In today's fast-paced world, people want to get things done on time; business transactions are not an exception. As a freelancer or business owner, there are lots of things to manage, and you want to save time on tasks that can be automated using every means possible. Since creating invoices is almost a regular activity, using a digital invoice template to bill your customers would help achieve your goal to save time.

Crafting a handwritten billing document is labor-intensive and, most times, subjected to the paws of human error. So, you don't want to spend so much time crafting an invoice by hand only to find out that it is replete with avoidable mistakes. First, your client may not understand the document, and that may result in delayed payment. Secondly, using handwritten billing documents may expose your business to different issues that could have been avoided. 

Freelancers and business owners that use a digital invoice template to bill customers save themselves from the headache of pilling up papers. Also,  the right customer receives the document almost at lightning speed and with no stress from your end. Getting faster payment is a benefit of good invoicing and that results in healthier cash flow that positions your company for a long-term success run.  

Why use a digital invoice template

Businesses need to bill clients when they provide a customer with a product or service. Individual consultants or contractors who provide a service to customers need a professional invoice to request payment officially. A digital invoice template will be ideal in demanding payment from clients, especially when they are recurring. Some freelancers work for clients weekly and may need to send invoices three to five times to the same clients in a month.

This is where a digital invoice template will be advantageous since it is easy to modify and send electronically. One major advantage of this invoicing solution is that it is cost-effective. For some, you don’t have recurring fees after purchasing the application to create your digital invoice. There are lots of digital invoicing solutions, allowing you to select the one that fits your business.

And if you want a ready-made sample, Bonsai's templates are great to help you. You just provide your details to modify a ready digital invoice template online, and then it is available for download after a few minutes. 

How to create a digital invoice template 

Select your preferred template and edit or add the details below if you are crafting it from the scratch

1. Add your business information like official name, email address, and contact information 
2. Add your business logo if you have one
3. Create a field for customer information- name, email address and contact details
4. Choose a preferred invoice number- a set of sequential number is advisable 
5. Add the date of creating and payment due date like “Net 30 days."
6. List the services/products with rates and  quantity – briefly describe each of them
7. Include sales tax, discount or anything that will affect the total amount
8. Calculate the total and lightly emphasize maybe by increasing the font or boldening it
9. State your payment terms and preferred payment method
10. Add a note to thank your client or whatever you wish to let them know- this part is optional

Benefits of using a digital invoice template

• It makes you appear professional before clients
• Easy to use and intuitive
• Good for record-keeping
• Cost-effective
• Suitable for billing recurring services
• Send invoices to clients faster with little or no stress
• Accessible everywhere on mobile
• A wide variety of solutions is available