To simplify your invoicing process and reduce manual errors, you can set up an automation in Productive to automatically generate an invoice draft when specific budget conditions are met.
While this article focuses on automating invoice creation when a budget is marked as "Delivered," the same setup can be triggered by other budget-related events, like "Budget created" and "Budget commented on" as well.
Step 1: Select the Trigger
Start by selecting the trigger (the "When" step) for your automation.
For this use case, choose the "Budget updated" trigger, which will activate the automation whenever changes occur to a budget.
Step 2: Add Conditions
In the conditions section (the "Check if" step), set the condition to check whether the budget status has changed to "Delivered."
This will ensure that the automation only triggers when the budget reaches the "Delivered" status.
Tip: You can refine your automation further by adding conditions based on specific companies or other criteria.
For instance, if you want the automation to apply only to a certain client (e.g., "ACME"), add a condition to restrict it to that company.
Step 3: Define the Action
Next, define the action (the "Then" step).
Here, select "Create Invoice" as the action that occurs when the conditions are met.
1. Display Services As
When setting up the invoice, you can customize how the line items will appear.
You can use dynamic fields by typing "@" or clicking the "+" icon to add placeholders or input free-hand text for further customization.
2. Company Details
If you've set up default invoicing settings for the client company, such as payment terms, tax rate, subsidiary, and invoice template, those details will automatically appear on your newly created invoice.
Note: You can configure these settings under CRM > Companies > Edit company.
However, if these fields were left blank in the client company settings, you can manually select them at this stage.
Invoice Template
Select the preferred PDF template for the invoice.Subsidiary
Choose the appropriate subsidiary (defines the "Bill from" information) from the Subsidiary dropdown. Your main company is selected by default.Tax Rate
Choose the correct tax rate for the invoice. The available rates will correspond to the subsidiary chosen for the invoice.
3. Invoicing Method
For this automation, the invoicing method will apply 100% of the total budget amount.
The invoice will be created as an invoice draft.
Important: If your budget uses Time and Materials billing type services, ensure that all time and expenses related to the project have been fully tracked.
If no time has been logged or no expenses have been recorded, the invoice will not display any values for those services.
Step 4: Test the Automation
Once the automation is set up, save and test it by changing the budget status to "Delivered."
A notification will appear in the form of an automation banner, confirming that the automation has been successfully triggered.
Step 5: Check the Draft Invoice
To view the invoice, go to the Invoices tab in the relevant budget. You’ll find a draft invoice created by the automation.
Open the draft to review the details:
Billing Information
The draft will include billing details based on the client’s default invoicing settings.Amount
The total will reflect 100% of the budget amount, including any applicable tax rates.Invoice Issuer
By default, the invoice issuer will be the budget owner when creating invoices via automation. You can adjust this field here if needed.
Custom Fields
Add any invoice custom fields for internal use.
After confirming that all details are correct, you can make any necessary adjustments before finalizing and sending the invoice.
