Automating Billing & Invoicing in ConnectWise Manage: Step-by-Step

Is your MSP spending countless hours on manual invoicing, battling inaccuracies, and experiencing cash flow delays?

Even today, many Managed Service Providers (MSPs) rely on manual billing processes. They are not just time-consuming (to say the least) but also leave substantial room for financial errors and ultimately result in lost revenue. 

Missed time entries. Overlooked billables. Confused clients. These issues do not just hurt your cash flow; they also damage trust.

The good news? ConnectWise invoicing can fix that.

With ConnectWise's Billing Reconciliation Software, especially for recurring billing, you can streamline your invoicing, reduce manual work, and improve accuracy. 

In this guide, we will walk you through how to automate your billing using ConnectWise Manage. The result? Faster payments, fewer mistakes, and more profit.

Why Billing Automation Matters for MSPs

Did you know that over 70% of MSPs struggle with cash flow, often due to delayed or inaccurate billing.

Manual processes create room for errors, missed billables, and long payment delays. That is revenue leakage you cannot afford.

Here, ConnectWise invoicing helps you take control. With ConnectWise billing automation, you can-

• Send recurring invoices on time

• Automatically bill for time, expenses, and services

• Reduce invoicing time from days to hours

• Minimize disputes with more accurate billing

• Accelerate your payment cycles

• Gain real-time insights into recurring revenue and profitability

• Scale operations without growing your admin team

• Deliver a better and more professional client experience

Choosing automated ConnectWise recurring billing is a smart move if you want to improve your relationships with customers and streamline financial operations. It will promote business growth sustainably as well.

How to Automate Billing and Invoicing in ConnectWise Manage?

Automating ConnectWise invoicing does not have to be overwhelming. Here is how to get started with ConnectWise billing automation and transform your billing process-

Step 1 - Master your agreements

Your agreements are the foundation of automated billing. If you get these wrong, everything else suffers.

• Accurately set up agreement types - Start by defining whether your agreements are for Managed Services, Time & Materials (T&M), or Project-based services

• Configure additions - Mention the recurring charges, such as per-user, per-device, or fixed monthly charges, reflecting your true service offering

• Establish billing cycles and terms - Set your preferred billing frequency, such as monthly, quarterly, or annually, to align your payment terms accordingly

Step 2 - Streamline your time and expense tracking

If your data is not clean, your billing automation simply won’t work.

Let us say one of your techs forgets to log two hours of work on a ticket. That is billable time gone. Now imagine that happening across your whole team. This means you are losing revenue without even realizing it.

To avoid this, make sure your team logs time daily. Every ticket should be tracked, reviewed, and labeled with the right work type, whether it is support, maintenance, or onsite service.

Expenses matter too. If you have paid for licenses or hardware on behalf of a client, link those costs to the right agreement or ticket. Otherwise, they won’t show up on the invoice.

Remember that ConnectWise billing automation will only work effectively if you provide it with complete and accurate information. 

Step 3 - Configure automated billing batches and workflows

ConnectWise Manage allows you to build billing batches and organize related agreements by client, billing cycle, or service type. This saves you from processing multiple invoices one at a time with complete automation.

Next, set up workflow rules to automate the rest-

• Generate invoices automatically on a fixed schedule, for instance, the 15th of every month

• Auto-approve invoices or send them for review to the right authority

• Email invoices directly to your clients once approved

Additionally, you can set smart conditions. For example, if an invoice total exceeds $5,000, you can have it reviewed by your finance manager before sending it.

Step 4 - Design professional invoice templates

Your invoices are part of your brand, which is why they should reflect your business well to build trust. 

In ConnectWise Manage, you can customize invoice templates to make them look professional and branded with your logo, brand colors, and contact details. Ensure each line item is clear, service descriptions make sense, and payment instructions are simple to follow.

Whenever a client opens your invoice and sees exactly what they are paying for (for example, monthly support, antivirus licenses, or an onsite visit), there will be no ambiguities or follow-up calls.

Step 5 - Seamless accounting integration

After creating invoices, getting them into your accounting system is another crucial step. 

ConnectWise Manage integrates with tools like QuickBooks, Xero, or Sage. This means you can automatically push invoices, payments, and credit memos into your books.

For instance, you finalize a batch of 20 invoices. Now with the QuickBooks integration, instead of re-entering each one into the tool, ConnectWise syncs them directly. This saves your accounting team hours and even reduces the risk of typos.

No more duplicate entries. No more missed updates. 

Your books stay clean, your reports stay accurate, and your finance team stays sane.

Step 6 - Review, report, and refine

Lastly, use ConnectWise Manage to track the performance of your billing reports to stay on top of things. Look for missed time entries, billing gaps, or clients who are consistently slow to pay. 

For instance, you review last month’s report and notice that one agreement was only billed half the expected amount. That report helps you track and fix an issue before it becomes a pattern.

Even the smallest adjustments to your workflows or agreements can lead to better margins and fewer billing headaches.

How Bering McKinley Helps

Bering McKinley (BMK) has helped hundreds of MSPs take control of their billing with ConnectWise invoicing.

Whether you are just getting started or trying to clean up a messy setup, BMK gives you the expert guidance you need to automate with confidence.

Here is how we help-

• Audit your current ConnectWise Manage configuration

• Fix broken agreements, time entry workflows, and expense mapping

• Train your tech and finance teams on billing best practices

• Provide quarterly reviews to keep billing clean and efficient

• Help you communicate your billing process clearly to clients for full transparency

Complex billing setups can get overwhelming for sure. But not to worry! BMK makes it simple and ensures you get paid correctly, every time.

Streamline Your Finances with Bering McKinley!

ConnectWise invoicing can be a game-changer only if it is set up the right way. Automation saves time and boosts profits, but one wrong setting can cost you real money.

That is where Bering McKinley comes in. With over 20 years of experience, BMK knows how to stop revenue leaks, cut down admin tasks, and help your business grow.

You do not have to figure it out alone. From setup to ongoing support, BMK helps you make the most of ConnectWise billing automation and recurring billing.

Sign up today to simplify your billing and start getting paid faster!

Key Takeaways

• Manual billing leads to errors, missed revenue, and delayed payments

• ConnectWise invoicing helps automate recurring billing and invoicing tasks

• Accurate agreements, time logs, and expenses are essential for automation to work

• Workflow rules cut down admin time and speed up invoice approvals

• Clear, branded invoices improve client trust and payment speed

• Integrating with QuickBooks or Xero eliminates duplicate data entry

• Regular billing reviews help you catch issues and improve margins

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