A client's blunt email about my invoices made me switch up my whole system

I got a note from a regular client last month that said, 'Your invoices are a nightmare to process, please fix this.' I was just sending a basic PDF with line items, but their accounting team needed specific codes and dates in a certain order. I spent an afternoon setting up a template in Wave that matches their format exactly, with clear project numbers and net-30 terms. It took maybe three hours total, but now they pay in under two weeks instead of six. Has anyone else had to rebuild their billing because of a client's internal rules?

3 comments

3 Comments

morgan.jason17h ago

Man, my buddy's client straight up refused to pay until he added their stupid purchase order field. He fixed it in ten minutes and got his money the next day.

richard_young8018h ago

That "nightmare to process" line would have made me sweat. I've been there, sending what I thought was a perfectly clear invoice only to find out their system needs a secret handshake to accept it. My early ones were so bad I'm surprised I got paid at all. Spending a few hours to match their format is a no brainer, turning a six week wait into two weeks is a huge win.

wendy_henderson2115h ago

Ever think making things easier for clients was just extra work? Hearing stories like @morgan.jason's and this one totally changed my mind. A small fix for their system is just smart business, not a hassle.