Invoicing costs the average SME 4 to 8 hours a week — creating, sending, reminders, VAT overviews, payment checks. With the right automation you drop that to under an hour, with fewer errors and faster cash in the bank.
What can be automated?
- Invoice creation — from tracked hours, contract, or recurring subscription
- Sending — automatic with PDF + payment link
- Reminders — on overdue terms, with escalation
- Payment integration — Stripe/iDEAL with status sync
- Bookkeeping export — automatic to Moneybird, Exact or e-Boekhouden
- VAT return prep — quarterly overview ready in 1 click
How much time does this save?
Worked example: SME with 30 invoices/month. Manual ~6 hrs/week (24 hrs/month). Automated ~1 hr/week (4 hrs/month). Saved: 20 hours per month × €45 hourly rate = €900/mo.
Which tools work for SMEs?
- Off-the-shelf: Moneybird, Factuursturen, e-Boekhouden — €15–40/mo, live fast
- Custom dashboard: fully tailored, integrated with your own systems — one-off €5–15k
- Hybrid: existing tool + custom integrations for specific flows
The best choice depends on your volume, client type and current system. Under 50 invoices per month, an existing tool is usually enough. Beyond that, custom often pays off — especially if you have linked time-tracking, project or inventory systems.
A great reference is BillingFlow — a SaaS platform for invoicing and accounting for which we at Vorlyo built the full site and onboarding flow. Check the full BillingFlow case study for tech, approach and results.
Step-by-step plan
- Step 1: map your current invoicing flow (where does time go?)
- Step 2: choose off-the-shelf or custom based on volume + complexity
- Step 3: implement in phases — first create/send, then reminders, then integrations
- Step 4: measure after 1 month: how much time do you actually save?