Computer invoicing

[chris1971]

Does anyone do invoicing from their computer in their van? If so, how do you have it set up in your work truck? I'm looking at putting a laptop in my truck with quickbooks.

 

[B W E]

I do invoicing from my van. I dont necessarily use a laptop, though I could, but using quickbooks on two computers for one company is a pain in the butt.

I use an app on my iphone called Invoice2Go. It is VERY easy to use, allows for a paypal button on your invoices, and puts together a very nice looking invoice in .pdf format that you can send via email, all from your phone. All you need for it is 3G service.

On the other hand, I could very well switch my quickbooks over to just the laptop, in which case I would use my iPhone to create a wifi hotspot (for about $20 you can add this feature with AT&T, or, like I have done, you can do it for free if you jailbreak your phone. Afterall, I pay for "unlimited internet".... but i digress) and connect to the internet that way on the laptop.

 

[PetrosA]

I have Quickbooks on a netbook that I use in my van. I don't always invoice at the job, nor do I have a data plan for the laptop or my phone (Supposedly Virgin offers a pretty affordable data plan for laptops). If the customer wants the invoice immediately, I can either get onto an open wifi or plug in to their router with a patch cable. At the moment, neither my business' profile nor my customers' dishonesty level makes it economically worthwhile for me to spend an additional $40-$60 per month for a data plan. In fact, at those prices I would rather consider a 12V printer. For me the biggest challenge was how to comfortably use a laptop without a $300 laptop stand in my Transit Connect

 

[macmikeman]

They sell those big Rubbermaid plastic container boxes at Home Depot- the ones with the red clasp handles at each end that are roughly 24" x 28" x flush height to the seat of a cargo van. They fit perfect between the seats of Chev or Ford vans. I keep my laptop inside that. The top of the box makes a nice work table to type on. The box keeps it out of sight when not in use. I keep a Cannon printer in the van in a suitcase box they sell at HD (silver or red ones up front of the cash registers) for $19 bucks. That goes behind the passenger seat. I have a converter plugged into the charging outlet on the dash. I run the Cannon printer off of that power. It would be really nice to figure out a permanent place to leave the printer on all the time , but space is limited in a cargo van.

 

[GUNNING]

Neon glow in the dark stickers....

Neon glow in the dark stickers....

I use the ol aluminum invoice tablet. Get the signature of the customer that they received the goods and services satisfactorily. Then at the end of the week transfer to Quickbooks. I like a good old fashioned signature. The electronics are nice but not binding in court, and it lets me put caveats onto my invoices.
The best thing I have done lately is get the intuit payment2go credit card acceptance app for my phone. The goal here is to get the money.
I look at a service call as a multi stage aproach; sale, contract, performance, completion. The bookkeeping is an office detail which needs scrutiny on the price, where the overhead is, paying the bills and taxes etc.

Two different tasks altogether.

That 5 minutes of talking to the customer after the job completion is keeping that person as a customer for life. Giving them something tangible after the sale reminds them of your valuable service. A paperless app is fast but sometimes fast isn't what you need or want. You paid for the advertising to get there, you have a real life customer in front of you, take advantage of that. If you want to spend your money on something get neon glow in the dark stickers to put in there panels. Thats were they go when the lights are out and there computer and routers shut down.

 

[satcom]

I use the ol aluminum invoice tablet. Get the signature of the customer that they received the goods and services satisfactorily. Then at the end of the week transfer to Quickbooks. I like a good old fashioned signature. The electronics are nice but not binding in court, and it lets me put caveats onto my invoices.
The best thing I have done lately is get the intuit payment2go credit card acceptance app for my phone. The goal here is to get the money.
I look at a service call as a multi stage aproach; sale, contract, performance, completion. The bookkeeping is an office detail which needs scrutiny on the price, where the overhead is, paying the bills and taxes etc.

Two different tasks altogether.

That 5 minutes of talking to the customer after the job completion is keeping that person as a customer for life. Giving them something tangible after the sale reminds them of your valuable service. A paperless app is fast but sometimes fast isn't what you need or want. You paid for the advertising to get there, you have a real life customer in front of you, take advantage of that. If you want to spend your money on something get neon glow in the dark stickers to put in there panels. Thats were they go when the lights are out and there computer and routers shut down.

This post is almost a letter for letter copy of how we invoice and post, we have them sign the invoice hard copy with all the contract terms and conditions on it for both service calls and projects and then we also have then sign the Iphone screen when they swipe the card if they use a credit card.
sticker calls are a good part of return business, and we also get calls form the new home owners if they sell the home.

 

[CopperTone]

I used to carry a computer with 12v printer set up in the truck. It became a problem when i relied on it to work and the printer had issues. Then when we went to QB and had more than one truck billing out in the same day it didn't work anymore.

So, we now hand write service work and 1/2 day or 1 day job invoices and collect the check at the end of the job. Then come back to shop and it is submitted to the office where it is entered into QB and processed that way. It may be more work but it works for us and everything is kept straight and not lost.

If a job needs to be billed out because a handwriiten invoice wasn't appropriate then it is noted on the electricians time sheet and submitted to the office at the end of the day and then that is entered into QB and invoice mailed or emailed at the end of the day.