Automating quotes and invoices with Xero or QuickBooks

The short answer

Both Xero and QuickBooks can turn an accepted quote straight into an invoice, email it automatically, and chase it if it's not paid on time, all without you re-entering a single figure. The setup lives mostly in settings you already have access to: templates, online payments and reminder sequences. Where it gets more useful is connecting your invoicing to the rest of your business, so a completed job or a signed quote triggers the invoice automatically, rather than you remembering to raise it.

Why this is worth doing

If you quote a job, then later type the same line items into an invoice, you're doing the work twice and giving yourself two chances to get a number wrong. The bigger cost is usually chasing payment: a polite reminder email takes two minutes to write and is easy to forget to send, which is exactly the kind of task that should run on a schedule instead of a memory.

Step by step: Xero

1. Set up your invoice and quote templates properly first. Get your logo, payment terms and bank details right once, so every document that goes out looks professional without anyone checking it.
2. Turn on online payments. Xero connects to providers like Stripe or GoCardless so a client can pay by card or direct debit straight from the invoice. This alone speeds up payment more than any reminder email does.
3. Convert quotes to invoices with one click. Once a client accepts a quote in Xero, you can convert it to an invoice without retyping anything. If quotes come from elsewhere (a job management app, a form on your website), this step is where an automation tool can trigger the conversion for you.
4. Set up automatic invoice reminders. Under invoice settings, Xero lets you schedule reminder emails: one a few days before the due date, one on the day, and one or two after. Write these yourself so they still sound like you, not like a template.
5. Connect repeating invoices for regular work. If you invoice the same client monthly or weekly for the same amount, a repeating invoice does it without any input from you at all.

Step by step: QuickBooks

1. Build your invoice template with your branding and standard payment terms.
2. Turn on QuickBooks Payments (or connect a provider you already use) so clients can pay online directly from the invoice.
3. Use "Convert to invoice" on accepted estimates. QuickBooks lets you turn an estimate into an invoice in a couple of clicks once a client has said yes.
4. Switch on automatic reminders in the recurring transactions or reminders settings, and customise the wording so it matches how you'd actually chase someone.
5. Set up recurring invoices for any client you bill the same amount on a schedule.

Going further: connecting invoicing to the rest of your business

The steps above cover what's built into the software. The bigger time saving usually comes from connecting invoicing to whatever happens before and after it:

• Job management to invoicing. When a job is marked complete in your scheduling or job management tool, an automation can raise the invoice automatically, with the right job details already filled in.
• CRM to invoicing. When a deal is marked "won" in your CRM, an invoice or deposit request goes out without anyone switching screens. If you're not sure your current setup can do this, our guide on choosing a CRM for a small business covers what to look for.
• Payment received back to your CRM. When an invoice is paid, the customer's record updates automatically, so your team always knows who's paid and who hasn't without opening the accounting software.

Connecting two or three systems like this is usually done with a tool like Zapier or Make sitting between them. We compare the options in Zapier vs Make vs a custom integration.

What this typically costs

Turning on the reminders and online payments built into Xero or QuickBooks costs nothing extra beyond your existing subscription, just time to set it up properly. Connecting invoicing to your job management tool or CRM, so invoices raise themselves, is the part most businesses pay someone to set up once. As a guide price, our quote and invoice automation work starts from £750, scoped after a free call depending on which systems need to talk to each other. Full detail is on our pricing page.

What to watch out for

• Check your VAT and Making Tax Digital settings before automating anything. An automated invoice is still a legal document; get the basics right in the software first.
• Don't let reminder emails sound robotic. A client who gets a stiff, generic chase email over a one-day delay will remember it. Write the wording with a bit of warmth and a sensible grace period.
• Review who the invoice goes to. Automations are great until an invoice goes to the wrong contact at a client with several people on the account. Check this during setup, not after a client complains.
• Keep an eye on the first month. Watch the first batch of automated invoices and reminders closely, then step back once you're confident it's working as expected.
• Back up before connecting new tools. If you're linking your accounting software to something else for the first time, make sure you can see (and undo) what the automation has changed.

If you'd rather not do this yourself

We'll look at how you currently quote, invoice and chase payment, and set it up properly in Xero or QuickBooks, connected to your CRM or job management tool where it makes sense. Take a look at our workflow automation service, or tell us about your invoicing for a fixed quote after a free 30-minute call.