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What is Smart Invoice?

Smart Invoice is an easy-to-use, full-featured, Web-based billing and time tracking system designed specifically for small businesses, freelancers and other independent contractors and service professionals.

 

Who should use it?

Smart Invoice is an excellent system for anyone that needs to bill clients for services and/or products. Design firms, Web developers, IT professionals, freelance writers, consultants, accountants, landscapers, contractors, cleaning services and daycare providers are just a sampling of businesses that would benefit from using Smart Invoice.

 

How do I access it?

Smart Invoice is an online software program that is securely accessible from any Internet connection. Although you need a Web browser, like Internet Explorer or Firefox, there is nothing to install or download.

 

Is there a free trial?

Absolutely! Smart Invoice offers fast, 10-second signup and a free trial. Go ahead. Create an account and try it out – there’s no obligation, nothing to install and we won’t ask for your credit card. Your free trial is a fully functioning version of the software that allows you to send an unlimited number of invoices to up to three clients. Your free trial never expires. But if you have more than three clients to bill, we offer several affordable upgrade options. See Pricing.

 

What kind of customer support do you offer?

Smart Invoice offers responsive, web-based customer support (our Help Desk resolves the majority of customer inquiries within a few hours). We also offer an extensive library of searchable online Help documents at www.smartinvoice.com/help/start that allow our customers to find quick answers to common questions.

 

How will my clients receive their invoices?

Invoices generated using Smart Invoice are designed to be sent electronically by e-mail for faster delivery (and subsequently faster payment to you!). Alternately, you can print and send your invoices via snail mail.

 

Can I personalize/customize my invoices?

Of course! Adding your logo to invoices and choosing colors that complement your brand is easy and gives your billings a professional look and feel. If you’re comfortable with cascading style sheets (CSS,), you can also modify our invoice template CSS or upload your own custom CSS design.

 

Do you support auto-billing or recurring invoices?

Yes, Smart Invoice has an easy to-use feature that makes it easy to create a recurring billing (that includes any combination of products, services and/or expenses) and schedule automatic invoicing for that billing.

 

Does Smart Invoice help me accept credit card payments?

Yes. We have several built-in payment gateways that make it easy to accept online credit card payments. We currently support PayPal, Authorize.net. 2checkout.com, Amazon.com and Google Checkout.

 

Can you explain how a credit card payment gateway works?

When you have an account with one of the payment gateway listed above, such as PayPal, Smart Invoice can add a payment link to your invoices so that your clients can pay you online – instantly – with their credit card. (Please Note: Payment gateway fees apply.) Although Smart Invoice does not collect a payment on your behalf, the system can track the payment, verify receipt, notify you of the payment and mark the invoice as paid. This process saves you time and helps you get paid faster for completed work.

 

Can I use Smart Invoice to create estimates?

Yes. And if an estimate is accepted by your client, it can easily be converted to an invoice when the work is complete.

 

Can I use Smart Invoice to track my time?

Smart Invoice does have a time tracking feature that makes it easier to invoice your clients for every billable dollar.

 

How do you keep my data safe and secure?

At Smart Invoice, keeping your data safe is our utmost concern. Smart Invoice has been built from the ground up with your data security in mind. Hosted on a dedicated server, your data is both secure and highly available. (We use RAID technology to mirror your data on two drives and 256-bit SSL encryption for all accounts – free or paid.) Nightly backups are performed, where we secure your data in an offsite facility. We even keep the ten most recent backups of your account so we can roll your account back to a prior state should the need arise. In addition, Smart Invoice is regularly updated to respond to emerging security threats and our servers are continuously patched to ensure data safety and security.

 

Does Smart Invoice have an API?

Yes, it does. The Smart Invoice API allows technology-savvy users and developers to create customized tools and applications which take advantage of Smart Invoice functionality. Visit www.smartinvoice.com/help/start for more information.

 

Can I import my clients from other programs?

Smart Invoice makes it easy to import your client information using a variety of popular software programs and file formats. Import single and multi-contact vCards, as well as text files from programs such as Outlook and Outlook Express.

 

Can Smart Invoice send automatic reminders to my clients?

Yes it can. An easy-to-use setup screen allows you to set the automatic reminder parameters, like e-mail message copy, reminder frequency and notice of late fees if applicable.

 

Does Smart Invoice support multiple currencies?

Yes, we support multiple currencies for the creation of both estimates and invoices.

 

I use QuickBooks. Can I still use Smart Invoice?

Yes. Smart Invoice integrates with our new QuickBooks integration plug-in for seamless money management. QuickBooks is great for tracking things like personal expenses and balancing your bank account. But when it’s time to bill your clients, Smart Invoice is easier to use and helps you get paid faster.

 

What if I want to cancel my account?

Although we’d hate to see you go, you may cancel your free or paid account at any time. If you choose to cancel your account, you can even export your data and take it with you.