Running a business can be challenging. With all the things that need to be done, it’s easy to lose track of the essential aspects of the company, including the management and proper documentation of invoices. Primarily, an invoice refers to a document containing specific information about the goods purchased, the item cost, and the quantity. It serves as a record of the business transaction between the business and the customer.
Luckily, with the advent of modern technology today, making invoices through a free invoice generator has been much easier and faster. With this app, your business can easily keep track of all the transactions and have a better level of protection against potential legal repercussions.
However, if you want to know whether a free invoice template is what exactly your business needs, below are the pros and cons of using it that you should consider:
Pros:
Using a free invoice template has various advantages to your business. These can include:
1. Reduces Human Error
Manually creating an invoice can be susceptible to human errors. With the various pages filled with financial data, the chances of committing mistakes during invoice-making are high. When this happens, you may end up having problems with your finances or misunderstandings with your customers.
Using a free invoice template from a reliable software provider can be an excellent idea to avoid these circumstances. All you need to do is provide all the information, and the template will generate the invoice for you. For example, when you use an invoice template, you can ensure the computation of the total amount due by the customer is accurate and free from errors. Consequently, you can have peace of mind knowing your invoices reflect the correct information about a specific transaction.
2. Offers Convenience To Your Business And Customers
Another good thing about using a free invoice template is its ability to provide convenience to your business and customers. It allows all the parties involved in a business transaction to log in and check the information uploaded in the template. For example, your customers can use the template to review their orders and request to revise any information to make the invoice more accurate.
This setup can streamline the ordering and selling process because everything can be accessed and checked in the template. There’s no need to call or meet with the customers to verify certain information, making the process of invoice creation much more convenient for your business and your customers.
3. Improve Your Business’ Reputation
In today’s modern world, people opt to do business with technology-ready companies. Thus, if you’re using a free invoice template for your invoices, you can enhance public perceptions about your business.
For example, customers who know that your transactions are recorded through a free online invoice generator feel more at ease and confident about doing business with you. When this happens, you can boost your business’s reputation.
Cons:
While using a free invoice template has its share of advantages, it also has some cons that you need to be aware of to avoid making wrong decisions. These disadvantages can include:
1. It Gets Affected By Spam Filters
Invoices from free generators are usually sent through the emails of your customers. Although doing so can be hassle-free and time-saving, it poses some security risks. For instance, the invoices may be caught by spam filters. There’s a possibility your customers’ email will mark your invoices as spam.
When this happens, they won’t see them and pay their obligation on time. Consequently, non-payment of invoices promptly may affect your business’s cash flow over time.
2. Some Of Your Customers Are Not Tech-Savvy
It’s possible that not all your customers have an online presence or aren’t tech-savvy. As a result, using a free invoice template isn’t beneficial for them compared to manually-created invoices. Since some customers don’t have emails or social networking accounts, they may be left out for their invoices. They can’t easily access the details of their invoices unless a physical copy is sent to their doorstep.
Moreover, you should know that sending physical copies to non-techie customers while using an invoice template to others doesn’t make sense at all. It prevents your business from streamlining its invoice management process, which becomes more inconvenient to your business.
Bottom Line
Using a free invoice template comes with some advantages and disadvantages. But, the question of whether it’s good or not for your business depends on the situation. Therefore, keep the information mentioned above in mind to help you decide if it’s the best option for you. Doing so can give you some business insights about what you’re getting into if you use a free invoice template or not.
