Making an invoice

[GlassStarz]

Mafsu
Have to disagree the customer gets the invoice when the jobs done if the big dealership service depts can use the preprinted ones with thier info printed on top its good enough for me. the ones availble at varios staples etc are very nice as long as you get a stamp to put your name in a professional manner . I worked for many years at some big dealerships they order from varios outside companies standard forms with the dealership name printed for a small fee. My feeling is some people spend so much time trying to reinvent the wheel that they lose track of the goal "fix windshields, get paid,go home"

[mafsu]

You are comparing apples to oranges. A dealer service department is a brick and mortar location with(at least) hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of inventory. Impression already made. To each his own. I have higher goals for my business than fix windshield, get paid, go home.

[StarQuest]

GlassStarz,

I'm sorry to say this...... but spending a few more pennies to have a professional looking invoice does make a difference. I have to agree with Masfu on this one. Maybe the people at the car washes don't pay much attention to this but when your working with big fleet, rental or dealership accounts they sure do. They prefer invoices that actually show where on the windshield the damage was last repaired. Can't get that type of invoice from some Office Depot now can you? I go even further than just having nice looking invoices. My daily maintenance pads also look professional, showing the location of damage, stock or unit number and mileage. It's very imported to have customized invoice to fall back on. Never no when you be questioned about some previous repair.

[Delta Kits]

There are many types of windshield repair businesses out there, and many types of people who run them. What may be just fine for some isn't for others.

Everyone makes choices in their business. Invoices are just that, a choice. There's no blanket right or wrong, only what's right or wrong for you and your business.

[mafsu]

I agree that there is no one answer that is right for everyone. I do still believe that espescially for someone starting out professional invoices, business cards, shirts or hats with the company name, lettered vehicle, etc... go a long way toward gaining your customer's confidence in you.

[StarQuest]

I guess your right Jeff, what's important to some isn't neccessary import to others. The bottom line is to just make money

[V-Glass]

I've gotta chime in here too: APPEARANCE IS EVERYTHING. Before your 1st sentence is out, people have sized you up, checked out your vehicle, your shirt, your hair, everything. And if you put as much effort into creating a professional appearance as you do with the work, you'll be amazed how much easier it is to do business with people and they'll more likely trust you up front.

[GlassStarz]

I think some have missed my point my invoices are quite professional looking my shirts look professional and a couple times a week some woman gives me her number out of the blue because i do look good. or maybe its the size 15 shoes who knows.
My point was that some get hung up on trying to reinvent the wheel computor programs, special software etc some think they need some special invoice so be it (I remember a kid at school who had to have a $300 calculater didnt add any different from what I could see). but most importantly dont lose track of the goal" fix windshields, get paid ,go home" plain and simple this isnt rocket science folks. and the fact of the matter is no matter how good the piece of paper you give them after the repair looks, if the repair doesnt look good nothing else matters. And how many customers do you actually hand a invoice? myself only the cash customer who wants one to mail to his insurance company 1in 30 maybe? and the commercial account.

[Dave M]

That's info you might not be bragging about on an open forum!!

[GlassStarz]

Bragging on a open forum? i guess your implication is that some how nothing gets reported?
Dude if you do mostly insurance work why add to the paperwork if you use a billing company like ACT you call in on the phone get the approv fix the break and move on to the next one. the customers insurance company sends them a claim report and ACT sends a report with the check what else do you need? If you use a checking account that is solely used for buisness and put all proceeds in it(even cash) you get a statement of all debits and deposits monthly it takes about 15 minutes to add up all 12 at the end of the year 8) hand it to the tax guy and go back to work.
My point was that some make things too complicated and want to run this thing of ours like it was some store with special invoices cool computor billing programs customer tracking software etc. in my estimation mostly uneeded This buisness is the easiest thing in the world to do why complicate you life if its not nessasary? Im pretty sure even the guy on the ice cream truck works harder than I do :P