The Importance of E-Invoicing for Businesses

Gone are the days of manually scribbling several details on a sheet of paper to provide a buyer with a proof of purchase. Most processes have been modernized to provide a seamless experience on both the business and consumers’ perspectives. Even the use of a physical keypad to type in item values has been replaced with the barcode scanner.

This innovation had crept into our lives in such a clandestine manner that we barely even took notice of when it truly became a mainstay of supermarkets. It’s just one of those things that we rarely notice unless it is absent.

Now, we don’t even have to head over to the local supermarket to buy the things that we want to buy. Online stores have become such a common sight that there’s a chance that whatever you want to buy is available online. Because of the vast reach of the internet, especially for businesses that cater to international orders, the number of transactions can easily overwhelm even someone who simply needs to have an item scanned through a barcode scanner.

This problem was recognized and has been solved through the implementation of e-Invoicing. As electronic invoicing system serves as the provider of an electronic record of the transaction that transpired between the buyer and seller. The difference here versus the use of a barcode scanner is that the process of recording the transaction is automatic and is triggered by the order confirmation.

This system records a transaction whenever an order is confirmed on the selling platform. The system is capable of recording huge amounts of data simultaneously and in real time. This also eliminates the probability of human error in recording the transactions as the values are already predetermined and they simply “fill in the blanks.”

An electronic invoice must be accomplished in a specific format. Docx, PDFs, and other file types of the sort do not qualify a record as an electronic invoice. This format usually comes in XML,ANSI, EDIFACT, TRADACOMS and ebXML form. While this obviously prevents the alteration of information within these invoices (as is with the case of word type documents) the true purpose of utilizing a standard format is that it provides the b2b (business to business) model with a seamless experience.

In essence, this standard format is the English (which is the international language) by which different businesses can communicate with one another on equal footing.

This article lists several of the benefits of using an electronic invoicing system. Many of these benefits relate to, in one way or form, business management. Such a system also eliminates the need for huge supplies of paper, but that’s a facile statement compared to the ability to accurately and effortlessly process millions of transactions on a daily basis.

The surprising thing is that not all businesses have elected to make use of an electronic invoicing system despite all the benefits that come with it. If you’re one of these businesses, then you’re obviously missing out on something big here.

For a business to realize optimal efficiency, it has to automate as many processes that it can afford to do so. This frees up resources that could have been used for more important ventures. So, what are you waiting for? Get an e-Invoicing system today!