The problems and solutions of generating invoices
I came up with this project while trying to find an easy way to generate quotes and invoices online. There were many options already available but none that really solved the problems I faced. Hence I created my own Quote & Invoice generator that aims to support users' entire billing process from quotation to invoicing and allows users to create, save and share documents all in one place.
Technology used for this project: Nuxt.js (Vue.js) & Vuetify, Node.js & Express, Firebase Realtime Database
Technology used for this project: Nuxt.js (Vue.js) & Vuetify, Node.js & Express, Firebase Realtime Database
The main problems with other online generators
Other generators allow users to create invoices only. For quotes, users would need a different solution.
Furthermore, saving is usually done to the user's current device only. This is inconvenient if users want to view their invoice from another device.
To solve this issue, some generators require users to create an account before saving. However, having to create an account just to save work can be quite bothersome.
Furthermore, saving is usually done to the user's current device only. This is inconvenient if users want to view their invoice from another device.
To solve this issue, some generators require users to create an account before saving. However, having to create an account just to save work can be quite bothersome.
A better, more convenient solution for users
My quote & invoice generator solves the main problems faced by other online generators by being fully customisable, saving to a database and generating unique URLs upon saving.
Fully customisable
Users can generate quotes, then come back in the future and generate the equivalent invoices - all in one place. There's no longer a need to generate quotes and invoices using different platforms.Access anywhere
Copies of users' quotes and invoices are saved to a database that can be accessed from anywhere as long as users have an internet connection. This way, users are not bound to any specific device.Bypass account creation
Upon saving, users are provided with two unique URLs. One for future editing and one for sharing to clients. Of course, no one is able to edit or view the quote/ invoice unless they have access to these unique URLs. This way, users can bypass creating an account and still retain control over their work.Further conveniences
This solution brings about a few other nice conveniences for the user. Saving multiple copies of quotes or invoices on file is no longer required as users only need to save the unique URLs. Furthermore, if users update their editing copy, their client copy updates automatically. Hence users are not required to re-send multiple copies upon changes.
Future plans
In the future an additional feature may be introduced where users can view all their generated quotes/ invoices categorized by clients all in one place.
For businesses
There's an option for businesses to have this exact invoice generator implemented straight on their website. The advantage of showing the invoice straight on their own website is that they can monetise it further (e.g. show banners of their new service offerings). Then at every billing, when clients visit the website to view the quote or invoice, they are further exposed to the businesses' additional services.
The complete program and instructions on how to implement this quote & invoice generator on a website is available for free on Gumroad here.
The complete program and instructions on how to implement this quote & invoice generator on a website is available for free on Gumroad here.