5 workflows to streamline your invoice and payment processes

Payday is my favorite day. When I freelanced, there was nothing better than getting that check in the mail or seeing it electronically deposited to my bank account. It was less fun chasing people to pay me for my time. 

If you're a small business owner, you likely know that struggle, too. Clients delay signing contracts or wait until the last minute to pay invoices. Invoice tracking gets complicated, fast, when you're trying to stay on top of payment deadlines and communications. 

Through Zapier's automatic workflows, which we call Zaps, you can stop worrying about chasing unpaid invoices and focus on more meaningful work. 

We've collected a few Zaps—our word for the automated workflows you create with Zapier—to help you automate payment reminders, log invoices, and more. To get started, click on the button next to the name of a Zap you'd like to try, and we'll guide you through the set-up process. You can read more about setting up Zaps here.

Log invoices

It's helpful to see a list of outstanding and paid invoices at a glance, especially if you're short on time. Maybe your team regularly analyzes how long it takes to get invoices paid in order to improve collections. Whenever you create an invoice, these Zaps will automatically log the details in a spreadsheet. 

Don't use a fancy invoicing app for your work? No problem: If you create your invoices in Google Docs or another cloud text editor, you can use the Zapier Chrome extension to log the URL and any additional details to a spreadsheet. 

Add contacts to your invoicing

Many invoicing apps require you to create customers before creating and assigning invoices. If you've been manually adding customers, these Zaps can save you time by automatically adding contacts to your invoicing from your customer relationship management (CRM) system or another tool. 

Create invoices when you need them

Depending on your line of work, invoicing can be erratic or consistent. Perhaps you always send an invoice after you close a deal. Or, if you do work on an assignment, you may invoice as projects start or are completed. . With these automatic workflows, you can automatically create invoices according to your schedule. 

Many invoicing apps, such as Wave and QuickBooks Online, have built-in recurring invoice features. If you create invoices in a cloud text editor, Schedule by Zapier can help you automate recurring invoices.

Read more: How to automate invoices with QuickBooks Online and Zapier

Get payday notifications 

If you're working on a team, it's important for everyone to be on the same page. It's embarrassing—and irritating for the customer—if you're reminding them of invoices they've already paid. These workflows will automatically notify your team whenever there's a new payment or signature. 

You can also build a more complex Zap with search and digest steps to notify your team of any unpaid invoices. 

Keep your CRM updated

CRMs are supposed to be the source of truth for businesses, but it can be painstaking to keep them updated. And when it comes to your financials, it's crucial that your records are accurate.

These Zaps will automatically update deals in your CRM whenever your invoices are paid. 

Related reading:

• Choose the right invoicing software for your business

• Boost your team's productivity with CRM automation

• Use automation to help your team get more done

• Popular ways to automate Chargebee