Providing timely notifications for business invoices helps the business owner and the customer. One of the quickest ways to send notifications is to use a message. Twilio is an add-on for Sprout Invoices that allows you to send an SMS notification message to your clients.

This article will walk you through the necessary steps to get Twilio working with Sprout Invoices.

• What do you need to use Twilio?
• Setting Up Sprout Invoices to Use Twilio
• Sending SMS Notifications in Sprout Invoices

What do you need to use Twilio?

If you have the latest version of Sprout Invoices loaded, then you’re halfway there as there is no plugin to load. The other requirement is that you have a Twilio account set up.

Here are the steps to setting up your Twilio account:

1. Go to https://twilio.com and click on the Sign up button in the top right corner.
2. You will need to provide a first name, last name, and password.
3. Submit your information and your free trial account will be created. You will then be prompted to verify your email.
4. Upon verifying your email, you will be prompted to verify a phone number. Verification is done by sending an SMS message to the phone number.
   
   While you are on a trial account, you will only be able to send messages to verified phone numbers.
5. Once you have verified the phone number the console page for Twilio will open.
   
   
   
   You will need three things from this page in order to use Twilio with Sprout Invoices: a Twilio phone number, Account SID, and Auth Token.
   
   If you are still experimenting with Twilio you can simply click on Get a trial phone number.
   
   If you are ready to move forward with the application and use it with Sprout Invoices, then you will need to upgrade your account. Click on the Upgrade link at the top of the screen to update your account. Provide the necessary information and then make sure that you have a Twilio phone number set up.
   
   Leave this page open so that you can copy the phone number and its credentials into Sprout Invoices.
   

Setting Up Sprout Invoices to Use Twilio

In a separate tab, open up WordPress and log in to the dashboard as an Administrator.

1. In the main menu in the WordPress Dashboard, click on Sprout Invoices.
2. This should open its submenus. Scroll down until you see Add-ons and click on them.
3. The first item highlighted will be Managed Bundled Add-ons. Scroll down until you find the one labeled Twilio SMS Notifications. Click on the red X to enable it.
   
   
   
4. After it has been enabled, you should see the Setting button appear in the bottom right-hand corner. If you do not see a Settings button appear, log out and then log back into WordPress and you should see it.
5. Click on the Settings button and you will be taken to the Twilio Notifications window. This is when you will need your Twilio phone number, account SID, and the Auth token.
6. Click on the check box labeled Send SMS Notifications. This will turn on notifications for Sprout.
7. Next, copy the Auth Token, the Account SID, and the Twilio phone number (Twilio Sender Number) then paste them into their respective fields.
   
   
   
8. You can then modify your SMS message or you can leave it to the default message. Click on Save Changes in order to save your entries.

Sending SMS Notifications in Sprout Invoices

Now that you have Twilio and Sprout configured, your last step is to use the option to send a notification to your customer. In order to do that, you will need to make sure that all of the following have been saved in Sprout Invoices:

• An invoice must have been created in Sprout Invoices.
• The invoice must be assigned to a client.
• The client information must include a phone number that can receive SMS messages.

Although many people have smartphones, you will still need to confirm that the phone number that you have for the client can receive SMS messages. You should also let them know that you will be sending notifications through SMS on updates for the invoice.

To send an SMS Notification using Twilio, follow the steps below:

1. In the WordPress Dashboard, click on Invoices.
2. Select and open the invoice that you wish to notify the client about.
3. Scroll down to the Twilio Notification section.
   
   
   
4. Click on Send Twilio Notification.

Sending a message through Twilio to update a client about their invoice is another way that you can maintain communications with your clients. This helps to provide clear and up-to-date information to your customer showing that you care about their business with you. It will also help to maintain your business records and the profits that are the result of your efforts.

Using receipts with Sprout Invoices is important because it provides a way to track the expenses that are accumulated in the life of a project. Expenses for services, supplies or other random costs are kept organized through Sprout Invoices using projects.

Each expense can generate an invoice for a project with paper receipts digitized and attached to each expense entry. Using digitized copies of receipts helps to provide a clearer understanding of the expenses of a project while minimizing the possibility of losing a receipt and retaining an annoying paper trail.

What’s the difference between a receipt and an invoice? A receipt is the record of a transaction – generally a payment or refund. An invoice is a request for payment that can be paid in a period of time and may include other stipulations for payment. Receipts are also issued at the time of the transaction. An invoice is typically issued after goods or services have been rendered but before payment has been received.

• Adding Expenses to a Project
• Generating Invoices from Expenses

Adding Expenses to a Project

Before you can add an expense to a project, the project must exist. You can learn how to create projects by going to How to Create a Project in Sprout Invoices.

1. Log in to the WordPress Dashboard, then go to Invoices in the main menu.
2. This will open the submenu for Sprout Invoices and you will see Projects. Click on Projects to see the projects that have been created.
3. Click on the project where you want to add the expense. Scroll down the project until you find Expense Tracking.
   
   
   
4. In the Expense Tracking section, you will see the added expenses in a table at the top. The area for entering expenses will be immediately below it.
   
   
   
   Expenses can be categorized. To create a new category, click on the link labeled Create New Category at the top of the expense entry section. There is also a Manage Existing Categories link that will let you remove or add categories. Add a category if needed, then enter your expense.
   
   
   
   Note the filler text in the fields. When you click in the field, the filler text will remain until you enter your own data.
   
   
5. Note that expense entry includes a category, cost, note field, attachments, and date. Use the Attachments option to add a digital copy of the receipt for the expense. With the availability of smartphones to take high-quality photos make sure that copies of the receipt are made to add to the project in Sprout Invoices. To add the receipt, click on Choose or Upload a File.
   
   
   
6. When all of the fields have been filled with relevant information for the expense, click on the button labeled Log Expense.
   
   
   

When the expense is added, you will see the information added in the table at the top.

Generating Invoices from Expenses

Expenses can also be used to generate invoices for your customer. When you look at the table of expenses in your project, you can hover over the icon at the end of the table to see the status of that expense.

The invoice that can be generated from the expenses will be a summary of the expenses that have not been invoiced. In the screenshot, you can see the line labeled Not Invoiced and a blue icon to the right of the subtotal.

To generate a new invoice covering these expenses, simply click on the blue icon and the invoice will be created.

Using Sprout Invoices to track expenses and store receipts will help you keep accurate records of your projects. You can also generate invoices for your expenses to help keep your project costs transparent and paid in a timely manner.

When you create estimates with Sprout Invoices you give your customer or potential customer a quote on the cost of your services or product that you wish for them to purchase.  It is easy to quickly create estimates with Sprout Invoices. It includes the option to add all of your costs in detail along with any notes concerning the project. 

You can also add specific details like the terms of service or payment terms.  Sprout Invoices is flexible in that you can add as much information as you want and also include an online link to accept the estimate.  

This article will show you how to create an estimate and describe the interface that Sprout Invoices provides.

• Learning the Interface for Estimates with Sprout Invoices
• Adding Estimates with Sprout Invoices
• Managing Estimates with Sprout Invoices

NOTE: In order to create an estimate you will need to purchase at least the most basic license for Sprout Invoices.

Learning the Interface for Estimates with Sprout Invoices

Sprout Invoices provides a very flexible interface for creating your estimates. It provides major sections normally found within any project estimate. And you can add as much information as you want or minimize the detail that you provide with the estimate. Use the following screenshots and descriptions of each section to familiarize yourself with the Estimate interface before creating a new one.

Each numbered section is described below:

1. Estimate Title – Each estimate is automatically numbered when it is created.  However, you can replace the number with a title for the estimate that would be more descriptive to you, your employees, or your customers.
   
2. Management – This is the area where you can add a description and cost of a task, product, or materials for your estimate.  By default, it starts with a task, but you can click on the Add button to add a task, service, or product. The + and x buttons to the left of the item allow you to easily add or remove items that are listed.
   
3. Information – This section includes important information that is typically part of any estimate or invoice.  This include includes status (of the estimate), Issue date, expiration date, client information (if saved to Sprout), project (if created in Sprout), estimate ID#, template ID, PO #, discount percentage, 2 tax settings, and shipping costs.
   

4. Estimate History – If you save the estimate, or if it has been in the system for a period of time, then it will develop a history.  This section will provide information on the estimate so that you can determine how and when it has changed.
   
5. Send Notification – If the estimate has yet to be saved/completed, then you will see a message saying “Save this estimate before sending.”  If you have previously saved any part of the estimate, then you will get a dialog that will allow you to send a notification of the estimate to a client. Note that you should complete the estimate before notifying a customer in order to prevent any misunderstandings.
   
6. Estimate Acceptance Actions – You can set options to disable the creation of an invoice if it has been accepted.  You can also select to redirect to the invoice once it has been accepted. Upon acceptance, an invoice is automatically created and the link to it is provided to the client.
   
7. Recurring Invoice Settings – In some cases, an estimate might be required to recur to spread a task or payment over a period of time. This option allows you to indicate that the created invoice (from the accepted estimate) will be recurring. You can then set the total number of invoices created, their start date, and the frequency for which it will be recurring.

8. Terms and Notes –  The final section of the estimate includes the areas for the Terms and Notes.  Sections 8 and 9 are simply text sections similar to a WordPress post.  There is filler text in each section to give you an idea of what should be in each area. Each section can be added to, but bear in mind that long sections can lead to the printed estimate being longer than one page.

Adding Estimates with Sprout Invoices

When you install Sprout Invoices, the Estimates section will automatically be included in your main WordPress menu.  Follow the steps below to create an estimate:

1. Log in to the WordPress Administrator Dashboard.
   
2. In the main menu in the left-hand column click on Estimates.
   
3. Then, click on Add Estimate in the menu that opens.
   
   

   

   
   
   
4. When you create a new estimate Sprout Invoices automatically numbers it.  Click on the title (where the number is) and name it to something that corresponds with your client or the project you’re creating the estimate for.
   
   

   

   
   
5. The estimate form that you will see starts with the title. Estimates can automatically be sent to clients to review online and can be accepted by the client automatically creating an invoice.
    
6. Once you have completed adding all the necessary information for your estimate, make sure to click on the blue Save button that will appear in the top right corner of the page.

If you are satisfied with the estimate, you can then use the notification options in the estimate to send it to the client or organization that will review the estimate.  The estimate will be created as an online form.  Additionally, if a printed copy is required, then a licensed version of Sprout Invoices would be required. It will allow you to print or save to PDF. This option is bundled with all licensed versions of the plugin.

Managing Estimates with Sprout Invoices

When you have your estimates created, you can view them in a list view in WordPress.  It will look like this:

Each estimate will have the following options:  Edit, View, and Duplicate.  You can also change the status of each estimate by clicking the drop-down menu as seen in the screenshot above.

When you have a lot of estimates in the table, you can filter them by the client, due dates, or the actual date of the estimate.  

The Duplicate option lets you clone existing estimates, making creating estimates for repetitive or similar jobs a quick and easy task.

The icon of the green eye at the right end of the table gives you a quick indication that the estimate has been sent and delivered.

This completes our tutorial on creating estimates with Sprout Invoices!  To learn more about using Sprout Invoices please see our Product Guide for Sprout Invoices for a list of other useful articles.

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You may often find yourself working on a large project that takes a long time to finish. Invoices generated for these jobs may occur over a period of a year or longer. Fortunately, Sprout Invoices lets you create projects that you can track and set some values. For example, you may set an hourly rate for a project task, add a description, and set the date range for the project.

• Create a Project in Sprout Invoices
• Tracking Time (Pro Version of Sprout Invoices)
• Final Comments

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Create a Project in Sprout Invoices

When you’re adding a new project with the Sprout Invoices plugin, you will need to be logged in to the WordPress Administrator Dashboard.

1. Click on Invoices in the main WordPress menu (or click on Sprout Invoices at the top of the page). Then, click on Projects.
2. Click on Add New to create a new Project.

3. You will then see the form for the project that you are tracking. Start by giving the project a name.

4. Next, you need to select a client. If you do not have a client, then you can create one at this point. For more information, see How to Create a Client.
5. You will then need to determine the start and end date for the project.
6. If there is a website associated with the project or client you can add it to the Website field.
7. The Default Rate is next. It determines how much you are charging by the hour.
8. Finally, there is the Project Brief. This is a description of the project where you can add descriptive text and other media associated with the project.
9. Once you have completed adding all of the fields, click on the blue Create button in the top right corner of the screen. This will create the project within Sprout Invoices.

Tracking Time

Tracking time is the management of work being done for an existing project. As stated earlier, you will need at least the Pro version of Sprout Invoices in order to use this feature.

When you add time to an existing project, it allows you to create an invoice and then charge a customer based on a selected project. We will cover each field used for tracking time and describe it.

1. Project – select the project that you wish to log time for.
2. Activity is the task that is being executed. You can create or edit an activity by clicking on the links provided.
3. Time is the activity/task time listed in hours.
4. Note – allows you to set a note for the task being performed
5. Date – date of the time you’re tracking.
6. Click on the blue Log Time button to save time that you have selected.

In the list of the logged times, you will see a column labeled note that indicates if the logged time has been invoiced or not. To the far right will be a symbol of an invoice. If you click on it, it will automatically bring you to the invoices section where you can edit and send it to the associated client.

Final Comments

This completes our tutorial on creating a project and tracking time for a project. Using Sprout Invoices makes it quick and easy to track the work that’s being done for projects. Check out our Sprout Invoices Product Guide for more information.

The main thing you will do with Sprout Invoices is to create invoices. If you’re new to the subject, the definition of an invoice is:

an itemized list of goods shipped usually specifying the price and the terms of sale : BILL

merriam-webster.com

An invoice can be used for goods or services that you provide to your clients. The purpose of the invoice is to be paid for what you have provided. Creating an invoice with Sprout Invoices is a simple task. Follow the steps below to learn how to create an invoice.

• Creating the invoice
• Adding Information
• Terms and Notes

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Create the Invoice

Before you start creating the form, make sure that you have completed the initial steps to configure the settings for Sprout Invoices. This ensures that your contact information, company logo, and template selection have been selected for your invoice. You will need to be logged into the WordPress Administrator Dashboard in order to create the invoice.

1. Click on Add New under the Invoices menu in the WordPress Administrator Dashboard.
2. You will then see the template for the invoice that you are creating. It will be numbered, but you can replace the number with a meaningful name. Click on the number and rename the form for your purposes. Note do not close your invoice editing screen unless you have saved your form first. If you do so, then you will lose your work.
3. Next, you will need to add line items for the invoice. This can be a task, service, or product. By default, the invoice starts with a task, but you can remove it by clicking on the X symbol. In order to change the line item, click on the circled plus symbol and you will see a drop-down menu appear for each type.
   
   You will be able to assign cost and discount values for each task, service, or product. These values are assigned after the description. The percentage is actually used for discounting from the sub-total of the billable line item. This is a summary of each line item type:
   
   Product – this line item is typically a tangible item that you’re selling to your client. It could also be an item that you’re billing the customer as part of your service. Products will include a SKU (Stock Keeping Unit), Price, Quantity (Qty), and Discount(%).
   
   Service – this line item is a performed task that is a complete unit. Your client would be paying for the overall cost of the service. Service line items include a Price and a Discount (%).
   
   Task – the task line item is typically associated with a project. If you add values to the cost, you will not see a total until it is associated with a project where time has been assigned. The values associated with this line item are Rate (dollars per hour), Quantity (qty.), Discount (%).
4. Once you have completed adding your invoice line items, click on the blue Save button in order to save your work. If your invoice is long, we recommend periodically saving the invoice to keep from losing any work.

Use the Slideshow below to see the screenshot for each step as described above.

Information Section

The next section is labeled Information. Here you can set the following follow options:

• Status – when you create an invoice, it is set to Draft.
  • Draft – invoice is being created
  • Pending – sent to the client and awaiting response
  • Scheduled – scheduled to be sent at a particular date
  • Outstanding Balance – requires completion of payment
  • Paid – client has completed the payment
  • Written Off – canceled by you
  • Archived – old invoice saved for records

• Publish on – publish date of the invoice
• Due by – due date for the invoice
• Invoice for Client – associated with a created client
• No Project Selected – project associated with tasks
• Invoice ID – invoice ID; defaults to number, but can be changed here
• Default Template – template used for invoice
• PO Number# – identification number for existing PO
• Discount 0% – discount for overall invoice
• Tax 0% – tax applied before discount
• Tax 0% – additional tax field if needed

Terms and Notes

To complete the creation of the invoice, scroll down until you find Terms & Notes. Here you can set the terms of the payment or other legal issues that concern the payment of your invoice. You can also add notes in the notes section concerning this particular invoice or the tasks/products/services you have provided. When you have completed this section, click on the blue Save button in the top right corner.

Now you can send your clients notifications that their invoice is ready.

Congratulations! You have created an invoice with Sprout Invoices! Now you are ready to create a project in Sprout Invoices. Learn more about by going to the Sprout Invoices Product Guide.

Feature	Basic – Freelancer	Plus – Business	Pro – Corporate	Agency – Enterprise
Price	$39.50/year	$79.50/year	$149.50/year	$299.50/year
Websites Supported	One	One	One	Unlimited
Invoices & Estimates	Unlimited	Unlimited	Unlimited	Unlimited
Clients Supported	Unlimited	Unlimited	Unlimited	Unlimited
Own Your Data
PayPal Payments
WooCommerce Checkout
Stripe Payments
ACH Payments
10+ More Payment Integrations
Automated Billing
Payment Terms
Client Credits
Subscription Payments
Payment Reminders
PDF Generation
Client Dashboards
Recurring Invoices
Time Tracking
Secure Private URLs
Zapier Integration
Convenience/Service Fees
Digital Signatures
Project Expense Tracking
Support	Ticket Support	Ticket Support	Priority Support	Priority Support
Money-Back Guarantee	14 Days	14 Days	14 Days	14 Days

Included in all Sprout Invoices licenses:

To see more information on Sprout Invoices Licensing Structure, plan features and pricing, visit the Sprout Invoices website.

• Notifying Your Clients
• Other ways to Send Notifications

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Notifying Your Clients

The Sprout Invoices plugin includes a notification option with each created invoice. Follow the steps below to learn how to use this option. Note that you will need to be logged within the WordPress Administrator Dashboard.

1. Click on Invoices and select the invoice that you want to send. Click on the invoice to edit it. Note that your invoice should not be in Draft mode. If you’re sending it for the first time, then change the status to Pending before sending the notification.
2. When you look at the invoice you’ll see an option next to the title that looks like an envelope.

3. When you click on this icon it will bring you down the Send Notification section.

4. Here you can add email addresses for the sender and recipients. You can also change the notification as one of the following: Invoice Available, Payment Reminder, Deposit Payment Received, or Invoice Paid.
5. You can also add a Note to personalize the notification for your client.
6. Click on the Send Notification button to notify your client.

Other Ways to Send the Invoice to your Client

The Send Notification option within Sprout Invoices is basically an email sent from the plugin. If you have other ways of contacting your clients such as a CRM or messaging system, you can always simply get the URL for the invoice and then add it to your message. You can find the URL for the invoice immediately beneath the title of the created invoice.

To learn more, go to the Sprout Invoices Product Guide.

After you have finished installing Sprout Invoices you may wonder what the next steps are. Fortunately, Sprout Invoices provides an excellent step-through process for getting started with the plugin. The following article will display the steps you will see and walk you through the very beginning in order to guide you through the process.

• First Steps
  • Activating Your License
  • Invoice and Estimate Templates
  • Advanced Form Integrations
• Final Comments

Getting Started

When you install the Sprout Invoices you will see the link in the top left corner of the screen and in the main menu. They provide a link for creating your very first invoice. However, you should scroll down a little farther and see the checklist of links.

Activating Your License

The first item is Activate License. Note that we will be walking through the first two steps in this article.

Click on the Activate License option and you will then see the section where you add your company and contact information. It is important that you use a valid email address that will be used for registering the product.

The license will be validated once you save your information with the email address.

Notice that you’ll see a percentage in the top right corner concerning your progress through the first steps in setting up the plugin.

This screen shows the different information fields used by Sprout Invoices. The information that you add here is used on the invoices that you create.

Invoice and Estimate Templates

Once you finish adding your contact information scroll down and you will see the Invoice and Estimate Template.

Here you can choose the theme you want to use for your invoices.

The next section under the templates is the Logo and Color Styling section.

This is the logo that will be used for your invoices and estimates. Sprout Invoices uses the Logo option in the WordPress Customizer.

Advanced Form Integrations

The very last section gives you a link to the Advanced Form Integrations for popular form plugins. And the blue SAVE button. Click on the button to save all your entries.

Final Comments

Congratulations! You have installed and finished the setup for Sprout Invoices. Once you have these settings filled in you can get started on creating your first invoice. For more information please see our Sprout Invoices Product Guide.

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How to Install Sprout Invoices

1. Log in to the WordPress Administrator Dashboard.

2. Click on Plugins in the main menu.

3. Click on the Add New button.

4. Click on the search field and type “Sprout Invoices.”

5. You will see the Sprout Invoices plugin appear.  Click on the button labeled Install Now.

6. When the installation is complete, you will see an Activate button.

This will complete the installation of the plugin. 

• Invoices
• Estimates

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Invoices

Sprout Invoices lets you create estimates and invoices very quickly without the need to consult with a dedicated expert.  You get templates to create your invoices or even customize one of your own.

You also get the option of integrating Sprout Invoices with popular WordPress report plugins. You can also set up payment options, payment schedules, custom notifications, and much more.

Estimates

You can also create estimates that can be easily printed or emailed to your clients so that they understand the charges involved with your work.

Creating estimates with Sprout Invoices gives you full control of each line item. You can focus on specific tasks or make them broader and easily control the relationships for each.

Sprout Invoices is your one-stop-shop for creating invoices and estimates that will give you flexibility and control while providing your clients with clear and concise details of your work. To learn more check out the Sprout Invoices Product page.