The ultimate electrical work order invoice template

If you work as an electrician or have an electrical service company, you know that every job is different. As a result, you need a reliable electrical work order invoice template that details the electrical job specifics.

Good electrical work order invoices show how professional and polished the work you provide is. Plus, it positively adds to your business’ reputation.

Keep reading to learn more about electrical work order invoices and how you can get started with a free electrical work order invoice template.

Bonus: You will get a deep dive into how you can optimize your electrical contractor work order forms through field service management software like Method:Field Services.

What is an electrical invoice?

An electrical work order invoice is a document used to break down the details of an electrical job. Typically an electrical work order invoice includes a:

• Description of the services that will be provided.
• Breakdown of each service/materials total cost.
• Payment schedule and details.
• Customer information.

Including this information ensures that your business and customer easily communicate throughout the job process.

Do you need to issue an electrical work order invoice?

Unfortunately, a third of small businesses have over $20,000 in outstanding payments.

“A third of small businesses have over $20,000 in outstanding payments.”

— Intuit, 2019.

What’s more, this can result from an unorganized work order format and forgetting to send out work order invoices.

Your business greatly benefits from using an electrical work order invoice as you need an organized system to ensure payment for every job. A successful field service business uses an electrical work order invoice template to easily create a business invoice and have it paid in full.

The importance of an electrical work order invoice

While you know the ins and outs of electrical work, most of your customers do not have a great understanding of electrical services. This is why an electrical work order invoice template is a necessity to have.

Some benefits of having an electrical work order invoice template include:

• Keeping your business organized.
• Having detailed records of past jobs.
• Receiving accurate and timely payments.

When is the right time to send an invoice to your electrical work customers?

Every electrical project is different from the last, and likely you are working on a few of these construction projects at one time. Due to the varying job sizes, sending your electrical work order invoice usually depends on the relationship you created with your customer.

Usually, the case for smaller jobs is that invoices are sent when the job is completed.

Many factors come into the final invoice for bigger jobs, like custom material costs, special tools, the varying hours/days needed to complete the job, and the number of electricians required.

In most cases, it’s best practice to ask for a partial payment (usually 50% of the estimated cost) and for the rest of the amount to be deposited after the job is completed.

In the end, your payment terms depend on what works best for your electrical wiring business.

It’s essential to note that the payment processing expectations should be outlined on every electrical work order invoice.

What should be included on an invoice for an electrician?

Add relevant business information

Some of the details to include on your electrical work order invoice template are:

• Company logo and name.
• Company contact details — phone number, email, address, website, etc.
• Your hours of operations.
• Any emergency services — if you offer them.

Personalize with customer details

Customer information is a necessary part of an electrical work order invoice. But there is more to customer details than just a name and phone number.

Some customer details to include in your electrical work order invoice template are:

• Customer contact information.
• Requests for the job to be completed between certain hours.
• Comments on previous electrical work done.
• A personal note to thank your customer for their business.

Highlight your electrical company’s work

Your electrical work order invoice template should focus on defining what the job is and how it fixes your customer’s problem to protect your business and create customer satisfaction on every job.

After you’ve specified the work on your template, there are a few things you can do to highlight the fantastic work that your company does.

One is by using before and after photos to showcase your great work.

As mentioned before, many customers do not understand electrical systems, so this is an excellent opportunity for you to educate them. Make sure to include a caption to explain what is happening in the photos you take.

Bonus: You can use these photos to drive more leads on your social media and website.

Breakdown your costs

It can be a messy situation when customers and electricians are not on the same page. A vague electrical work order invoice can lead to customers asking for tasks that electrical contractors did not initially agree to do. As a result, you may have unsatisfied customers and frustrated electrical contractors.

Instead, it’s best to be  transparent with your customers to avoid confusion and have them return in the future. Transparency in pricing builds customer trust, and that is why breaking down your costs is crucial to your electrical business’s success.

In sum, here are some form fields to include on your electrical work order invoice template for job costing and material billing:

• A detailed job description.
• Hourly rate and hours needed to complete the job.
• Material costs, including cost per unit and quantity.
• Sales tax (where applicable).

Invoicing tips for electricians

Send an estimate before the job starts

Give your customers a thorough yet clear breakdown of the job they are looking to get done. The estimate you give out must be accurate, informative, and easily digestible for customers that may not fully understand the technical side of electrical work.

Later on, you’ll learn about software that can transform your estimates into work orders and invoices with just a few clicks of your mouse.

Include a payment due date

Reduce the chance of confusion or delayed payments by including a payment due date on your customer’s invoice. This will save you the headache of trying to track down unpaid invoices that you may have forgotten to follow up about.

Accept a variety of payment methods

If you want to see revenue come in faster, make it easy for your customers to pay you. Look into offering a variety of payment methods and pay attention to what type of payment methods most of your customers choose.

Keep reading for the inside scoop on a job management software solution that can help you get paid faster!

Be courteous and patient

Electrical work can be a confusing subject. That is why your customers like to leave this type of work to professionals like you. But understand,  your estimates and invoices can be clear as water and customers will always still have questions and concerns.

Your business must focus on offering supportive customer service during every step of the sales cycle. By doing so, your customers will feel as comfortable as possible working with you.

Pro-tip: Being empathetic to your customers’ situation will only benefit your business as they are more likely to recommend you to friends and family.

2. Use electrical work order invoice software

You can take your electrical work order invoice template to the next level with field service management software.

Method:Field Services is a top field service management solution that helps you get paid faster and offers exceptional tools to run your entire business.

Whether you’re out on an electrical job or in the office, you’ll have access to your electrical work order invoices on the go. Creating electrical work order invoices is easy with powerful job management software like Method:Field Services. Here’s why:

• Your payments come in faster.
• Less confusion when it comes to organizing admin work.
• Customers are satisfied and come back regularly.
• Reduced chance of forgetting important information on forms.

The possibilities for how you can customize Method:Field Services to grow your electrical business are endless. Below is an example of how your electrical company could benefit from this solution.

Beyond this, here are a few of the top features that an electrical work order invoice software like Method:Field Services offers:

• Converting estimates into work orders and invoices only requires a few clicks.
• Easily collect e-signatures and online payments.
• Dispatch, schedule, and send invoices in bulk.
• Easily integrate your electrical work order invoices with QuickBooks.

Recap: Why electricians should send professional invoices

Now that you’ve got your free electrical work order invoice template and information on electrical contractor software, you can see the growth opportunities for your electrical service company.

Here are a few reasons why your electrical business should send professional electrical work order invoices:

• Drives repeat jobs through showcasing professionalism to your customers.
• Organizes your jobs and reduces the chance of missing payments.
• Increases your sales and makes transactions more straightforward.

Watch this Method:Field Services demo to take your electrical work order form to new heights.

Image credit: Emmanuel Ikwuegbu via Unsplash