Billing is a core part of day-to-day business. It makes sure provided services are documented, evaluated, and billed correctly. But in many companies, this happens with a delay and is often separated from when the service is actually done. This causes media breaks, manual steps, and a higher risk of errors.
In project-oriented environments, there are even more requirements. Along with classic project work, you also have to consider recurring payments like subscriptions, service packages, or usage-based fees. Different contract types, terms, and pricing logics make standard processing harder. On top of that, customers expect transparent invoices that clearly show the connection to the agreed services.
A key factor here is the so-called Days Sales Outstanding. This describes the time between sending an invoice and actually getting the payment. Delays usually happen because of late or incomplete invoices, follow-up questions, internal clarifications, and new payment terms. As a result, money stays tied up longer, which limits how flexible your business can be.
Mistakes or unclear points in invoices make this even worse. Even tiny discrepancies can trigger questions that slow the process down again. At the same time, lots of corrections strain the relationship with the customer, because it makes things look unstructured.
A structured billing system should go after several goals:
complete and clear assignment of services
prompt invoicing based on current data
clear definition of recurring payments
avoiding manual double entry
minimizing follow-up questions and corrections
shorter accounts receivable turnaround
With a tight connection between project management, service recording, and invoice logic, you can get these things done more efficiently. Less manual effort means fewer mistakes and more stable cashflow planning.
Leadtime tackles these challenges by generating the invoice straight from your operative project data. Tasks, tickets, work packages, and time entries are the sources for billable items. Recurring payments can either be added manually or created automatically with products that have defined price models.
That way, you get a streamlined data flow:
Services are recorded in the project.
Billable items can be derived without entering data again.
Invoices are based on actual, confirmed services.
Questions and corrections are reduced.
In Leadtime, billing isn't some downstream special process—it's just part of daily project business. This shortens lead times, boosts transparency, and helps keep your cash flow planning stable—especially as the number of projects grows.
