Website Invoicing Automation

[BGD]

Some of my customers prefer to be invoiced when booking online, rather than a 'buy it now' option. As it's a small fee I find it laborious to create lots of mini invoices for each person/organisation. Is there a website plug-in that could automate this process so they're created automatically at the point of booking? I suppose that I could also look at some Desktop mail-merge type scenario, that would create many from tapping in the data, but the first option is preferable as the customer would have to correctly fill in their details. It would be for bank transfers rather than CC payments and would either allow them to download the invoice or email it to them. Does anyone have any experience of such a thing?

 

[AlanJ1]

What website platform are you using?

 

[BGD]

What website platform are you using?

A general html template site atm, but Wordpress soon

 

[zomex]

I think we would need some more specifics about what you provide.

It sounds like you would benefit from software to automate this but without knowing the specifics it's hard to recommend anything.

 

[Ozzy]

A general html template site atm, but Wordpress soon

A lot of unknowns here, but at a very basic level Wordpress comes with a free plugin WooCommerce that does this out of the box (insert caveat about customising to suit needs, configuring products, etc)

Another option would be WooCommerce plugin to your accounting software that again can automate this further.

 

[fisicx]

Couldn't be easier:

Invoice Payment Option

Order Now and Pay Later! Allow your customers to select invoice payment option during checkout to place orders. Add conditions to show invoice payment options for specific products, categories, countries, cart total, user roles and more.

woocommerce.com

$59/year which is crazy cheap

 

[antropy]

$59/year which is crazy cheap

Not really, OpenCart extensions are generally a one-off purchase and usually less than $59.

Speaking of which the OP needs to tell us a lot more, but OpenCart could be a good platform to move to if they're selling online.

Paul.

 

[fisicx]

Not really, OpenCart extensions are generally a one-off purchase and usually less than $59.

Is there such an extension?

As an aside, there is a free version of that plugin. Just has fewer features.

 

[Paul Kelly ICHYB]

Back to basics - what is being booked?

You can then get a suitable plugin to handle everything, including invoicing & payments!

 

[BGD]

Couldn't be easier:

Invoice Payment Option

Order Now and Pay Later! Allow your customers to select invoice payment option during checkout to place orders. Add conditions to show invoice payment options for specific products, categories, countries, cart total, user roles and more.

woocommerce.com

$59/year which is crazy cheap

Thank you. I didn't realise the WC also created invoices, I'll give it a look.

 

[BGD]

I'll look at Woo Commerce, for others asking what's involved, it's a training event, so people would buy from 1-5 tickets and many prefer to put it through accounts, rather than pay by card. It's a pain to sit down and draw up many invoices, when I (or my number two) are better spent on other things. Just flat rate plus VAT (x number of tickets).

Thank you

 

[Paul Kelly ICHYB]

So you are selling tickets to an event.

Woo will work, but if more than a few events, there are many event plugins you can use.

 

[zomex]

Not really, OpenCart extensions are generally a one-off purchase and usually less than $59.

Speaking of which the OP needs to tell us a lot more, but OpenCart could be a good platform to move to if they're selling online.

Paul.

The OP said they are switching their site to WordPress so Woocommerce makes sense.

I was researching software for a new store and went with Woocommerce over OpenCart. OpenCart looked clunky/dated and their demo store was broken at the time I looked.

 

[fisicx]

I'll look at Woo Commerce, for others asking what's involved, it's a training event....

How many training events?

It's possible you won't need woocommerce at all. I've built plugins that let you register for an event that has options and it sends you a pdf with the booking details and costs. It can even include a payment link should you need it.

It could easily be adapted for your business.

 

[antropy]

I was researching software for a new store and went with Woocommerce over OpenCart. OpenCart looked clunky/dated and their demo store was broken at the time I looked.

That just depends what theme you use and OpenCart has plenty of modern ones. Whereas WooCommerce is slow and gets hacked all the time: https://www.antropy.co.uk/blog/opencart-vs-woocommerce/

Paul.

 

[Ozzy]

Whereas WooCommerce is slow and gets hacked all the time

Perhaps some bias there?

The most common cause of security vulnerabilities is misconfiguration or poor configuration, not just because it is 'WooCommerce'. Keep in mind that figures can be distorted by size of market. For example, more cars get stolen than airplanes.

 

[zomex]

That just depends what theme you use and OpenCart has plenty of modern ones. Whereas WooCommerce is slow and gets hacked all the time: https://www.antropy.co.uk/blog/opencart-vs-woocommerce/

Paul.

My point was the official demo/default theme was broken. It's not a good look.

Woocommerce itself is not slow. WordPress is a very high target for hackers due to its popularity. A insecure WordPress installation is almost always due to user error (running old themes/plugins/old WP/insecure hosting/weak passwords etc) and is easily avoidable.

WordPress also benefits from the best features in terms of building a website alongside the store. So it's a two for one.

I have tried almost all ecommerce software over the years. Woocommerce has impressed me the most due to the ability to customize all aspects. It also the biggest community behind it which is critical.

OScart like Prestashop for example is a legacy solution that's rapidly being swallowed up by the competition.

 

[antropy]

My point was the official demo/default theme was broken. It's not a good look.

I've let OpenCart know about that.

In the meantime you can try it here:

OpenCart

My Store

opencart.antropy.co.uk

Woocommerce itself is not slow.

WordPress is painfully slow.

WordPress is a very high target for hackers due to its popularity. A insecure WordPress installation is almost always due to user error (running old themes/plugins/old WP/insecure hosting/weak passwords etc) and is easily avoidable.

So you agree it's a target. Avoidable if you're always doing updates.

WordPress also benefits from the best features in terms of building a website alongside the store. So it's a two for one.

I agree WordPress is better for an informational website than OpenCart.

I have tried almost all ecommerce software over the years. Woocommerce has impressed me the most due to the ability to customize all aspects. It also the biggest community behind it which is critical.

I've also tried pretty much all of them and OpenCart is much faster, easier to work with, and has a better community than most.

OScart like Prestashop for example is a legacy solution that's rapidly being swallowed up by the competition.

Prestashop is still pretty good actually in my opinion. It's much more popular in Europe as it's French.

Paul.

 

[antropy]

Perhaps some bias there?

Not at all, we'd work with whatever platform was best!

Paul.

 

[fisicx]

I agree WordPress is better for an informational website than OpenCart.

Which is what @BGD needs. They don’t need e-commerce, they just need an invoicing system.

Promote event > attendee registers > invoice sent. Payment is made outside the website.

 

[antropy]

Which is what @BGD needs. They don’t need e-commerce, they just need an invoicing system.

If payments are being taken online and invoices are being generated, it's ecommerce.

Paul.

 

[fisicx]

If payments are being taken online and invoices are being generated, it's ecommerce.

But they don’t need an e-commerce store. There are loads of ways to sell events that are better than via a shop.

 

[antropy]

But they don’t need an e-commerce store. There are loads of ways to sell events that are better than via a shop.

Well, a dedicated events platform would be best.

Paul.

 

[zomex]

@antropy

WordPress is built on the same technology as OpenCart. PHP with a MySQL database. WordPress has the biggest use of any software on the web and has an absolute huge community of the best developers in the world.

WordPress itself is very fast and well optimised as it has the best developers behind it. Anytime you see WordPress running slow it's due to user error. Too many plugins, poorly built themes.

You make it sound like WordPress being more targeted is a positive for OpenCart? WordPress is more targeted because it's popular. It's popular because it's better.

You can't possibly believe that OpenCart is better optimised than WordPress.

 

[antropy]

WordPress is built on the same technology as OpenCart. PHP with a MySQL database.

That's like saying because everything in the Universe is made from atoms, everything that exists is the same

You can't possibly believe that OpenCart is better optimised than WordPress.

It certainly is. Install both and test page loads.

Paul.

 

[Paul Kelly ICHYB]

Guys, we keep veering of the OP's topic.

Can we stop swinging our big... servers?

 

[antropy]

Guys, we keep veering of the OP's topic.

Can we stop swinging our big... servers?

Fair point No further comments, your honour.

Paul.

 

[zomex]

That's like saying because everything in the Universe is made from atoms, everything that exists is the same


It certainly is. Install both and test page loads.

Paul.

No it's not, it's saying you are talking rubbish. OpenCart is built using the same technology yet WordPress has the best developers in the world working on it constantly.

The default OpenCart theme looks like something out of the early 2000s. It's not evolved and its usage is dying.

Edit: My final post in this thread - all the best

 

[antropy]

OpenCart is built using the same technology

Oh right so all platforms built with PHP and MySQL are the same. Makes sense

yet WordPress has the best developers in the world working on it constantly.

And the best hackers in the world hacking it constantly.

The default OpenCart theme looks like something out of the early 2000s.

You don't have to use the default theme.

It's not evolved and its usage is dying.

It has 379 developers and there are several commits every day: https://github.com/opencart/opencart/commits/master/

Paul.

 

[Paul Kelly ICHYB]

S T O P.

No more platform wars or the thread will be locked!

@BGD any comments or feedback to bring us back on track?

 

[antropy]

Oops sorry no more


Paul.