Creating a Session Invoice

There are several ways to create a session invoice in the software – during the Scheduling Wizard, right from the session record, or in the sales presentation module. Note: If you’re using the digital features in the software, we highly recommend creating your session order invoices from the sales presentation module. Refer to the “Recording a Client’s Order” section in the Sales Presentation topic.

See Invoice Reference for a detailed description of each field of an invoice record.

Creating a Session Invoice with the Scheduling Wizard #

1. As you are scheduling a session with the Scheduling Wizard, choose the option to “Create an invoice now.”  See also:  Wizard Builder

    

2. Add items to the invoice. This may be the session fee or a portrait package the client is purchasing. Once complete, click Next. See Price List for information on setting up your price list.
   

   HERE’S A FLASH FOR YOU!

   Did you know the software can automatically add items to the invoice during the booking process, depending on the session type? For example, when you book a deluxe portrait session, the software can automatically add your “Deluxe Session Fee” to the invoice. This can significantly speed up your booking process, as well as eliminate potential errors! You set up which fees and/or products should be added to session fee invoices for each of your session types in Maintenance > Session > Session Types. Open each session type, click the Price List Items tab, and choose the items. See also: Session Types

   

   Note: The orange arrow to the left of the item number allows you to re-arrange the items, apply line item discount, or a few other details.  See also: Features of the Invoice Line Item Detail Screen

    

3. Review the subtotal, apply a
   discount % to the entire invoice (if applicable), select sales tax, and
   add shipping and handling (if applicable). See also: Sales Tax
   

4. You can now use the Scheduling Wizard to create a payment for the invoice or skip the payment for now. See also: Creating a Payment

5. The final page of the wizard allows you to open the session and/or invoice for further modification, as well as print or email the session confirmation/invoice. See also: Using the Scheduling Wizard

Creating an Invoice from the Session Record #

Follow these steps to create an invoice from the session record:

1. Create a New Invoice – Open the session and click Session Invoice in the New group of the ribbon. A new invoice record will open with some information already filled in for you.

   

2. Invoice Overview – If you’re just getting started with invoicing, take a quick look at the invoice. You will see the following areas:

   • Invoice Ribbon – The ribbon at the top is where you’ll find tools for working with your invoice. Click on the tabs above the ribbon (Home, Communication, Attachments, Action, and Online) to see more tools. For a complete description of each tool on the ribbon, see the Invoice Ribbon reference topic.

   • Detail Tabs – There are several detail tabs right above the client information. When creating a new invoice, you’ll focus on the General tab, the Order Detail tab,  and the Tasks tab. The other tabs will automatically display details for any images or notes related to the invoice.

3. Review/Modify Client Information – The client information is on the General tab. This includes the details of the Session Client, the Bill-To-Client, and the Shipping Address. 

   • To modify the Session Client contact information, open the client by clicking Client in the View group of the ribbon. Make any necessary changes on the client’s record and then click Save & Close. Click Refresh on the invoice to update the displayed client information.

   • To change the Bill-To Client, click the person icon. You’ll have the option to “Change the Bill-To Client,” “View Bill-To Client,” or “Create New Bill-To Client.”

   • To choose the Shipping Address, click the
     down arrow on the right side of the first row. You can ship to the
     session client, the bill-to client, or the studio.

4. Review/Modify General Invoice Information – Also on the General tab, pay special attention to the following fields:

   • Invoice Date – This date is automatically created but can be changed if needed by entering the date or clicking the calendar icon.

   • Invoice Type – Select the type of invoice.  Choose from Session Fee, Initial Order, Reorder, Credit Memo, and Estimate. 

   • Invoice Description – Provide a brief description of what the invoice is for. The invoice description will be displayed on the Invoices tab of the client and/or session records, as well as on the Invoices hub.  

   • Invoice Status – Select the status of the invoice. Invoice statuses can be used for sorting purposes on the Invoices hub and on your reports. See also: Invoice Statuses

   • Notes – Enter any notes related to this
     invoice. If you do not want these notes to appear on the client’s
     printed invoice, uncheck the Print box.

   Though optional, you may also want to consider using the following fields to help organize and track your orders:

   • Sales Rep – Select the individual that created the invoice. You can choose the sales rep from the drop-down list. 

   • Payment Due Date – Select the date the
     payment will be due for the invoice. The default date is today’s date.
     If payment is not due today, you can change it by entering a new date or
     clicking the calendar icon. When typing in the due date, you don’t need
     to enter slashes. For
     example, 010112 will automatically be displayed as 01/01/2012.

   • Approx. Delivery Date – Use this date field to give your client an estimated date their order will be ready for pick up.  See also:  Company Preferences – Invoicing

   • Delivery Date – Use this date field to indicate when the products have actually been delivered.

   • Custom Fields – There is one text field and one date field to use at your discretion. More custom labels are located on the Custom tab. See also: Custom Labels and Lists

5. Create the Client’s Order – Open the Order Detail tab to record the client’s order.

   

   • Add Items to the Invoice – Select the items to be purchased. The item number, description, image number, quantity, unit price, and extended price are displayed in the grid. There are
     three ways to add items to the invoice:

     • Double-click the item in the Item Selection Window. This area contains a list of all the items available from your price list. See the Price List section for more information about setting up your price list. Note: If you have different price lists for each of your session types, you’ll only see items from the price list linked to this specific session type. For example, an invoice for a “Senior” session type will only display items from your senior price list. 

     • Or, enter the item number in the Item field and press Tab.

     • Or, enter a special item that has not been pre-defined in the price list by simply entering a description
       in the Description column. No item number is necessary. A quantity and price can also be entered.

     TIP! The orange arrow to the left of the line shows which item is currently selected. Click the orange arrow and choose to Insert New Line, Move the line up or down on the invoice, Delete the line, or open the Item Detail window.

   • Choose Images – Use the Image drop-down to choose a pose for each item in the grid. This is really important if you’re using the digital features in the software! With poses selected, you’ll be able to easily print (or email) an image detail sheet that includes a thumbnail image for each item the client has ordered. See also: Printing an Image Detail Sheet  

     HERE’S A FLASH FOR YOU!

     Image options have been added invoices to the more recent versions of the software. Just maximize the invoice window to see all the session images and then drag and drop the right pose onto each line item. That’s not all! Click the Editing tab on the ribbon (only displayed when the window is maximized) to crop, retouch, and more…right from the invoice.

      

   • Add a Discount – There are two ways to discount an invoice. You can discount a single item on the invoice using a Line Item Discount, or you may discount the entire invoice with an Invoice Discount. See also: Discounting an Invoice

     • Line Item Discount – To discount an individual item, highlight the appropriate item on the invoice, right-click and select View Item Detail. On the General tab, enter the percentage or dollar discount
       information and then click OK. The software will calculate the discount and display the
       adjusted price in the Extended column above.

       

     • Invoice Discount – To discount the entire invoice, locate the “Discount” line in the lower right portion of the invoice. You can either enter a percentage in the smaller box and let the software calculate the discount, OR you can type in a dollar amount in the box on the right.

       

6. Create a Payment or Payment Plan – If the client is making a payment or setting up a payment plan, click the appropriate option on the ribbon. See also: Creating a Payment and Payment Plans

7. Create Tasks – You may want to create tasks related to this invoice and assign them to a department or staff member. To create a task, click Task in the New group on the ribbon. All tasks for this invoice will appear on the Tasks tab. See also: Managing Tasks

8. Print the Invoice – Use the Print tool on the ribbon to print the invoice and/or an image detail sheet. See also: Printing or Emailing an Invoice and Printing an Image Detail Sheet

9. Click Save & Close when finished.