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Larry Arone
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    Create a Custom Invoice Template

    About Custom Invoice Templates

    Applies to: ONTRAPORT Plus and above.

    Custom Invoice Templates enable you to brand and personalize the invoices sent to your customers. ONTRAPORT includes a default invoice template and creating a custom template is optional.

    In ONTRAPORT, invoices are really "purchase receipts" and reflect the quantities and amounts the customer has already purchased. We have a true invoicing function planned for 2018 that allows you to create an invoice to be paid later by your clients.

    Invoices are purely for the purposes of providing a receipt for a product that was purchased and should not contain any further marketing or links to further marketing.

    You can select which invoice template is sent on individual Order Forms.

    Accessing the Custom Invoice Template Editors

    ONTRAPORT provides two ways to access the Custom Invoice Template editors.

    Using ONTRAPORT's Workflow inside the ONTRAforms or ONTRApages Editors

    In ONTRAforms or ONTRApages edit an order form block and select the Payment Settings link. Under Invoice, select Create New Message Template. Selecting this option will load the Message Templates screen.

    The same option is provided in our legacy Smart Forms after you add a product to the form, in the Field Settings section.

    Using the Double Opt-In / Invoice Manager

    Click the profile icon at the top right and select Administration > Email Tab > Double Opt-in / Invoice Manager.

     

    In the Message Templates screen. Click the + New Message Template button in the toolbar to create your new custom invoice template.

    Sales_-_Settings_-_Add_Message.png

    You can also copy or edit the default or any previously made custom invoice. Check the box next to the message you'd like to copy and then click "Copy".

    copyinvoice.gif

    Using the Invoice (ONTRAmail) Editor

    We recommend choosing one of the Invoices (ONTRAmail) option for ease of use. These allow you to easily select a pre-formatted Invoice block that includes all the fields required by most local jurisdictions. You can then easily add a header block with your logo or other branding above the Invoice block.



    1. Select the Invoice (ONTRAMAIL) editor.
    2. Choose Start From Scratch.
    3. Add an "Invoice" block. Several pre-formatted blocks are available, and all include the necessary fields to gain approval for the new Custom Invoice Template.


    4. Add any other blocks above and below the Invoice block to add a header or footer.
      • Do NOT add any promotional images, text or marketing links in your Custom Invoice Template.
      • You can include your website URL, logo and other non-marketing information.
      • Custom Invoice Templates are reviewed within 48 hours, and if found to contain marketing information will be disabled.
    5. Adjust the Settings.
    6. Click Save

    The Approval Process

    ONTRAPORT provides provisional approval for your new custom invoice template. It is reviewed by our Email Delivery department within two business days and, if it does not meet the standards listed above, it is deactivated. The administrator of your account will be notified via email and the custom invoice template will no longer appear as an option when creating Order Forms. Standard invoices are then provided to your customers to avoid interrupting sales activity.

    Using the HTML Editor Option

    If you prefer, you can create your Custom Invoice Template using the older style HTML message editor. Select just the Invoice: HTML Editor button for this option. The editor appears. Usage is similar to the HTML Email editor. Use the Merge Fields drop down to format the invoice portion of the message.


    Two of the Merge Fields deserve special mention. The "Complete Receipt" merge field provides all the information in the image below, including the invoice details, sold by information, bill to, ship to and the item purchased table. In contrast, the "Purchased Items" merge field will display only the item purchased table shown on the bottom with the Item, Qty, Price and Total headings.

    Using these two merge fields ensures you have all of the necessary fields included in your Custom Invoice Template. If creating your own design use these fields as a guide to what must be included.

    The Invoice (ONTRAmail) editor takes care of all the details for you by providing pre-formatted templates with the required fields. We recommend using that editor instead. When creating Custom Invoice Templates with the HTML Editor you must remember that the invoice must contain:

    • Your company information.
    • Order or Invoice number.
    • Order date.
    • The customer information.
    • The bill to information, if different from the customer information.
    • The item and quantity purchased.
    • The total amount paid.

    Your local laws may require other information on the invoice, and it is your responsibility to ensure your Custom Invoice Template meets your local requirements. Custom Invoice Templates must not contain any marketing information.

    Invoice Approval

    ONTRAPORT provides provisional approval for your new custom invoice template and you can start using it right away. It is reviewed by our email delivery department within two business days and, if it does not meet the standards listed above, it is deactivated. The administrator of your account will be notified via email and that deactivated custom invoice template will no longer appear as an option when creating Order Forms. The default ONTRAPORT invoice template is sent to avoid interrupting sales activity.

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    Comments

    • Avatar
      Tania Mulry

      Is there a way to create an invoice for an amount that varies? We have a few "products" with fixed prices, but the bulk of our billing is for deals of varying amounts. Sometimes we might have a deal that is $500 and other times it might be $5000 or any amount in between. I think we can do this in the Stripe console, but then the totals wouldn't show up in Ontraport or the affiliate program tracking.

    • Avatar
      Frank Hagan

      Hi Tania,

      In ONTRAPORT, invoices are really "purchase receipts" and reflect the quantities and amounts the customer has already purchased. We do not have a true invoicing function that allows you to create an invoice to be paid later by your clients. If you use QuickBooks or Xero for your accounting, you can create invoices in them and push the information back into ONTRAPORT using a third party integration (see http://support.ontraport.com/entries/68417944-Integration-Overview#accounting for the accounting packages with integrations).