Professional services firm invoicing can be surprisingly complex – clients often negotiate unique terms, projects sometimes involve one-off rates and practice partners typically review every issued invoice. Our client was spending an increasingly large amount of time each month preparing, proofing and issuing invoices. While a reduction in time was the primary driver, our client needed to maintain their central tenets to be fair to their clients and always present clear, accurate and uniform invoices to all clients. Any new system needed to utilize highly accurate enterprise data but also provide mechanisms for management and partner review.

Our client engaged MercuryWorks to automate and streamline their monthly invoice creation and review process. The resulting solution was centered upon Microsoft 365, the client’s enterprise collaboration suite, along with SQL Server and QuickBooks Online for enterprise data access and storage. Notifications and real-time communication in Teams enables all stakeholders in each client account to clarify and refine accurate invoices.

The new invoice automation process minimizes professional staff time spent performing invoicing functions and simultaneously reduced the firm’s Days Sales Outstanding. Invoicing is now performed uniformly across all teams and clients while enabling firm partners to employ facts, data and automation to make invoicing decisions. Having clear areas of responsibility at each step keeps all players involved aligned, reduces ramp-up time for new firm professionals and provides a clear view of cycle status at all times.