If you are a self-employed service provider, then your income depends on how professionally you present yourself. The more professional your image, the more business you’ll attract and the more respect your clients will have for your work. It’s that simple. One of the ways in which you can make your image more professional is by creating service invoices using Microsoft Word to send to your clients.
An invoice is essentially a document that tells your client how much he or she owes, for which work and by what date. An invoice can be as simple as an e-mail requesting payment, but again, you want to look as professional as possible. Thankfully, it’s quite easy to create a service invoice using Microsoft Word.
Step 1: Create a Letterhead
Since you are a self-employed service provider, it will probably be easiest if you use your letterhead to create your service invoice. Microsoft Word allows you to create a simple letterhead using textboxes or you can use a pre-created template from Microsoft.com.
A letterhead should contain your name, the name of your business (if applicable), your contact information (including your website) and your tagline if you have one. Letterhead can also contain your logo if you’ve created one. To see examples of letterhead, go to Google.com and run an image search for “Letterhead”.
Step 2: Format the Page
After you’ve decided on a letterhead template for your service invoice, you can use Microsoft Word to format the page. It’s easiest if you do this using the “Whole Page” radio button under View > Zoom.
Your service invoice format can be as simple or as ornate as you’d like. The information for your letterhead will go in the top 1/5 of the page and the rest is up to you. If you want to add a few “extras” to your service invoice format, use Microsoft Word to add a page border or a watermark or other details.
As far as color, I would advise using only one or two to make your service invoice look as professional as possible.
Step 3: Create a Table
I’ve found that the best way to create a service invoice using Microsoft Word is to use a table. Center a table in the center of the page using five columns and at least three rows. You can format the table any way you wish by right-clicking the table and selecting “AutoFormat”.
Step 4: Enter Information
The table headings (tops of columns) should reflect the methods with which you charge your customers. I include the name of the project (i.e. 10 Articles); the number of words, the price per word, the amount due and the date on which the payment is due.
You can enter whatever information you like as long as it matches the way you charge your clients.
Step 5: Create a Text Box
In addition to the table on the service invoice, which I center under my letterhead heading, I also include a text box in the lower left-hand corner. The text box includes fields for the client’s name, his or her contact information, his or her business name and title. I also reiterate the amount owed in this text box (in bold letters).
Between the letterhead heading and the table, use Microsoft Word to create a title for your service invoice. It can be as simple as “INVOICE #” or you can create something fancier. You should always number your service invoices because they help you to keep track. Further, if you work with a corporation, they will use the service invoice number for their records.
Step 7: Save Your Invoice
Once you’ve created a pleasing service invoice, you can save it to your hard drive under a name you’ll remember. I saved mine as SERVICE_TEMPLATE.doc and I keep it in my “Documents” folder, but how you save it is completely up to you.
It isn’t difficult to create a service invoice using Microsoft Word. The best part is that, once you’ve created it, you don’t have to keep creating them over and over. Just fill in the necessary information when you need to send an invoice and then click File > Save As and save it however you like. Later, your original document will remain the same.
