A completed load is not necessarily invoice-ready. Accounts still needs enough information to identify the work, connect it to the right customer and support the invoice requirements for that job.

What “invoice-ready” means

The exact requirement varies by customer and contract. A useful internal definition is: accounts has the information it needs and is not waiting for the driver, paper docket or operations team before it can prepare the invoice.

An invoice-readiness checklist

Depending on the job, accounts may need:

  • the correct customer and job reference;
  • the date and relevant delivery details;
  • material and quantity or weight information;
  • vehicle or driver details where required;
  • a docket, ticket or other reference;
  • signature, photograph or POD where the customer requires it;
  • clarification of any diversion or change during the job.

Build the handover during the job

The cleaner approach is to capture the required information as the work happens rather than assemble it later. Tipper360 allows the workflow to collect the selected job information and make the completed record available to the office after synchronisation.

Check exceptions before they become an accounts problem

A digital record does not prevent a missing reference or unusual job. Its value is that the office can see the completed information sooner and identify a gap while the work is still recent.

Use a recent invoice as the test

Take one real invoice containing several loads. List every piece of information accounts needed and where each item came from. If staff had to search several places, wait for paper or ring somebody, that is the handover to improve.

Want to measure the delay as well? Measure completion-to-invoice readiness.