PROGRESS BILLING - CASH FLOW IS KING! Shops need to be able to bill a customer for a completed line item on the open work order so that we have the cash flow to pay payroll !!!
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BRIAN SHISLER - 23149
UPDATE: PROGRESS BILLING
I want to emphasize how critical progress payments (progress billing) are to the success of any business—especially shops like ours that handle long-duration, parts and labor-intensive projects.
When a business can bill as work is completed, it solves several major problems at once:
Cash flow stays healthy – Work gets funded in real time instead of the company floating costs for weeks or months.
Projects stay on schedule – Payments tied to milestones keep customers engaged and responsive.
Reduces financial risk – The business isn’t carrying large unpaid balances or funding expensive parts/labor out of pocket.
Creates transparency – Customers see progress tied directly to real deliverables, which builds trust and reduces disputes.
Improves forecasting – Predictable inflows mean better planning for staffing, parts ordering, and workload management.
For a restoration business—where every project is unique, unpredictable, and expensive—progress billing isn’t optional; it’s survival.
Any software system we use needs a simple, reliable workflow that lets us:
Track completed line items in real time
Generate progress-billing requests automatically
Push those requests to the customer quickly
Record payment status cleanly
This is a core operational requirement, not a “nice to have,” and it directly affects profitability, workflow, and customer satisfaction.
Let me know what you need from me to prioritize and implement this.
Thanks,
Bryan
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George Hanley
The deposit works great for taking payment, it would be great to have something that would show a selected service paid for with that deposit on the invoice. We do resto work and payment is tied to completion of tasks along with parts payment. It would also allow us to track tasks completed along with parts paid for.
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Brian Beatty
The deposit feature works great for us, just do the math on what your line items are. The only thing you'd really be missing are tax and shop supplies
Wil Hudson
its called a deposit. If you want paid, ask the customer for a deposit. That is business 101.