmaker. The mechanics are similar, the only difference is the different templates. Somewhere the timeline will be replaced with a reading list, or symbols will be used instead of text. You are to choose!

ICanChoose

The application is a professional analog to the previous one, but with an interface in Russian and synchronization with hh.

Why is it useful?

The ICanChoose site downloads your data from Facebook and HeadHunter to create a resume in Russian or a foreign language.

What else can you do?

Expand your resume to include hobbies, courses taken, personal accomplishments, and skills acquired. It most fully shows you to the recruiter (sometimes it is unnecessary, but still).

This site will be of assistance to candidates for work in both Russian-speaking and foreign companies. Moreover, the site is convenient for those who create a resume for the first time and do not know what to write and where to place it. Icanchoose has 20 free templates for you, a one-page format, and tips from site administrators. First, you need to register via Facebook or email. Next, select the language of the future resume: Russian, English, German, French, Spanish or Italian. Upload a photo and add all the information you want to show to the employer. Choose a template.

The site provides advice on how best to provide information. For example, when you enter an email for communication, you will be prompted not to use too creative e-mail or with the domain of the current employer. There are also examples of successful and unsuccessful photos and tips for correctly using the company name.

Another brownie point is the right on the site where you can write and attach a cover letter to your resume, which will also be saved on your PC or published on the Internet. In addition to various resume templates, the platform makes it possible to create a resume website. Therefore, it will look cool not only on paper but also on the phone screen.