I am a back-office type of person who values numbers and organization, which comes in handy when it comes to managing billing for an advertising agency with multiple clients. It can be easy to lose track of your billing, especially when some invoices come by email, some by mail, and others electronically (electronic invoices are my favorites because you get them quickly, and there is no paper!). Organization is a must when it comes to keeping track of which invoices go with which clients, and a great way to start organizing your billing is with a great file naming system. File naming should provide enough information at a quick glance for you to know what the file is and who it belongs to.

Codes

So, how do I create an efficient billing organizational system? Client and identifier codes! Client codes are a great way to mark files as belonging to specific clients and take up less space in your file name. It’s important that each client have its own code. I find that the best number of digits is four. For example:

Client Codes:

ABCD Corp. = ABCD

New Company = NWCO

Beverage Store = BEVS

Once client codes are assigned, the next part of the file name is an identifier. What kind of invoice is this? I have found that grouping like invoices together speeds up the process of comparing the monthly billing with projected costs. Some examples would be:

Billboard = BB

Cable = CB

Digital = DG

Radio = RD

Magazine = MG

File Naming

Now that you have your client code and identifier, the rest of the file name is whatever works best for your system. Personally, I use the vendor’s name and invoice number. This enables anyone at the agency to search for an invoice number and match it to the client and vendor at the same time. For instance, a magazine invoice for ABCD Corp. with an invoice number of 12345 would appear as:

ABCD_MG_Magazine Name_12345

“It is a fairly simple process; just by utilizing a few codes and consistent file naming conventions your billing can be kept nice and organized. The best part is that these codes can be integrated into naming everything for the client, such as project names, flowcharts, and assets.”

Check Your Work

No matter how hard you try to keep things organized, things can get jumbled up in billing. Every month I find invoices that have been saved as they were received, so I go through them all and correct the file naming conventions. It keeps the folders organized, and if you accidentally file an invoice in the wrong folder, it will stand out pretty quickly so you can move it to its proper home. This way you will have no worries about whether your clients will be billed for the correct items.

It is a fairly simple process! By utilizing a few codes and consistent file naming conventions your billing can be kept nice and organized. The best part is that these codes can be integrated into naming everything for the client, such as project names, flowcharts, and assets.

Just by taking a little bit of time to follow a consistent file naming system, you will easily complete your billing in an accurate, organized, and timely manner. If you want to be in good hands, contact Redroc today!