Invoice Management

Overview

Invoice Management in SalesOS connects your billing process directly to your sales pipeline. By linking invoices to deals, orders, and contracts, you maintain a clear financial thread from initial opportunity through revenue collection. The system supports the full invoicing lifecycle -- creation, delivery, payment tracking, reminders, and reconciliation -- while providing analytics that help you optimize cash flow and reduce days sales outstanding.

Rather than treating invoicing as a separate function disconnected from sales, SalesOS embeds it within the CRM context. Reps can see invoice status directly on deal records, managers can identify payment bottlenecks affecting revenue recognition, and finance teams get the structured data they need for accounting without chasing sales for context.

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Creating Invoices

Creation Methods

Invoices can be generated through multiple paths:

From an Order

The most common creation path:

1. Navigate to a confirmed Order and click "Generate Invoice"
2. Line items, quantities, unit prices, and discounts transfer automatically
3. Tax calculations are applied based on account jurisdiction settings
4. Shipping and handling charges are included if applicable
5. Payment terms default from the account or order settings
6. Review totals and click "Create" to generate the invoice

From a Contract

For ongoing service agreements:

1. Open the active Contract and navigate to the Billing tab
2. Click "Generate Invoice" for the current billing period
3. The system calculates the amount based on contract value and billing frequency
4. Pro-rata adjustments are applied for mid-cycle changes
5. The invoice references the contract number and period covered
6. Milestone-based contracts show which milestones are being invoiced

Manual Creation

For ad-hoc billing:

1. Navigate to Invoices and click "New Invoice"
2. Select the customer Account
3. Add line items manually (product/service, quantity, rate)
4. Apply discounts, taxes, and adjustments
5. Set payment terms and due date
6. Optionally link to a Deal, Order, or Contract for reference
7. Save as Draft or send immediately

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Invoice Fields

Header Information

Line Items

Each invoice contains one or more line items:

Summary Section

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Invoice Statuses

Lifecycle Stages

Status Automation

• Invoices automatically move from Sent to Overdue when the due date passes
• Payment recording automatically updates status to Partially Paid or Paid
• Reminders trigger based on status (Sent reminders differ from Overdue reminders)
• Dashboard widgets show invoice counts by status for quick visibility

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Sending Invoices

Delivery Methods

Email Delivery Options

When sending via email:

• Recipient -- Primary billing contact (can add CC/BCC recipients)
• Subject Line -- Auto-generated with invoice number and amount (customizable)
• Email Body -- Configurable template with invoice summary
• Attachment -- PDF invoice (branded template)
• Payment Link -- Direct link to pay online (if payment gateway configured)
• Portal Link -- Link to view invoice in customer portal

Batch Sending

For high-volume invoicing:

• Select multiple draft invoices and send in bulk
• Each invoice uses the appropriate template for that customer
• Personalization variables (name, amount, due date) are applied per invoice
• Send scheduling -- choose immediate or schedule for a specific date/time
• Delivery report shows send status for each invoice in the batch

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Payment Tracking

Recording Payments

Payments can be recorded through multiple channels:

Payment Methods Supported

• Credit/Debit Card (via Stripe, Square, or other gateway)
• ACH / Bank Transfer
• Wire Transfer
• Check
• PayPal
• Custom payment methods (configurable)

Payment Allocation

When receiving payments:

• Payments are matched to specific invoices (manual or automatic)
• Overpayments create credit balances on the account
• Underpayments leave the invoice in Partially Paid status
• Multiple invoices can be paid with a single payment (split allocation)
• Unallocated payments are held in a suspense queue for reconciliation

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Automated Reminders

Reminder Schedule

Configure automated payment reminders that send without manual intervention:

Reminder Configuration

• Customize timing for each reminder tier
• Set different schedules by account segment (enterprise vs. SMB)
• Define reminder email templates with escalating urgency
• Include payment links in every reminder
• Exclude specific accounts from automated reminders (e.g., strategic accounts where relationship management is preferred)
• Pause reminders during disputes or credit review

Internal Notifications

In addition to customer-facing reminders:

• Notify the account owner when invoices become overdue
• Alert managers when high-value invoices exceed 30 days overdue
• Escalate to finance/leadership when invoices exceed 60 days overdue
• Create follow-up tasks for the account owner at each overdue milestone

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Recurring Invoices

Setting Up Recurring Billing

For contracts with regular billing cycles:

1. Create a recurring invoice schedule from the Contract billing tab
2. Define frequency (Monthly, Quarterly, Semi-Annual, Annual)
3. Set the start date and optional end date
4. Configure auto-send (generate and send automatically) or review mode (generate as Draft for manual review)
5. Set the generation lead time (how many days before the billing date to create the invoice)

Recurring Invoice Management

Handling Changes

When contract terms change mid-cycle:

• Amendment triggers recalculation of next recurring invoice
• Credit notes are auto-generated for overpayments due to downgrades
• Upgrade differences are added to the next invoice or billed immediately (configurable)
• Schedule history shows all modifications and their effective dates

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Templates and Branding

Invoice Template Customization

Multiple Templates

Maintain different templates for different purposes:

• Standard Invoice -- Default for regular billing
• Pro-forma Invoice -- Pre-payment estimates
• Credit Note -- Refunds and credits
• Quote-Style Invoice -- Detailed with product descriptions
• Time-Based Invoice -- Hourly/daily rate format
• International -- Multi-currency with localized formatting

Dynamic Content

Templates support dynamic variables:

• {{company_name}}, {{company_address}}
• {{customer_name}}, {{customer_address}}
• {{invoice_number}}, {{invoice_date}}, {{due_date}}
• {{total_due}}, {{currency_symbol}}
• {{payment_link}}, {{portal_link}}
• {{custom_field_name}} -- Any custom field value

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Credit Notes and Refunds

When to Issue Credit Notes

Credit notes reduce or eliminate the amount owed on an existing invoice:

• Customer returns products
• Service was not delivered as agreed
• Billing error (incorrect quantity, price, or tax)
• Negotiated discount applied retroactively
• Partial cancellation of a contract or order
• Goodwill credit for service issues

Credit Note Workflow

1. Navigate to the original invoice and click "Issue Credit Note"
2. Select full credit (entire invoice amount) or partial credit
3. For partial credits, specify line items or custom amount
4. Add a reason for the credit (required for audit trail)
5. Choose allocation: Apply to this invoice, apply to account balance, or refund
6. Approve through configured approval workflow (if credit exceeds threshold)
7. Send credit note to customer

Refund Processing

When a credit note requires money to be returned:

• Refund to Original Payment Method -- Reverse the original transaction
• Refund via Check -- Generate a refund check
• Account Credit -- Apply as a credit balance for future invoices
• Offset -- Apply against other outstanding invoices

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Analytics

Key Invoicing Metrics

Aging Report

The aging report breaks down outstanding receivables:

Revenue Correlation

• Track which deals generate on-time payments vs. collection challenges
• Identify account segments with higher delinquency rates
• Correlate payment behavior with renewal probability
• Measure the impact of payment terms on collection speed
• Analyze seasonal payment patterns

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Accounting Integration

Supported Integrations

Sync Configuration

• Invoice Sync -- New invoices in SalesOS create corresponding records in accounting
• Payment Sync -- Payments recorded in either system sync to the other
• Customer Sync -- Account/contact information stays consistent across systems
• Chart of Accounts Mapping -- Map SalesOS product categories to accounting GL codes
• Tax Code Mapping -- Map tax rates between systems
• Currency Handling -- Exchange rate synchronization for multi-currency

Conflict Resolution

When data conflicts arise between systems:

• Configurable "source of truth" per data type (e.g., SalesOS is master for invoices, accounting is master for payments)
• Conflict queue shows discrepancies for manual resolution
• Automatic retry for sync failures with exponential backoff
• Detailed sync logs for troubleshooting
• Alerting when sync falls behind or errors exceed threshold

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Best Practices

1. Generate invoices from orders or contracts. Avoid manual invoice creation when possible. Generating from source records ensures accuracy, creates audit trails, and reduces data entry errors.

2. Send invoices immediately after delivery. Delays in invoicing directly increase DSO. Configure auto-send on invoice creation so customers receive bills promptly while the value delivered is fresh in their minds.

3. Enable automated reminders. Most late payments result from oversight, not intent. A polite reminder 3 days after the due date resolves the majority of overdue invoices without requiring rep intervention.

4. Monitor DSO weekly. Days Sales Outstanding is your primary cash flow health indicator. Review the metric weekly and investigate accounts that consistently pay late. A rising DSO trend often signals deeper relationship or satisfaction issues.

5. Use payment links in every invoice. Reducing friction to pay dramatically improves collection speed. Every invoice email and reminder should include a one-click payment link that takes the customer directly to a payment page.

6. Standardize payment terms by segment. Enterprise customers may require Net 60, but SMB customers should default to Net 30 or Due on Receipt. Use account segment rules to automatically apply appropriate terms.

7. Process credit notes promptly. Delayed credit notes create billing disputes that damage relationships and complicate collections on other outstanding invoices. Process legitimate credits within 24 hours of identification.

8. Reconcile with accounting weekly. Even with automated sync, review the conflict queue and sync status weekly to catch discrepancies before they compound. A clean AR ledger supports accurate financial reporting and forecasting.

9. Leverage recurring invoices for subscriptions. Manual monthly invoicing for subscription contracts is error-prone and labor-intensive. Set up recurring schedules once and let the system handle generation, delivery, and reminder logic automatically.

10. Connect invoice status to deal health. Payment behavior is a leading indicator of account health. Accounts that consistently pay late or dispute invoices may be at risk for churn. Feed invoice data into your customer health scoring for early warning signals.