Back around April time this year (2012) we started to look for invoicing solutions as we managed all invoices manually and to be honest it was fast becoming a loathed task and was hard to track what had gone out, what had not, and reminders for unpaid invoices were few and far between so we began a search for a solution.
We found Harvest.
What we really liked about Harvest was the free trial aspect. We could use the software with no limitations free for 30 days to see how it fit with our business which was really appealing. We chose a day to sign up for the free trial that would allow as many of our invoices to go out (Automated) as possible and set them up ready to go. Not only can you set a date for them to go out you can add a personalised email message or a generic one for all, you can also set automatic times for Harvest to send an email reminder out to clients had they not paid within the set time frame to gently remind them they have an invoice outstanding with you. This is really beneficial to us as we send out invoices to the same clients for the same amounts each month so to automate the process means we are saving on average half a day a month at very least not messing around with spreadsheets and making notes of reminder dates should the client not have paid yet. We actually estimate Harvest to have saved us nearly 2 full days a month with us not having to manually configure invoices and chase them up and what not.
You can track time easily with Harvest too and since we are going to be doing consultancy work with clients in the not so distant future its great knowing that I can set the timer off and running and know that its tracking my billable time and its real simple and easy to then convert it to an invoice when I need too.
There is so many ways to do this also, I have an iPhone so I will be using the Harvest app as it makes life real easy and I can send time sheets etc whilst on the move so I am not piling more work onto my desk that needs attention when I get into the office.
Why we think you should consider Harvest.
Firstly we are not getting paid for writing this! We are doing it as we are big believers in credit when credit is due.With that said we feel you should take a look at Harvest if you, like us, are fed up of:
- Manually typing up invoices and would like to automate them so you want to forget about forgetting to send those reminders.
- If you want to be able to see at the click of a button what invoices have gone out.
- When they went out.
- How many days late they are.
- How much you have invoiced for.
- And if you write up a lot of estimates and are manually typing them up into invoices.
Its a very very cost effective tool that has helped us to focus on what matters in our business and its for that reason we are writing this blog post recommending you the reader to take a look at Harvest for yourself.
