Invoices let you ask a customer to pay you, and invoice receipts confirm what they paid. In this lesson, you'll send an invoice, see what your customer sees, follow up on unpaid ones, and set up the receipts that go out after every sale.
First, a quick change in terms. Ontraport now uses invoices to request payment. The automatic emails that confirm a purchase, which this lesson used to call invoices, are now called invoice receipts. Invoicing is available on some account levels, so check the pricing page for yours.
Use an invoice to bill after you deliver a product or finish a service, to collect a deposit, or to bill by milestone. Open the client's contact record, click the Purchases tab, scroll to Invoices, and click New invoice. Add at least one product, the same way you would on an order form. In the "I would like to" dropdown, choose Request payment. Set the invoice date, due date, payment gateway and invoice receipt, plus an optional customer note and internal note. Click Send to email it now, or Save draft to send it later.
Your customer gets a branded email with the invoice number, amount due, due date, your note and the products, plus a View & Pay button.
That button opens the invoice page, where they can review the details, print a copy and click Pay. They enter their billing and card details on a secure payment page. Once they pay, Ontraport sends the invoice receipt automatically.
To bill automatically, add the Request Payment element to an automation, usually right after the trigger or goal that marks the billable moment. It creates a real invoice from a saved offer and emails a payment link. You'll need a connected payment gateway and a saved offer. You can't create offers in the automation builder, so save one first from a manual invoice on a contact record.
Set your defaults under Sales, then Settings, then Invoice settings. Show your business logo, choose a default due date, like due on receipt or 30 days, add terms for every invoice, and pick the domain your invoice pages are hosted on. Use temporary domains only for testing.
You can also set a default language for your invoice and payment pages. Choose Contact's browser language to match each customer automatically, or pick one language for everyone.
A past-due invoice keeps the status Open. To keep an eye on them, go to Sales, then Invoices, and create a group with two conditions: due date is before today, and status is open or collections.
You can also automate reminders under Sales, then Settings, then Invoice automations. The trigger "Today is relative to Invoice's date field" can email the customer a few days before the due date, or alert a team member the day after it passes. Add the OP Payment Link merge field so customers can pay right from your email.
Now, invoice receipts. Ontraport sends one when a payment goes through, from an order form, a manual transaction or an invoice. Receipts are transactional emails, so they reach customers even if they've opted out of marketing email. That's why they can't include promotional images, promotional text or marketing links, though your website URL and logo are fine. Every receipt must include your business name, your business email or phone, the items purchased, the grand total and the date.
Every account comes with a default receipt that's already approved. To brand it, click your profile icon, then Administration, then Business Info. Under Business information, pick your brand color, upload your logo, and click Save.
Custom templates are available on Plus and above. Go to Sales, then Settings, then Double Opt-in / Invoice Receipt Manager, and click New message template. Choose the recommended Invoice editor, not the HTML one, then Start from scratch. Click Add block, then Invoice, and pick a block. Invoice blocks already include the purchased items and grand total, so add your business name, contact info and the purchase date. Add a subject line under Settings, and save. If you'd rather code it, use the HTML editor and insert the Complete Receipt and Purchased Items merge fields. Local laws may require more, so check what applies to you.
Ontraport reviews every new custom receipt, and every change to one, within two business days. If a template doesn't meet the standards, it's deactivated, your account administrator gets an email with the fix, and the default receipt takes over, so sales keep going.
You choose the receipt wherever you take payment: on a new invoice, in the Request Payment element, or in an order form's Invoice receipt section, which offers the default, a custom template or no receipt. For subscriptions and payment plans, a toggle sends a receipt for every payment or only the first.
So: invoices ask for payment, invoice settings and automations handle the defaults and follow-up, and invoice receipts confirm every sale. Next up: taxes and shipping.