Invoice & Quote Software

[Mohammad Farooqi]

Hi everyone,

Just wondering if anyone knows any good software for keeping a record of clients, jobs, invoices, quotes, etc . . . I have tried quickbooks but do not like it very much.
Any suggestions? I recall this software that is specifically tailored to the video production business but can not recall the name. If anyone knows of it or anything else they have tried, please post.

Thanks a lot

[Shaun Roemich]

Some discussion here:
http://www.dvinfo.net/forum/taking-c...oices-etc.html

The Google search at the bottom of the page seems to turn up some good response if you enter "video invoice software"

[Nigel Barker]

We have just started using Billings 3 | Professional Time Billing for Anyone. which looks very nice. There is a companion application for the iPhone that synchronises with the application on your Mac. You can track time when you're mobile. Invoice clients straight from the iPhone plus keep track of mileage & expenses.

[Josh Bass]

I don't know if you're a "Maccy" or not, but if so, I have Mac Freelancer, which is $30 and seems to do what you want. I can't quite make it do what I want exactly (starting each new invoice for a client with the number that follows the last used number for that client, and emailing invoices from directly within the software, which it says you can do), but that doesn't mean there isn't a way to.

[Chris Davis]

I would strongly suggest sticking with QuickBooks. I realize it's not it may the be the best for you but it is certainly the most ubiquitous small business financial software. It is very nice to be able to simply share your QuickBooks file with your accountant, or if you're looking for any financing in the future everyone knows how to get the info they want out of QuickBooks.

For example, I work with a small business foundation in my area in areas of business coaching, financing, training, etc. When they need a specific report they can walk me right through it (i.e. "Click reports > company > balance sheet...")

[Richard Gooderick]

If you work by yourself and you want software that will help you to track time and expenses relating to a production, and produce invoices easily and quickly, I can recommend Fanurio.
It come from Romania. The product and the after-sales service are excellent.
Fanurio - Time tracking software for freelancers
NB This is not an accounting system. It doesn't try to do that. It sticks to its knitting and does it well.
ps I have just noticed that, as Shaun said, this question has been answered in another thread some time ago. I made a similar contribution then.

[Shaun Roemich]

Originally Posted by Josh Bass

emailing invoices from directly within the software, which it says you can do

I was using Mac Freelance until this fiscal year and then gave up. The e-mailing of invoices it would do for me but I couldn't get it to accurately number my invoices, set up my Invoice header correctly and a bunch of other piddly stuff.

I've gone back to using Excel to invoice and just hand PDFs to my accountant along with the other mounds of paperwork.

[Matt Gottshalk]

freshbooks.com

[Tim Kay]

Very topical thread. I was going to post something similar. It seems that photographers have a lot of software that is specific to there needs and not just the end billing aspect, but helping create bids and pricing, IE FotoQuote, HindSight & Blinkbid to name a few. What options as Videographers do we have in the software world ? Are we really the forgotten child?!?!

[Richard Gooderick]

Originally Posted by Shaun Roemich

I was using Mac Freelance until this fiscal year and then gave up. The e-mailing of invoices it would do for me but I couldn't get it to accurately number my invoices, set up my Invoice header correctly and a bunch of other piddly stuff.

Fanurio gives you the option of numbering your invoices sequentially or choosing your own numbers.
I got a custom template made up the way I wanted with my bank details on the bottom for the customer to use when making electronic transfers.
To raise an invoice I select the project. All the items are presented on the screen with check boxes. I can uncheck anything I don't want to invoice right now. I then press a button to create the invoice. Two more clicks save it as a pdf in my invoices folder. I write an email, attach the pdf and press send.
I hate paperwork. This is about as painless as it gets.

[Jim Andrada]

Quickbooks is ubiquitous, and I even use it, but it is a terrible ticking time bomb of a program.

As far as I can determine it does not use such standard accounting practices as true double entry, or the capability to "close" a year. As an example, if you inadvertently type 1/5/09 on an invoice or a payment instead of 1/5/10, Quickbooks will happily put it into the wrong year and it won't turn up again when you run your Profit and Loss statement for the year 2010. Good software forces you to close a year or explicitly re-open it if necessary and this prevents you from making this mistake because only one year can be open at a time..

Similarly I find it really user friendly - why you can change anything to your hearts content and there is no "audit trail" of what you've done after the fact.

It's a big P.O.S.

This kind of stuff cost me big bucks when I got audited by the IRS because some receipts had been posted in the wrong year after the fact and - oh well, you get the idea. The damned audit took six months and was worse than having a colonoscopy and a root canal simultaneously.

[Shaun Roemich]

Thanks Richard. I may well download the free trial as soon as I have another computer up and running (don't want to risk corrupting anything - I'm like that...) and see if I like it any better.

FTR, my needs are simple - I JUST need invoicing - my accountant looks after everything once I give the the accordion-dividered box of semi-divided stuff at the year's end.

[Nigel Barker]

Originally Posted by Shaun Roemich

Thanks Richard. I may well download the free trial as soon as I have another computer up and running (don't want to risk corrupting anything - I'm like that...) and see if I like it any better.

FTR, my needs are simple - I JUST need invoicing - my accountant looks after everything once I give the the accordion-dividered box of semi-divided stuff at the year's end.

Shaun if invoicing is all you need then I really urge you to take a look at Billings 3 | Professional Time Billing for Anyone. There is a 21-day unlimited trial & producing nice professional looking invoices is the really strong point of this application.

[Shaun Roemich]

Thank you/Merci, Nigel. I'll watch the video tomorrow with a clear head - I've been editing for 12 straight hours and I think I'm kinda DONE for tonight...

[Richard Gooderick]

Originally Posted by Shaun Roemich

Thanks Richard. I may well download the free trial as soon as I have another computer up and running (don't want to risk corrupting anything - I'm like that...) and see if I like it any better.

Will be interested to hear what you think Shaun.
BTW I hope that you get some relaxation this Easter weekend!