GarageDoorBossPro Blog — Commercial Doors

Invoicing Commercial Door Work: Per-Job Invoices, Card on File or Monthly Billing

Commercial clients don't all pay the same way. A one-location auto shop might hand over a card and want it charged when the job is done. A property manager wants one statement a month. A warehouse company's accounts payable office wants invoices it can match to a work order. Getting paid on commercial work starts with setting each client up the way they actually pay.

Three Ways to Bill

Keeping contacts informed by text is covered in Texting Facility Managers and Site Contacts: Two-Way Texts and Automatic Alerts. Billing is where those conversations turn into payment.

GarageDoorBossPro supports three common approaches for commercial clients:

• Per-job invoices. An invoice is created when the tech taps Complete and sent to the client.
• Card on file. The invoice is created and the card is charged on completion or on a schedule.
• Monthly account billing. Every job at every address lands on one statement each month, with each line labeled with its address.

All three use the same invoices underneath: line items from your service list, sales tax and the job they belong to.

Per-Job Invoices

Per-job invoicing fits clients with one location and occasional work. The tech finishes, taps Complete, and the invoice is created with the services on the job. The client sees the invoice and can pay online from the customer app.

It is simple and clear, and each invoice is tied to one job at one address with the tech's notes and photos behind it. If a client's accounts payable office needs a reference number on each invoice, store it in a custom field on the client or in the job notes.

Card on File

For shops and small businesses that want to be done with it, a card on file is the fastest way to get paid. When the tech taps Complete, the invoice is created and the card can be charged before the van leaves the lot. Auto-charge can also run on a schedule if that suits the client better.

Clients can update their card in the customer app, so a new card doesn't mean a phone call. A card on file also helps with emergency calls: the after-hours job gets billed and paid the moment it is done.

Monthly Account Billing

Property managers, HOAs and companies with several buildings usually want one bill. Set the client to Monthly, and every job at every address rolls into one statement each month, with each line labeled with the address. The manager's bookkeeper can see which property each charge belongs to without asking.

Monthly billing is covered in detail in Monthly Statements by Address: One Bill for Every Door Job at Every Property.

Line Items and Sales Tax

Whatever the billing method, clear line items make commercial bills easier to approve. Set up services on your service list the way you want them to show on a bill: service call, commercial door repair, panel or section replacement, rollers, cables, opener repair, maintenance visit, after-hours emergency and so on. Each one goes on the invoice at your price, and sales tax is applied.

A line like “Commercial door repair — Dock 4” tells the client far more than a lump sum. The job notes and photos behind each line are there if anyone asks.

Past-Due Follow-Up

Commercial clients can be slow to pay, not because they don't want to, but because invoices move through approvals. Past-due follow-up goes out on unpaid invoices on its own, so the office doesn't have to keep a list. The customer app gives the client a quick way to pay once they see the reminder.

For clients on monthly billing, one statement to follow up on is much easier than a dozen separate invoices.

Choosing for Each Client

A simple rule of thumb:

• One location, occasional work, wants it done: card on file.
• One location, needs paperwork for their own books: per-job invoices.
• Many locations or steady work: monthly billing.

Ask the client how they pay other vendors, and match it. Clients notice when a vendor makes paying easy. For more on keeping these accounts long term, see Keeping Commercial Door Accounts Year After Year: Service Habits Managers Notice.

Changing a Client's Setup

Billing choices aren't permanent. A shop that started on card on file might open a second location and want monthly billing. A manager might drop to a single property. Changing the client's setup is a quick edit, and the jobs already done stay on record.

Getting Paid Without Chasing

The right billing setup on each commercial client means invoices go out on their own, cards get charged when they should, and statements land once a month. For how billing ties into the rest of commercial work, go back to the commercial garage door software overview.