In the realm of IT Managed Service Providers (MSPs), precision in invoicing can significantly impact your client relationships and financial stability. Autotask offers a powerful feature that allows you to create invoices tailored to specific tickets, projects, or contracts for individual accounts. In this blog, we’ll delve into the art of harnessing Autotask’s Purchase Order (PO) field to streamline your invoicing process.
Why Customize Your Invoices?
Imagine this scenario: Your MSP business is providing various services to a client, including purchasing and installing a new PC. You want a separate invoice for this specific ticket, while all other charges should be grouped on a different invoice. Or perhaps you have multiple recurring services, and you’d like to categorize them based on the contract—support contract fees on one invoice, hosted infrastructure services on another. Autotask’s PO field can make these distinctions clear and concise.
Leveraging the Purchase Order (PO) Field
Autotask’s invoicing system operates by grouping items according to the Purchase Order (PO) associated with them. If a PO is assigned, Autotask will create separate invoices for each unique PO. In cases where no PO exists, all charges are bundled into a single invoice for the given billing period.
Best Practices for Using the PO Field
To make the most of this feature, ensure your PO# is always unique. That’s not always easy! Especially, if the customer doesn’t formally support a PO system. Knowing that, let’s dig into the different strategies:
Customer-Provided PO# (First Choice)
Whenever possible, use the Purchase Order number provided by the customer. This allows them to seamlessly track your invoice within their internal accounting system, leading to smoother communication and faster payments.
Use Your Quote# as the PO (Second Choice)
For customers without a PO system, consider using the unique number generated by your quoting solution. Whether it’s Autotask’s built-in tool, Quickbooks, QuoteWerks, or another solution, this approach ensures a distinct identifier for your invoice and can be easily linked to the signed quote.
Ticket# or Project# as the PO (Last Resort)
If neither of the above options is viable, you can resort to using Autotask’s ticket# or project# as the PO on the invoice. While lacking the customer or quote-specific value, this method still achieves the primary goal of providing a unique identifier for your invoices.
In conclusion, mastering Autotask’s PO field for invoicing empowers MSPs to create customized invoices that reflect the unique nature of their services and contracts. By adhering to these best practices, you can streamline your invoicing process, enhance client communication, and ensure your financial records remain accurate and organized.
