A folder of delivered jobs nobody has invoiced
At the end of the month, your office manager asks PMs for their delivered jobs. PMs send lists. Some jobs changed after the quote: an extra file, a rush fee agreed on the phone, DTP added at the end. A corporate client needs their PO number on every invoice and rejects anything without it. Another wants one invoice per cost centre. A third pays monthly on a consolidated statement.
The office manager builds invoices from all of this, one by one. Some jobs slip into next month. A few never get invoiced at all, and nobody notices until a year-end review.
Why billing drifts
- The quote, the actual word count and the final job scope differ, and the differences are in emails.
- Extras such as DTP, certification, postage or rush fees are agreed informally.
- Clients have their own rules: PO numbers, cost centres, consolidated invoices, portals.
- Invoicing depends on PMs remembering to report jobs as complete.
- Nobody sees a list of delivered but unbilled jobs until month end.
What it costs
Cash arrives later than it should, and some revenue never arrives. Invoices rejected by clients for missing PO numbers go to the back of their payment queue. Office manager time is spent reconstructing jobs. PMs are interrupted to explain. And disputes arise when an invoice does not match the client's expectation of the quote.
| Billing item | Where it goes wrong | What the build does |
|---|---|---|
| Final word count | Quote amount billed instead | Taken from the final job analysis |
| Extras | Agreed by phone, forgotten | Added to the job when agreed, billed automatically |
| PO numbers | Missing, invoice rejected | Required before the job starts or before billing |
| Client invoicing rules | Remembered by one person | Stored per client and applied |
| Unbilled jobs | Found at year end | Listed daily |
How we build job-based invoicing
- When a job is delivered in your CAT tool or TMS, the final data is read: word counts, match bands, languages, tasks and any extras recorded against the job.
- Extras agreed during the job, such as a rush fee or DTP, are recorded against the job by the PM through a simple form, so they reach billing.
- Your pricing rules, including minimums per language, match band discounts and surcharges, are applied, and the result is compared with the original quote. Large differences are flagged for a PM to explain before the invoice goes out.
- Client rules are applied: PO number required, cost centre split, per-job or monthly consolidated invoices, and any portal upload requirement.
- Invoices are posted to Xero or QuickBooks through their API as drafts for approval, with a delivery note or job summary attached.
- A daily list shows jobs delivered but not yet invoiced, and jobs missing information such as a PO number.
Prices and client terms remain yours. The build applies them consistently and makes gaps visible early.
What the office notices
We also make the quote-to-invoice comparison visible to the PM who ran the job. If the final count came in well above the quote because the client added files, the PM can confirm that the client agreed the extra before the invoice leaves, which avoids the awkward call after the client has already received it.
Invoices go out close to delivery, not at month end. Extras are billed because they were recorded when agreed. Corporate clients receive invoices that match their rules first time. Nothing slips through, because unbilled jobs are listed every day. And the office manager's month end becomes a review of drafts rather than a reconstruction exercise.
Clients notice too. An invoice that matches the quote and carries the right PO number, arriving soon after delivery, is part of a professional service.
Is this your month end?
- Delivered jobs are invoiced in a batch at month end.
- Extras agreed by phone are sometimes not billed.
- Invoices are rejected for missing PO numbers.
- You have found jobs that were never invoiced.
- PMs are interrupted to explain what happened on a job.