Sprout Invoices removes hoops and hurdles required in a typical workflow of accepting estimate requests, creating an estimate and getting paid. We make it easy for all types of businesses to get paid online using invoices for WordPress.
Why Do You Need Sprout Invoices for WordPress?
Below is a flowchart of how a freelancer or small-to-medium size business would manage a request for services on their WordPress site.
Most of us would be using Gravity Forms or Ninja Forms for these estimate requests without any integration with the hosted invoicing service and even with paid integrations and add-ons the “automation” still requires manual management.
Sprout Invoices aims to fully automate the process of creating estimates in WordPress by automatically creating the estimate & client on form submission (if one doesn’t already exist). Then you simply need to edit the estimate and send it to your new (or returning) client. It doesn’t get much easier than this.
“…this process is going to save me hours a week.”
The improved workflow may not save you hours, but getting back 5-10 minutes of your time for each WordPress estimate request can save your sanity in the arduous estimate process. Over a period of years, that time you save can add up to be a substantial number.
The Notes on a Napkin Issue
“When we talked on the phone you mentioned…”
The process of estimates visualized above is a dream, we know it. In reality the time in between “Edit Estimate” and “email notification” a piece of us is lost communicating back and forth with the client via email, phone, and other means to get enough detail for us to complete the estimate.
In that process you’ll have notes about the proposed project, maybe some technical implementation details, spread out across your digital desk in email, Evernote or notebook.
The private notes features allows you to create unlimited notes accessible within the estimate or invoice history view, keeping everything in one place. No more searching through your email to find a scratched note.
Your users are more aware of Internet privacy issues than you may anticipate. And they will expect some level of protection. It is considered a best practice to host a privacy policy on your site, in which you outline your security practices and mitigation strategies as well as what kind of data you collect. Check out our guide on Internet Privacy Laws
WordPress Invoices with Deposits and Balances
“I didn’t notice that I was just paying the deposit. I already paid you.”
Imagine this scenario: An estimate is accepted, an invoice generated but a partial payment for the deposit needs to be made. The popular invoicing services lack a solution; you could create two different invoices or use the negative line item hack with a message to the client that is rarely fully understood.
Sprout Invoices wants to solve the deposit process in the most simple method possible: set the deposit amount, get paid and the WordPress invoice is automatically adjusted to accept the remaining balance when the task is completed.
The Brand Wall and Customized WordPress Invoices
“Oh. I didn’t notice that invoice was from your company.”
Popular invoicing services allow for a limited amount of customizations, e.g. custom subdomains, upload a logo and if you are lucky you can change the color scheme. Email notifications will be sent from their servers and their from addresses.
These days, you also want to ensure your customer data is controlled by you, and not be shared with 3rd party services. Bringing Sprout Invoices into your own company website/server sets will help you solve these problems and more.
All Sprout Invoice templates are customizable, just add a new template to your WP theme directory and start coding and/or styling via CSS. For developers and site owners wanting more control, Sprout Invoices offers hundreds of WordPress hooks and filters to customize your system however you wish.
Sprout Invoice notification emails are sent from your server and your from address on a domain you configure. No more “Powered by A Service I Pay For”.
A WordPress Invoice Plugin With More
Having a large range of experience with WordPress and running a business, we are dedicated to creating the best product for you and your goods and services.
We are determined to make Sprout Invoices the best WordPress invoice plugin for freelancers and “small-to-medium sized businesses.” Have a feature request? Drop by the Sprout Invoices forum on WordPress.org and let us know!