Invoices in the days before computers had typed out and posted out to customers and other companies that businesses had either supplied with goods and services. The problem with sending out invoices was that it very often caused delays in payment, adversely affecting the cash flow of many businesses.

Another problem with clerical invoices was that it took too much effort to make sure they were sent out promptly. Then on top of that it had to be recorded by hand, which invoices had been paid in full, those that had been partially paid, or still completely outstanding leading to invoices being compared with purchase orders to know what goods and services had already been providing and paid for, and those still need paying for.

The advent of facility management and standalone invoice software has made it more straightforward for any business that operates such a system to send out invoices. Facility management and invoice software go hand in hand with each other whilst making the request for payments from customers and business partners better to arrange. The massive increase in online trading has if anything increased the imperative for businesses to install invoice software to cope with increased volumes of sales and to make sure payments are received for every single transaction.

The ERP:FM invoice component issues invoices when the sale of goods and services have gone through and these invoices are issued to remind people to pay for the things they have ordered and subsequently received. Invoices and purchase orders need to balance against each other, when a business has been successful in having everything paid in full the total amounts for both should be exactly the same.

The purchase order confirms the details of all goods or services sold in a single transaction, while the invoice requests payment for the things quoted on the purchase order. The reference number of each purchase order should have a matching invoice so that they can be linked together and the details cross referenced should there be any differences. Without the availability of invoice software, the task of cross referencing purchase orders and invoice can be time consuming and concentration on the part of staff.

The ERPFM component for invoicing reduces the amount of time needed to make sure that all the billing information is correct when checked against the purchase orders, in some instances no human interaction is required at all. The software is designed to pick up any differences sooner and it can be set to send notifications and reports to management if there are any notable differences in what the company should have received, and how much it has received the managers can act to change that situation.

Within the component ERPFM have designed, the invoicing and purchasing order system are equipped and ready to work in line with project management and task management making for a totally connected system that enables departments to work with one another reducing the chance of fractures.