Client Invoice Lists – When on your Invoices page (where you see the current status of your invoices), the names of clients now appear as links.  Clicking the link will show a list of invoices for that client.  It allows you to quickly see what you’ve invoiced that client in the past.

Live field validations – When entering information into most fields on the site, a small icon will appear to the right that indicates if what you have entered will pass inspection.  For instance, when signing up for an account, you’re prompted to enter your email address.  As you type, it will switch from red to green when the entry looks okay.  It’s a nice little touch to make using Invotrak that much easier.

There’s more too: we added the SEK (Swedish krona) currency, and made a number of minor visual tweaks throughout the site.  Hope you find these new items useful, and be sure to let us know what you think.

Update: We’ve completed the updates.  As always, let us know if anything seems amiss.

Let’s say you’ve just put together a proposal for a client and they’ve given you the go-ahead (yay!). Now you need to make sure you stay on budget as you work. Well, what better way then in the same app you’re using to invoice your client?

All you have to do is enter your proposal details into Invotrak. Break the proposal down into pieces (called tasks) and assign an amount of time for each task. Then, when you (and your employees) record their work for their timesheets, assign the entries to one of the project tasks. From now on, whenever you go to the Projects tab in Invotrak, you’ll see your current progress, a handy pie chart, and all of the timesheet entries recorded for each task.

Now, when a client asks “So, where do we stand“, you can answer just by checking Invotrak!

Of course, why not go a step further and have your client log into Invotrak and check for themself? Just create a client account for them, and they can login whenever they like to check their project’s status.

To get started with Invotrak Projects, you’ll need to first sign up for a paid account. Then, you can start tracking an unlimited number of projects.  Or, check out all the other great things Invotrak has to offer.

We hope you like the new Projects feature. Be sure to let us know what you think on our user feedback forum!

Job Sites – Freelancing is gaining in popularity, and many employers now understand the benefits to hiring them. There are many freelance job sites available to help bring employer and freelancer together.  Some popular choices are www.guru.com and www.elance.com.

Don’t forget to look at your local Craigslist and even your local paper’s classified section. You never know when you’ll find a great opportunity.

Social Media Sites – Interacting with business owners on sites such as Facebook and Twitter can be a great way to find new clients. Remember though, that social networking is about building relationships. If you start out by creating a profile and immediately spamming people about your services, you won’t get very far.

Instead, offer valuable information. It’s okay to tie in what you do and how you could help a business. You’ll be surprised at how many people approach you and ask for your help.

Traditional Networking – The internet has made it very easy to network with people from all over the world, but that doesn’t mean you should ignore your own backyard. Interacting with local business owners is important. Some people prefer to work with local freelancers, so make sure that the businesses in your area know you are available. Call your local Chamber of Commerce and find out when their next meeting is. This is a great way to introduce yourself to your local business community.

Word Of Mouth Referrals – Let your current clients know that you have openings for new clients. Your current clients interact with other business owners, and since they know the quality of your work, they will feel confident in recommending you to their associates. As an incentive, offer your current clients a discount on future work for each new client they refer to you.

Just Ask – If there is a company that you would love to work with, write them and let them know. They may have an opening that hasn’t been opened to the public yet. And if they don’t, they may keep your letter on file for when they do.

Tell People What You Do – Most importantly, don’t be afraid to tell people about your services. It’s okay to bring it up in a conversation. The person you are talking to may not need your services, but they may have a friend who does, or they may have heard about an opening.

Using a system like Invotrak can make this process easier. When you use this system, you will be able to keep track of your invoices and earnings. Each month, you can print them all out and add them up to keep track of your total monthly income.

You will also want to keep track of your expenses. Remember to include all business expenses, including business supplies, lunches or dinners with clients,  expenses associated with attending workshops, seminars, and conferences, as well as a portion of your rent or mortgage and utility bills (if you work from home).

It is always a good idea to check with a tax professional before you deduct anything. Laws can change from year to year and it is always better to make sure you are following the tax code.

You can purchase some large manila folders and put all of your monthly invoices into a folder. Smaller manila folders can be used to store receipts and then placed in the larger folder. This will keep proof of income and expenses together, in one place. Each month of the year can have its own folder; take it one step further by writing down the total for income and expenses on the back of each separate folder. The group of folders can then be placed in your filing system.

When it comes time for tax season next year, you just need to get out your group of folders for the year and use them to complete your taxes. Of course, keeping a running expense on a spreadsheet can also be helpful. If you choose to get your taxes done by a professional, you can simply print out the spreadsheet and give that to them, along with your income total. This will help them make quick work of your taxes.

Timesheet Invoice Dates
If you’re using the timesheet features of Invotrak, you’ve no doubt seen how easy it is to create stylish invoices from your work data.  One thing that’s been missing though has been the ability to insert dates into your invoices.  Now, when you create an invoice, you can optionally insert the date you set for your timesheet entries.

If you haven’t tried the timesheets feature, you’ve been missing out!  Log into your Invotrak account and click the Timesheets tab to start tracking your work.

Revamped Invoice Statistics
Why stop there?  We also added another user-requested feature: the ability to customize your invoice statistics box.  On your Invoices page, you’ve no doubt seen the Statistics box on the right.  It’s a handy way to see your invoicing activity, but it wasn’t very sophisticated.  Now, you can change the period these statistics are shown for, giving you at-a-glance details of your financial situation.

We always make user-requested changes a priority to Invotrak.  Since we started the site nearly two years ago, we’ve always relied on our users to tell us what they need in an invoicing application.  So keep the feedback coming!

If you’re not already familiar with Basecamp, it’s a great project management and collaboration tool used by a lot of people (freelancers and large companies alike).  In many cases, you may be working with a client that has a Basecamp account setup.  Using Invotrak, you can now connect to that Basecamp account and import items into Invotrak!

Check out the screencast to see it in action:

Here’s how it works.  First, you need to enable API access in your Basecamp account (the Basecamp Account Holder must set this).  Once that’s done, log into Invotrak and go to your Clients section.  Then, choose the client to link the Basecamp account to, and click the Setup Basecamp Access link (it’s in the bottom-right of the client page).  Enter your Basecamp account details and click the Continue button.

You can also assign one or multiple projects to a particular client.  In some cases, you may have a Basecamp account for several clients or projects.  When setting up Basecamp access, just select the projects you’d like to associate with the client.

Now, let’s add a timesheet entry based on a Basecamp ToDo item.  Go to the Timesheets section.  Either do Manual Entry or start the timer with the Punch clock and do some work.  Next, click the client that has Basecamp access and click the Select From Basecamp link.  This will bring up a dialog that lets you choose the ToDo item (from ToDo lists, to keep things organized).  Click your ToDo item and then save your timesheet entry.  You can also click outside the dialog box to cancel

We’re working on further Basecamp integration now, and we’ll have more updates soon.  As always, be sure to let us know what you think!

In our quest to make the process of invoicing less painful and more streamlined for the people who have to do it on a regular basis, we’re looking to get more of your input.  In fact, as part of our most recent update, a feature we snuck in was the ability to completely customize the emails that are sent out to your clients.  A feature that was requested by a user of ours.

We’d like to get your take on Invotrak.  Tell us what you need in an invoicing service, and we’ll do what we can to help.  One caveat: not all ideas or suggestions will be implemented.  Some things just aren’t right for Invotrak.  But there are many other things that we can do to improve, and we want to know.

We’re making invoicing better, and we’d like your help.  Check out our UserVoice page and let us know what you’d like to see in Invotrak.  Thanks!

Creating an Invoice
As a recap, creating an invoice in Invotrak is very easy. Simply go to the Record Invoice page on the Invoices screen, and enter the invoice details (amount, when it’s due, etc). Once you’ve recorded this invoice, you can then enter each of the line items using the handy line item tool on the right.

When you’ve got all the components of your invoice entered, the next step is to generate a stylish PDF. Click on the Generate Paper Invoice link, and tweak the settings as you like. Free account holders are restricted to the Basic Business template, but upgraded account holders can choose from any of the template styles (including several that incorporate your logo).

When you’re happy with your settings, click the Generate PDF link at the bottom. After a moment, a PDF will popup with your invoice, in the template style you chose!

Invoices from Timesheets
If you bill by the hour, then you’re going to really save time using Invotrak’s timesheets feature. As you go about your work, enter your hours and a description of the work performed into the Timesheets section. Then, when you’re ready to invoice, click the Review Timesheets link at the top. Filter out the timesheets you’re interested in, and select them. Use the Create Invoice tool on the right to assign the selected timesheet entries to an invoice (or create a new one if you like).

Each of your timesheet entries will be attached to the invoice as line items, along with the time worked and an hourly rate. You can even change line items later if you like (such as times when your hourly rate changes).

Now that you have your invoice, use the Generate Paper Invoice feature to create a stylish PDF of the work you did!

Here’s a video showing how to create an invoice from timesheet entries:

Company Logos
But wait, there’s more! Invotrak now allows you to upload your company’s logo to attach to your invoices, and it’s very easy to do! Just go to the Settings screen inside Invotrak and click on the Logo image. Upload a JPG or PNG file of your company’s logo, and Invotrak will do the rest!

Check out the video to see how to add a logo in Invotrak:

When creating an invoice, some of the templates have space for logos. If you have a logo uploaded, Invotrak will automatically place the logo on the invoice. You’re invoices have never looked better!

We hope you like the new additions to Invotrak, but we’re always looking to improve. Be sure to let us know what you think, and keep an eye on this blog for more updates.