Convenience, speed, savings... The truth is that the digitization of the world in general has been a step forward in all areas of society. And the business world is no exception. For companies, whatever their field, being able to systematize and automate processes is a huge help, and we, as innovators in electronic invoicing, can attest to that. To achieve a good electronic invoicing system like the one we offer, you need research, testing, measurement of results, knowing how to take advantage of all the good things the digital world has to offer, and above all, understanding the real needs of both the issuer of invoices and the customer receiving them.
Advantages of issuing electronic invoices
Paper, pen, calculator, and hours spent scribbling in a notebook, with sums and subtractions filling the heads of every business owner, freelancer, or financial controller. Not to mention the tedious task of filling out, signing, stamping, and sending mountains of documents, many of which took even longer to receive. However, the digital age has arrived to change these arduous processes that many have endured.
We are already immersed in a fully digital landscape, and electronic invoicing is a reality. It has also helped many companies to digitize their processes. In fact, there have been remarkable advances in the sector in recent times, offering the following advantages when issuing an electronic invoice:
- A considerable saving in time, both in dedicated hours and in the billing-collection cycle. With the consequent saving in money, in human and material resources.
- Improvement in cash flow, or in other words, the flow of cash between issuers and recipients, which is much more agile.
- This agility fosters a more fluid relationship between customers and suppliers.
- Process automation using digital tools such as CRM systems saves even more resources in similar and recurring operations.
- Security in transfers thanks to constant innovation in the sector.
However, simply digitizing and automating a process such as issuing an electronic invoice does not mean that we are implementing it correctly for our customers. Knowing how to manage it and take advantage of its benefits will be essential, something that any company marketing this type of service must take into account when designing and selling them.
What should a good electronic invoicing system have today?
For this reason, the first thing a good electronic invoicing system must have is the customer at its core. In other words, it must be a system that makes the process of issuing electronic invoices as easy as possible for the user. How? By taking into account both the implications of the process for the company itself and for our customer's process:
- Adjustment of the invoice to the purchase order received and/or deliveries made.
- Use of legally valid formats and, at the same time, facilitate the process of accounting of the invoice by our client.
- Adaptation of delivery channels to the requirements of each customer,FTP (File Transfer Protocol), Peppol, email, and even paper in some cases, etc.
- Electronic incorporation of information attached to the invoice to facilitate its validation by our client.
- Reconciliation and recording of the payment.
Ultimately, an electronic invoicing process that does not take into account our client's needs will have an insufficient degree of implementation and limited productivity improvements.
These are the four pillars on which an electronic invoicing service is based. If, when considering them, you take into account the user who will have to handle the process, you will be offering a good invoicing system. No matter how digitized it is, it must be accessible and intuitive for the customer. Otherwise, no matter how much technological innovation and development has been implemented in it, it will end up being inefficient.
Secure electronic invoicing is now a reality
Adapt or die. Nowadays, you have to constantly renew yourself in any market. To do this, it is essential to test and research, and the financial sector is no exception. A good example of this is the emphasis that has been placed on innovation in the issuance of electronic invoices in recent years, even by governments and public institutions.
Issuing invoices and transferring money instantly in a globalized and digital world requires constant and ongoing study of improvements and advances, including in security. Thus, constant study and in-depth research into innovation has led to the creation of secure and reliable standards such as FACE, UML, and Peppol, the system used to issue electronic invoices by government administrations such as the European Union and its member states, as well as by private companies in the sector, such as easyap.
However, given the speed of today's financial sector and how the new digital landscape is developing, it is essential to continue innovating in the security of electronic invoicing systems and in the importance of automating processes. Why? For the simple reason that in today's world, whether out of devotion or obligation to operate with customers and suppliers, all companies today must be digital or they will simply cease to exist .
