In this section, you’ll learn how to manage your finances and payments on the Exchange by using the ‘Accounting’ tab.
There are different ways of managing invoices for completed loads as a carrier or a load poster. Our finance management tools make it easy and straightforward.
IN THIS ARTICLE
- How to raise and send invoices (desktop view)
- How to raise and send invoices (CX Fleet app)
- How to edit an invoice (desktop view and CX Fleet app)
- How to raise a supplementary invoice
- How to update your bank details and business information on invoices
- When to expect payment for a completed load
- What to do after you’ve received payment for a completed load
- What to do if your payment is late
- How to manage invoices for loads completed by your fleet
How to raise and send invoices (desktop view)
How to raise an invoice on desktop view:
Step 1) Click on the 'Diary' tab from the top menu bar.
Step 2) Search for the completed load you'd like to invoice for.
You should see the option to create an invoice for the load like the example above.
The page should be showing 'Leave Feedback' in green and not any of the booking statuses or ‘Enter POD’ like the example below.
If you don't see the option to create an invoice, first check that your POD was uploaded successfully, and you've updated your status on the mobile app to 'Delivered/POD'.
Step 3) Click on the button that says, 'Create Invoice'.
Step 4) Check that all the details are correct and click 'Save' at the bottom of the page.
Step 5) Click on the 'Return to Diary' button in the top right-hand corner of the box, and that will take you back to the Diary.
Step 6) The 'Create Invoice' button should now have changed to 'View Invoice' - this means the invoice has successfully been created.
How to send an invoice on desktop view:
Step 1) Click on the 'Diary' tab from the top menu bar.
Step 2) Find the completed load you're sending an invoice for.
Step 3) Click the button that says, 'View Invoice'.
Step 4) You'll see the 'Email' icon in the yellow bar near the top of the page. Click it, and you'll be taken to the email invoice page.
Step 5) The fields will be automatically filled in with the email addresses you and the load poster have supplied, although you can change the email addresses in the boxes. If you need to add any additional information to your invoice email, type it out in the message box as if it were a regular email and click the green 'Email' button to send.
Or, if you prefer, you can download a PDF copy by clicking 'Export to PDF' and attach it to an email on Outlook or Gmail, for example.
Some load posters need you to send a hard copy of the invoice by post in addition to sending them a digital version.
To do this:
Step 1) Go back into your Diary and find the completed load you’re invoicing for.
Step 2) Click on 'Order’ to see the customer’s requirements.
Here is an example where a customer has added their request in the ‘Notes & Details’ section:
Make sure to use recorded delivery when posting your invoice, so you know when your customer has received it.
How to raise and send invoices (CX Fleet app)
Once the carrier uploads a POD for the completed load, an invoice can be raised.
How to raise an invoice on the CX Fleet app:
Step 1) Go to ‘Bookings’ on the app and find the load.
Step 2) Tap ‘Create Invoice’.
Step 3) Check all details on the invoice are correct.
If there are extra items to add to the invoice like congestion or waiting charges, tap on 'Add item' to do so.
Step 4) Tap 'Save' when you're happy with the invoice.
How to send an invoice on the CX Fleet app:
Step 1) Tap on 'Accounting'.
Step 2) Use the search filters provided to find the invoice you want to send.
Step 3) Once you've found the right invoice, tap on the 'Email' icon.
Step 4) Check that all the information is correct and add a message for your customer.
Step 5) Once you're happy with everything, tap 'Email' to send the invoice to your customer.
Some customers need you to post them a hard copy of the invoice as well as sending them a digital version. To do this:
Tap the ‘PDF’ icon to download a copy to your device which you can attach to an email.
How to edit an invoice (desktop view and CX Fleet app)
You may need to edit an invoice if you’ve incurred additional charges during a booking like handballing or 2-man services, or if you simply want to correct an error.
How to edit an invoice on desktop view:
Step 1) Click on the 'Accounting' tab.
Step 2) Click on, 'View my Invoices'.
Step 3) You can use the search filters provided to find your invoice. Once you've located the right one, click on the 'edit' icon next to the invoice ID.
Step 4) Make your adjustments and click 'Save' when you're finished.
Please note: if the invoice appears with a padlock (), you won't be able to make further edits as it means either:
- The invoice you're viewing has been submitted for your VAT return.
- The invoice you're viewing has been approved by your customer for payment.
If you've forgotten to add additional items to a booking, you will need to raise a supplementary invoice.
How to edit an invoice on the CX Fleet app:
If you've purchased the CX Fleet as a bolt-on to your subscription, you can also make edits to invoices via the Fleet app.
Step 1) Tap on the main drop-down menu.
Step 2) Tap on 'Accounting'.
Step 3) Use the search filters provided to find the invoice you want to edit.
Step 4) Once you've found the right invoice, tap on the 'edit' icon.
Step 5) Make your desired changes, including any additional items you need to charge for.
Step 6) Check that all the information is correct, and you haven't forgotten anything, then tap 'Save'.
How to raise a supplementary invoice
Step 1) Locate the invoice you require and click the edit button in the 'Actions' column. Remember, you aren't editing the invoice as you no longer can.
Step 2) Click 'Raise a Supplementary Invoice for this order'.
The supplementary invoice will have the same invoice number as the original but will have a suffix attached to the end of the number, for example, "Invoice 101865-100-A".
The first time you raise a supplementary invoice, you'll be able to adjust the suffix to suit your preferences.
How to update your bank details and business information on invoices
If you have incorrect information about your business appearing on invoices, you can easily fix this.
Please note: this can only be done on desktop view.
To update your bank details:
Step 1) Click on the 'Accounting' tab from the top menu bar.
Step 2) You should see the following instruction: 'Add your bank details to your invoices', click here.
Step 3) Complete the fields with the correct banking information.
Step 4) If you're using a finance provider to factor your invoices, check the box that says, 'We use an invoice finance provider'. If you'd like to factor every invoice raised on the Exchange by default, check the box that says, 'Make Invoice Finance the default option for new invoices.
Step 5) Enter your factoring company's details. Click 'Save' when done.
To edit your business information:
Step 1) Select the menu icon from the top bar of the page.
Step 2) The menu window will open, click 'Company Profile' to continue.
Step 3) Here is where you can edit your company's contact information, address, booking footer and delivery note details.
In this tab, you can add your company's information that appears on invoices like, company address, main contact number and email address.
When to expect payment for a completed load
When you quote on a load, the payment terms have already been decided by the load poster.
Please check the payment terms before quoting to decide if the load is suitable for you. If you are allocated the load but dissatisfied with the payment terms, you’ll have to carry out your part of the agreement and complete the booking as they have already sold the load to you.
Remember, you must have followed the load poster’s instructions, completed a POD and sent them your invoice.
There are three types of payment terms accepted on the Exchange:
- COD – Cash on Delivery
- 7, 14, 30, 45, or 60 days from invoice.
- 7, 14, 30, 45, or 60 from End of Month.
To view the payment terms of a load, just head to the ‘Loads’ tab and search as usual.
The payment term will appear on the load, like in the example shown below.
You should expect to receive payment for a completed load within the agreed payment terms set by the load poster when you accepted the booking.
You can also view a due date for a list of your invoices by visiting your ‘Accounting’ tab and clicking ‘View My Invoices’ and looking at the far-right hand column that says, ‘Due Date’.
What to do after you’ve received payment for a completed load
After you’ve received a payment for an invoice, you must process the payment for our system to recognise it as paid.
There are two ways to process a payment:
Method 1:
Step 1) Click on the ‘Accounting’ tab at the top menu bar.
Step 2) Click ‘View my invoices’.
Step 3) Search for the invoice you would like to process payment for. Use the filter to narrow down your search.
Step 4) Once you’ve found your invoice, click the green icon under the ‘Actions’ column to process the invoice payment.
Step 5) Check that the details on the form are correct and click ‘Save’ to process the payment and mark the invoice as paid.
Method 2:
Step 1) Click on the ‘Accounting’ tab at the top menu bar.
Step 2) Click on ‘Process a payment’.
Step 3) Use the drop-down to select which invoice you want to process.
Step 4) Check the details on the processing form are correct and click ‘Save’ to mark the invoice as paid.
What to do if your payment is late
You should receive payment for a completed load on or before the ‘Due Date’ of the invoice.
If the due date has passed, we suggest reaching out the member and communicating before resorting to taking any further actions. In most cases, there is an explanation for why a payment is late. They could be missing your POD or have misplaced your invoice.
Give the member a call using the details they have listed on the Exchange. You can find their details by visiting the ‘Directory’ tab and using the search panel to find them.
If you can’t reach them and your payment is seven days late past the agreed payment terms, you can raise a formal complaint.
Complaints and Late Payments
While there are usually good reasons for late payments, if you can’t contact the member and the payment is seven days overdue or the member isn’t able to provide an acceptable reason for late payment you are entitled to raise a formal complaint.
Our complaints resolution exists to keep a level playing field for all members on the Exchange.
A formal complaint is the last resort if you are unable to come to an amicable agreement with the member privately as raising a payment complaint can lead to the termination of the business relationship and may result in the other member being suspended, restricted, or revoked altogether.
If your payment is late, you’ve followed all the load poster’s instructions, contacted the member yourself, then you can raise a payment complaint.
How to raise a late payment complaint using your diary
Step 1) Go to the ‘Diary’ tab and search for the completed load.
Step 2) Click on where it says, ‘Leave Feedback’.
Step 3) Complete the feedback details. To start making a payment complaint, click ‘Payment NOT received’. Your screen will look like the example below.
You should only be making a payment complaint if your payment is seven days or more late. Click ‘Yes’ in the green button to continue.
Before you can submit your payment complaint, you’ll need to confirm that you have taken the correct steps to follow up with the member about the completed load.
Check the boxes to confirm and click on ‘Complete Step One’.
Next, the ‘Confirmation Step Two’ window will appear. Click the large green button which says, ‘Submit Complaint’, and your browser will open a new tab with our complaint’s submission form.
Enter your details in the fields and make sure to select ‘Feedback and Complaints’ from the ‘How can we help?’ drop-down menu.
Remember to include:
- Your member ID and contact info;
- The ID of the other member;
- A copy of the invoice;
- The load or invoice ID the complaint is about;
- All proof of attempted contact with the other member
Once you’ve finished the form, click the ‘Submit’ button at the bottom of the page.
Step 4) Use your browser to return to the tab you had the ‘Diary’ open in. Once you are back on the ‘Leave Feedback’ window, click the green ‘Confirm Complaint’ button to finish.
How to manage invoices for loads completed by your fleet
How to view your received invoices:
It’s important to remember that payments should be made directly to the other member using the bank details they’ve provided at the bottom of their invoice.
Step 1) Click on the ‘Accounting’ tab from the top menu bar.
Step 2) Click on ‘Accounts Payable’ then select ‘View CX Supplier Invoices’.
Step 3) The system will automatically filter your received invoices by showing you those from ‘This month’. You can also change the date range to narrow down your search results.
Uncheck the ‘Invoice Date’ box to view all your supplier invoices.
Step 4) Check the box next to ‘Unapproved invoices.’
Step 5) To view supplier invoices still awaiting payment, select ‘Filter Invoices’.
Step 6) Click the PDF icon to view the outstanding invoice.
How to mark an invoice as ‘Approved for Payment’:
Step 1) Click on the ‘Accounting’ tab from the top menu bar.
Step 2) Click on ‘Accounts Payable’ then select ‘View CX Supplier Invoices’.
Step 3) The system will automatically filter your received invoices by showing you those from ‘This month’. You can also change the date range to suit your needs.
Uncheck the ‘Invoice Date’ box to view all your supplier invoices.
Step 4) Find the invoice you wish to mark as approved. Check the box under ‘Approve to Pay’.
Step 5) Click on ‘Submit Invoices’ to confirm.
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