When paper was first invented in 105 AD, it was indeed one the most precious products. Since then it has become an integral part of each one of us daily work routine. Paper has reinvented the way we communicate, record history, and write down literature. It is portable, smaller, and thinner, and has triggered the inventions of new cleaning products, printing, and even foods. Not to mention the benefits drawn by freelancers and businesses globally. Close your eyes and imagine a world without paper. It is then that you will truly understand its value and importance.
Invoicing has always been an important process of the business framework. It allows you to get paid for the work done, be it selling a product or rendering service. Paper invoicing does take an enormous toll on the environment and the major contributors are corporate America and freelancers. A survey conducted by oDesk suggests that of its 70,000 plus US based contractors, 32 percent have taken up freelancing after the job cut. The web is increasingly offering opportunities for freelance designers, opportunities that can come from anywhere in the world. Similarly, opportunities for freelance writers are on the rise, as businesses need compelling content for their websites, blogs, reviews, help content and even Twitter accounts.
Another report by Strategies of Management predicts that freelancers gross revenues will increase from over $3.4 billion in 2004 to over $3.8 billion in 2009. The number of graphic design freelancers is projected to increase from the present figure of 74,000, to over 86,000 by the end of the decade. Also, the 50 largest graphic design firms comprise less than 1% of the number of establishments, but account for over 16% ($1.3 billion) of the industry’s total invoicing. Just imagine the volume of paper that is being wasted by invoicing alone.
The number of paper invoices generated by corporate America is even worse. Here is some food for thought. About 13 billion invoices are traded annually by the businesses is US, accounting for 25 billion pieces of paper floating around in offices every year. Invoices contribute to 10 % of the total trees cut down worldwide and the electricity consumed by creating paper invoices each year is equivalent to the consumption of 20 million households.
It is important to learn some lessons form the European Union where Since 1 January 2004 there has been a legal obligation for undertakings operating in the European Union to accept electronic invoices. This process has a huge cost cutting and time saving potential. A study has revealed that it is possible to cut invoicing cost even by 70%. So, why not use this solution?
Migrating even 50 percent of our current paper invoice volume over to electronic invoicing would mean saving almost one million trees and 240,000 tons of paper every year. It is clear that apart from the monetary benefits, e-invoicing has a healthy impact on our environment as well.
This is a guest post, written by Invoicera, which is a contemporary online invoicing application. It is supported with ace technology and practical features to provide clutter free and quick invoicing.
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Why Web Designers & Freelancers Should Switch to Online Invoicing?…
The number of paper invoices generated by corporate America is even worse. Here is some food for thought. About 13 billion invoices are traded annually by the businesses is US, accounting for 25 billion pieces of paper floating around in offices every …
Nice and well explained article about online invoicing. Lot to learn from this article. Thanks to share this nice post.
I personally use Freshbook.com I love their site, ease of use, and how customer friendly it is. The company its self is extremely personable too! They have free and paid invoicing, so there’s options for any type of business.
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Curdbee is a good place to start.
http://curdbee.com/
Hey all,
With the increasing concerns about our environment lasting forever, this post has been written with the view to encourage people to stop using paper for invoices. With alternatives available, we would want everyone to contribute to the larger cause because every little helps.
Let our work be governed by the mantra ‘Think Green, Act Green’. We all shall and will surely make the difference.
Thanks,
Invoicera
http://www.invoicera.com
yes I agree . Keep up the good work. I will surely contribute and start using e-invoicing.:p
Another great benefits to online invoicing. One is efficiency. It won’t get lost in the mail and gets to the client sooner. Another benefit is the digital time stamp on the invoice. Should there be any question about it’s submission, there’s always a reference to it. A third benefit is the fact that it’s easier to file and organize. Thus, it’s easier to trace and reference for accounting, customer service, and productivity purposes.
Great article! we save a great deal of time and money by working online and invoicing really only begins to scratch the surface.
For example online project management and collaboration removes the need for costly, time consuming and polluting travel.
We use Moobiz http://www.moobiz.com and pretty much run our entire business online!
Great point. I do agree 100% and should consider of switching to online invoicing.
@ Michael: Thansk for the link, didn’t know there is a service like that before. Most def. Curdbee sounds super on first look. I’ll dig and see.
@ Dani: I signed up with Freshbooks free account some time back and its just good enough for you to get an idea of whats there. They only allow 5 or even less number of clients, so no use of that free offer. Just check their pricing again and seems they have increase it too. Now its starting at $19 – Too expensive for me.
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[...] To know more about how paper invoicing is affecting our environment and the extent of damage it has already caused we would recommend reading another intriguing post at bestdesigntuts.com [...]