One aspect of becoming an entrepreneur and owning your own business is figuring out how to charge for house cleaning services and how to bill clients. One of the easiest ways is by sending an invoice for carpet cleaning services. But how should you go about invoicing? Are there specific forms? What are the best practices for carpet cleaning invoicing?
In this article, you’ll learn the ins-and-outs of the carpet cleaning invoice process, from how frequently you should bill clients to the benefits of using an electronic payment system.
Invoicing Frequency
How often you send out carpet cleaning invoices can depend on factors like how each customer likes to make payments, if they have a billing schedule preference, and how often they plan on using your services. Some clients might expect a monthly invoice, while others may be flexible with when you send invoices. Understanding your clients’ needs and expectations will help guide you.
As a general guideline, it’s recommended that you put contract customers (commercial and residential) on a regular billing cycle. For single jobs, you should send the invoice immediately after the job is done or collect your payment on site.
Invoicing Recurring Clients
If you’re working with commercial or residential building customers, it’s a good practice to send your carpet cleaning invoice on a regular schedule. You’ll want to list all of the services performed on a single invoice and send it monthly, bi-weekly, or whatever payment schedule you and your customer agree to follow.
This helps set a stable routine that both you and your customers will appreciate. The client will know when to expect an invoice and prepare accordingly, and you will enjoy the financial stability that comes with regular payments flowing into your business. Setting up an invoicing schedule will also help you plan for your own business expenses.
Invoicing Single Jobs
As mentioned above, you also need a process for invoicing non-recurring carpet cleaning services. This means you’re not performing jobs for the same client on a regular schedule, or you’re handling one-off jobs during a routine cleaning appointment.
You have a couple of options for invoicing these types of jobs. One option is to send the carpet cleaning invoice right after the job is done or invoice the customer on-site and collect payment directly. Another option is to create and send a separate invoice through software like WorkWave Payments.
When creating individual invoices for single jobs, make sure you list each service, times, and materials (if applicable), the invoice number, the due date, and available payment options.
Remember, the clearer and easier it is to understand an invoice, the faster your customer can pay you. Make it simple for your customer to read and easy for them to get you paid.
Benefits of Using Electronic Payments
Electronic payment systems are convenient, plain, and simple. People don’t want to spend time trying to get cash or check payments to you, whether it’s through the mail, bank transfer, or directly. Customers want to click a button and be done with it. Besides, do you really want to be managing loads and loads of paper carpet-cleaning invoices?
Electronic payments are streamlined, and straightforward, and offer a host of benefits to you and your clients.
Simplified Accounting
As your carpet cleaning business grows, so will the behind-the-scenes and administrative tasks. An electronic payment system keeps everything in one place, from payment history and overdue accounts to billing schedules and work orders. Using an electronic payment system means you won’t have to scramble to find spreadsheets, documents, or binders full of forms.
Billing and Payments
E-payment software simplifies the invoicing and payment process. With electronic payment systems, you can do things like:
- Automate billing cycles for recurring payments
- Schedule invoicing to occur before or after services or on a specific day
- Provide online payment links
- Process credit cards from a mobile device
- Track invoicing and payments
- Integrate accounting software
- Customize reports
Electronic payment systems act as a one-stop shop for all your invoicing and accounting needs. Storing multiple documents on your hard drive or trying to fill out carpet cleaning invoice templates takes up precious time that’s better spent marketing your company and earning money. It’s much more manageable and less time-consuming to have everything in one place.
Get Paid Quicker
Bank transfers, checks, and cash payments take time to process. Electronic payments, however, are fast, reliable, and secure. Online and mobile payment services are convenient for customers, and most people are already accustomed to using them. As long as you have internet access and a smartphone, you can process payments anywhere at any time.
Sending invoices and collecting money via electronic payment decreases the chances of losing important information. It also acts as a record keeper and allows for clear communication and precise reporting.
As we’ve mentioned before, the easier something is for someone, the better the results. When you make it easy for your customer to pay you, you’re likely to get paid much faster.
Final Thoughts
Whether you’re curious about starting a carpet cleaning business, have just started one, or have been in the industry for many years, you’ve probably realized that there’s no right or wrong way to invoice your customers. However, there are best practices when it comes to billing clients and getting paid.
Customer service is essential in any business, so understanding your customers’ financial needs and expectations is necessary for running a popular and profitable business. Discuss with your clients upfront if they have any billing preferences and how they like to make payments.
From there, you can set up an invoicing schedule that benefits you and your individual clients. You can also make invoicing and getting paid a much smoother process by using an electronic payment system. Not only will it save you money in processing fees and loads of time, but it’s typically a more convenient way for customers to pay their bills.
However you go about carpet cleaning invoicing, keep these best practices in mind, and you’ll be on your way to business success.
