No invoice, no money - My Software Co's MyAdvancedInvoices, White Crow Software's OnAccount, Software Store Products' The Invoice Store, Intuit's QuickBooks invoicing/accounting software - Software Review - Evaluation

Home Office Computing, Oct, 1994 by Linda Stern

The report function offers the obvious account aging and summaries as well as customizable reports for other aspects of your business, such as specific vendors, rate of sales, and the like.

The Invoice Store is for people who prefer the DOS environment, who don't mind the bulky feel all the extras add, and whose invoicing needs run more to maintaining shipping records than to billing service hours.

Putting It All Together There's something to be said for integrating your invoicing software with the rest of your business accounting, and QuickBooks, unlike the other programs described here, is a total business accounting program that isn't suffused by the steps of standard accounting.

For example, with QuickBooks, you key in your reimbursable expenses according to the customer and the job for which they are to be billed. You can do this manually in any invoicing software package, but since QuickBooks is a full accounting program, you need to enter this information only once--when you incur the expense--and the program will recall it and post it to the right invoice when you are ready to create the invoice. If you are uncertain what your cash flow will look like, just call up an accounts receivable report to get a good estimate.

Rather than providing totally customizable invoices, however, QuickBooks offers three formats: service, product, and professional invoices. The last allows more space for line items, so you can supply the greatest amount of detail. QuickBooks matches payments to invoices and, as might be expected from a comprehensive accounting program, can generate just about any type of report you request.

Just Do It There are several programs beyond those surveyed in this piece; one worth mentioning is Timeslips, a specialized invoicing program that acts as a stopwatch for people who bill (and must carefully track) their hours, such as lawyers and some consultants.

If you do not already invoice with software, it's worth getting started quickly. Any of these programs will prove a substantial improvement over manual form creation. You can always fine-tune for specific features later.

And a final word to the invoicing wise: Bills seem to be processed faster when they carry the word due. All of the programs here automatically put this key word on the invoice or allow you to add it in memo form. Use it! Not only will it speed collections, it would make a therapist proud.

Software Info

My AdvancedInvoices ($60); My Software Co., (415) 473-3600

WIN / DOS / MAC

OnAccount ($99); White Crow Software, (802) 658-1270, (800) 424-0310

MAC

The Invoice Store ($95); Software Store Products, (516) 244-6927, (800) 232-8561

DOS

QuickBooks ($160); Intuit, (800) 624-9060

WIN / DOS