Table of Contents
Step 1 - Filtering
Step 2.2 - Invoicing Service Entries
Step 2.2 - Billing of additional Service Entries
Step 3 - View Draft Invoice
Introduction
The Invoice Assistant gives you the option to convert your billable service and payment plan entries into invoices with just a few clicks as soon as they are due.
Several steps are run through until a final invoice is created at the end.
Step 1: Select Customer and Billing Period
If you open the dialog of the same name via the navigation with the action "Invoice Assistant", the first step is to display an overview that lists the amount of service entries due per customer and, if applicable, also additional service entries.
The search field is located in the upper part of the dialog. If you enter a search term in the input field, the list will only show the customers that contain the entered search term in their name. In this way, the list can be quickly narrowed down to a single customer.
However, the recommended procedure in this step is to first use the filter to make the necessary restrictions. The filter is opened as usual via the button with the three dashes above the list.
- Period: The billing period should be selected first, e.g. the past month. This ensures that only the service entries that can be billed according to the agreement with the customer are included in the invoice. A selected period will initialize the service period of the invoice.
- Customers: If the list of customers is quite long, it is also possible to filter by one or more customers in order to create invoices for these customers first.
The next step of the invoice assistant is reached via the action menu of the individual customer entries:
- Invoice Service Entries: If billable service entries exist for the customer for the selected time period, this action is selectable and you get to the second step.
- Invoice additional Service Entries: If there are additional service entries due for the customer, this action is selectable and you get to the second step.
Step 2.1: Invoice Service Entries
In order to invoice a service via the invoice wizard, the action "Invoice Service Entries" must be selected via the action menu (three dots symbol) at the beginning of the desired line. The following dialog will open:
If a billing period has not already been set in step one, a billing period can also be set in this step via the "Period" selection field at the top right.
The "Grouping" drop-down selection field can be used to set how the billable service entries are to be grouped.
NOTE: Regardless of the selection of the following grouping types, a grouping is always done first by order. Then the selected grouping properties are added and finally the grouping is always by unit and unit price. The latter is necessary to ensure that an invoice item does not combine different units and unit prices.
Example: Grouping by service type means grouping by order, service type, unit, unit price.
Following grouping options are supported:
- No additional grouping: In this case, only the grouping by order and hourly / daily rate described above is carried out.
- Month: All service entries are additionally grouped by month based on the service entry date.
- Service Type: All service entries are additionally grouped by service type.
- Service Type and Employee: All service entries are additionally grouped by service type and employee.
- Employee: All service entries are additionally grouped by employee.
- Employee and Service Type: All service entries are additionally grouped by employee and service type.
- Order Position, Service Type: All service entries are additionally grouped by order position and service type.
If a grouping type is selected that includes employees, the cost center, if available, will also be written behind the employee in the invoice position text.
Display Service Entries
To display the service entries behind an invoice item, you can click on the small chart icon behind the title.
You will be redirected to the "Service Entries" dialog, where the filter for the services is already preset to the order, the service type of the invoice item from the invoice assistant and to the status "New".
Create Invoice
The "Create Invoice" dialog opens via the "Invoice" action:
There are now two options to put the selected services on an invoice:
- Create new Invoice: You create a new invoice via the "+" button and then select it directly (see also Create Invoice). During the creation, the reference number and the payment term of the order, if available, are transferred to the invoice.
- Extend existing Invoice: You are looking for an existing draft invoice. In this case, the invoice items will be added to the draft invoice. This function is well suited for the use case that you want to bring both due service and due additional service entries of an order to one invoice.
With the action "Save" the service entries are summarized to invoice items according to the selected grouping and added to the selected invoice. With the action "Reset" and "Cancel" the entries are discarded and in case of the action "Cancel" the dialog is closed.
Step 2.2: Invoice additional Service Entries
To invoice an additional service entry via the invoice assistant, you can select the action "Invoice additional Service Entries" via the action menu (three dots icon) at the beginning of each line. This will open the "Invoice additional Service Entries" dialog.
The "Period" drop-down selection field can be used to specify that only additional service entries whose due date falls within the selected period are taken into account.
The "Grouping" drop-down selection field can be used to set how the additional services are to be grouped.
NOTE: Regardless of the selection of the following grouping types, grouping is always carried out first according to the type of additional service. A distinction is therefore made between partial payments and standard additional services. Furthermore, the order is always used as the second grouping characteristic. Then the selected grouping properties are applied and, finally, grouping is always based on tax rate, unit and unit price. The latter is necessary to ensure that an invoice item does not combine different tax rates, units and unit prices.
Example: Grouping by title means grouping by type, order, title, "tax rate, unit and unit price ".
The following groupings are supported:
- Itemization: All additional services are grouped by type and order and shown individually per group.
- Title: All additional services are also grouped by the title of the additional service. (default value)
Create Invoice
The "Create Invoice" dialog opens via the "Invoice" action:
There are now two options to put the selected services on an invoice:
- Create new Invoice: You create a new invoice via the "+" button and then select it directly. (see also Create Invoice)
- Extend existing Invoice: You are looking for an existing draft invoice. In this case, the invoice items will be added to the draft invoice. This function is well suited, for example, for the use case that you want to bring both due service and due additional service entries of an order to one invoice.
With the action "Save" the service entries are summarized according to the selected grouping to invoice items and added to the selected invoice. With the action "Reset" and "Cancel" the entries are discarded and in case of the action "Cancel" the dialog is closed.
Display additional Service Entries
To view additional Service Entries, you need to click on the small icon behind the title.
You will be redirected to the "Additional Service Entries" dialog, where the filter is already preset to the order and type of the additional Service Entries and to the status "New".
Step 3: Show draft Invoices
If you want to see all existing invoices with the status "Draft" for the customer, you can click on the "Show draft Invoices" link in the upper half of the detail view.
This opens the "Invoices" tab with the filter set to the corresponding customer, and the "Draft" status preset.