Billing Management: #1 Billing an Universal Business Routine

Billing Management: #1 Billing an Universal Business Routine

Hello,

As the saying goes, "Do the hardest job first", we started with the complex subject in finance, revenue management, which is considered to be the backbone for any business. Now, let's shift our focus and take a deep dive into this Billing Management which is nothing harder than revenue management. In short, Billing is the practical side of how revenue actually flows in.

The main source of revenue for any business lies in the sales it makes. You may hail from any country, but selling a product or service doesn't really work without an invoice or a payment receipt. Billing is not mere a task during sales, it is a proof of value exchanged and the starting point of reliable cash flow. In this opening post, we will be looking into the common methods of billing that prevail.

 One-Time Billing 

One-Time Billing is the simplest model, where a single payment is made for a product or a service and the transaction ends there. As simple as that.

 Think of walking into an electronic store, buying a laptop, paying for it at the counter. You walk out of the store with your purchase and the deal is done.

Similarly, A freelance consultant might charge a flat fee for a two hour training session.  

Once the product is sold or a service is delivered; payment is made, nothing more is expected on either side.

This model is widely seen across industries,. In retail, every checkout is a one-time bill. In hospitality, booking a hotel room for a single night stay works the same way. You stay, you pay and the transaction closes. It's quick, clear and efficient, though it doesn't guarantee steady revenue unless the customer returns for repeated purchases.

 Project-Based Billing 

Project billing works by linking payments to the milestones or deliverables rather than charging all at once.

 A web development company designing a new website, might structure the payment in stages 20% during design, 40% during development and the remaining 40$ upon launch.

Likewise, an IT service form might bill after migrating data, again after testing and finally after deployment.  

Industries like construction and engineering rely heavily on this model. A builder might charge after completing the foundation, again after raising the structure and finally after finishing the interiors. This approach ensures the client pays as value is delivered while the service provider maintains healthy cash flow all through the project duration.

 Expense Billing 

Reimbursing the actual cost incurred on behalf of the client is all we do in expense billing.

 Imagine a law firm, for instance, might add court filing fees, travel expenses and documentation charges to its professional fees.

Also, a construction company shows the client the real cost of cement, steel or tiles in addition to labor charges.  

Expense billing is also seen in industries like consulting or advertising. An ad agency, for example, might charge its service fee separately but pass through media buying cost directly to the client. This approach keeps things fair and open. Clients know exactly what they are paying for and businesses avoid absorbing expenses that rightly belong to the project.

 Recurring/Subscription Billing: 

Recurring billing charges customers at a regular interval say weekly, monthly or annually, accounting the continuous access to a product or service.

 A Video streaming company charges your card every month and as long as you keep paying, your streaming access continues without interruption.  

But, the story changes when you upgrade mid-month to add more screens, downgrade to a cheaper plan or cancel halfway through your cycle. Should you be charged full price, half or something in between? That's where things gets interesting.

There is no universal rule in subscription billing. A gym membership works differently from a SaaS license, which again differs from an magazine subscription. The complexity even lies within the same industry type as the demand differs from one subscriber to another.

On top of that, There are other entities like trials, addons, pay-per-user, mid-cycle changes all demand unique billing logics. That's why subscription businesses often relay on API driven billing system or more automated method to manage these complexities dynamically.

Bill beyond boundaries

Each billing model serves a distinct purpose and business now-a-days are ready to take up experimenting with different billing method by blending one time with subscription based, project with subscription and so on. Hybrid billing is becoming the order of the day and businesses should choose the right tool that stays flexible, powerful and that handles complexity.

Zoho Billing is empowered to deliver all at one place. Be it one-time, project-based, expense or subscription-based, Zoho Billing is the one stop solution for all your billing requirements. It doesn't stop with just billing, it digest the complex workflow you propose and provide a complete hands-free solution through it's automated billing approach.

Do you agree? Yes?

In the next post, Let's dive in to the biggest challenge in subscription billing Prorated Billing which decides how to charge fairly when customers join, upgrade, downgrade or cancel at mid-term.

Stay Tuned! 
    • Sticky Posts

    • Community Learning Series | Digest #5 — September 2020

      Dear customers, We're happy to bring you the September edition of our #CommunityDigest! Keep track of your subscription KPIs right from your smartphone: Last month, we enhanced our Android mobile app to help our customers get daily updates on their business health. We got to know from a lot of customers that this has made their job much more easier because they no longer have to keep a reminder to manually check on the previous day's revenue or activations. If you have not downloaded it yet, here's
    • Community Learning Series | Digest #4 - August 2020

      Dear customers, We hope you're staying safe and healthy. I'm happy to bring you the fourth edition of our #CommunityDigest with some brand-new updates from us. 1. Daily Business Updates (for Android users) The Zoho Subscriptions Android app has got a cool new update: You can now get a push notification to your smartphone that lets you know how many activations and cancellations have taken place, and what's the net revenue for the previous day. The best part is, you can tell the app when exactly you
    • Community Learning Series | Digest #3 - July 2020

      Dear customers, We hope you're staying safe and healthy. We're glad to bring you the July edition of our #CommunityDigest. New community members can view our previous newsletters here. This time, we have two major updates and three interesting topics for you: 1. Zoho Subscriptions Developer Community Since the inception of Zoho Subscriptions, our team believed that the recurring billing platform we provide should be able to offer an extensive API library that empowers businesses to automate most
    • Introducing: Community Learning Series | Digest #1 - May 2020

      Dear customers, We hope you are staying safe and healthy. Helping businesses manage their customer subscriptions more efficiently has always been, and always will be, our goal at Zoho Subscriptions. We strongly believe this is possible if we grow together as a community and share what we know with each other. To nurture this shared learning experience, here is our brand-new Community Learning Series! ​ Welcome to the first edition of our digest! Each edition of our community digest includes guides
      • Recent Topics

      • Cross Data Center Support for 1:1 Chats with External Users

        Hello Zoho Cliq Team, We hope you're doing well. We appreciate the recent enhancement that enables cross data center collaboration in external channels, which has already improved communication across distributed teams. However, we’ve noticed that this
      • Support Bots and Automations in External Channels

        Hello Zoho Cliq Team, How are you? We actively use Zoho Cliq for collaboration, including with our external developers. For this purpose, external channels are a key tool since they work seamlessly within the same interface as all of our other channels
      • Answer Bot and Personalized Questions

        Hi there, I have the same problem using the SalesIQ Answer Bot and the Zoho Desk Answer Bot (which really need different names, to be honest, in order to avoid confusion...) Customers that visit our website ask questions in the form of "What do you do?"
      • Handling Greetings/Small Talk at the Beginning of a Zobot Conversation

        Hello everyone, I’m currently configuring a **Zobot** in Zoho SalesIQ and everything is working as expected, except for one specific scenario at the very beginning of the conversation. My target audience has the habit of starting with a **greeting or
      • Regex in Zoho Mail custom filters is not supported - but it works!

        I recently asked Zoho for help using regex in Zoho Mail custom filters and was told it was NOT supported. This was surprising (and frustrating) as regex in Zoho Mail certainly works, although it does have some quirks* To encourage others, here are 3 regex
      • Importing a new list into campaigns

        I'm in the middle of switching my email platform to campaigns. I have a list that I want to import, and it overlaps with my existing Zoho CRM list. The fields in my Zoho CTM are more robust. Will this new list that I upload into my campaigns overwrite
      • Client Script Payload Size Bug

        var createParams = { "data": [{ "Name": "PS for PR 4050082000024714556", "Price_Request": { "id": "4050082000024714556" }, "Account": { "id": "4050082000021345001" }, "Deal": { "id": "4050082000023972001" }, "Owner": { "id": "4050082000007223004" }, "Approval_Status":
      • when I email a invoice how can i see it was sent and also were i can go to see all emails sent

        when I email a invoice how can i see it was sent and also were i can go to see all emails sent?
      • Export Invoices to XML file

        Namaste! ZOHO suite of Apps is awesome and we as Partner, would like to use and implement the app´s from the Financial suite like ZOHO Invoice, but, in Portugal, we can only use certified Invoice Software and for this reason, we need to develop/customize on top of ZOHO Invoice to create an XML file with specific information and after this, go to the government and certified the software. As soon as we have for example, ZOHO CRM integrated with ZOHO Invoice up and running, our business opportunities
      • Showing description in timesheet and timelogs.

        I am wondering if it’s possible in version 5 of Zoho People to have the description show by default or with a manipulation on the user’s part. Let me show you what I mean. As you can see this is the view for the users. Now if they want to see the full
      • How can I see content of system generated mails from zBooks?

        System generated mails for offers or invices appear in the mail tab of the designated customer. How can I view the content? It also doesn't appear in zMail sent folder.
      • CRM Blueprint Notification by Cliq

        Dear Zoho team, In Workflow, there is nofication by cliq, but in blueprint, there is no option as cliq notification. I think it is very convenient to get notified by Cliq , as there are multi modules in apps, but we will always check Cliqs
      • Zoho People Attendance Regularization – Wrong Total Hours Displayed

        While using Zoho People, I observed that the attendance regularization is showing wrong total hours when applied to past dates. For example, if a check-in is added at 10:00 AM and check-out at 6:00 PM for a previous date, the system sometimes calculates
      • Sync Contacts in iOS

        What does the "Sync Contacts" feature in the iOS Zoho Mail app do?
      • Live webinar: Craft the ideal sales pitch deck with Show

        Every great sale starts with a great story. And your pitch deck? That’s where the story takes shape. But too often, these presentations end up looking generic, overloaded with text, or lacking structure. The good news is, it's easier to fix than you think!
      • Project Statuses

        Hi All, We have projects that sometimes may not make it through to completion. As such, they were being marked as "Cancelled". I noticed that these projects still show as "Active" though which seems counter intuitive. In fact, the only way I can get them
      • 👋 Welcome to the Zoho MCP Community

        Hello all, glad to have you here! This is your space for everything AI agents, MCP tools, and intelligent business apps. This community is for you — developers, partners, creators, and businesses exploring how agents can transform work. Whether you’re
      • Suitability of Zoho One (Single User License) for Multi-State GST Compliance & Cost Analysis

        Hello Zoho Team, I am an e-commerce business owner selling on platforms like Amazon, Flipkart, and Meesho, and I'm currently using their fulfillment warehouses. I have two GSTIN registrations and am planning to register for an additional 2-3 to expand
      • DNS Manager

        Where Can I find my DNS manager so I can link this to click funnels or AWEBER
      • Forwarder

        Hi, I tried to add a forwarder from which emails are sent to my main zoho account email . However, it asks me for a code that should be received at the forwarder email, which is still not activated to send to my zoho emial account. So how can I get the
      • Forwarder

        Hi, I tried to add a forwarder from which emails are sent to my main zoho account email . However, it asks me for a code that should be received at the forwarder email, which is still not activated to send to my zoho emial account. So how can I get the
      • How do I sync multiple Google calendars?

        I'm brand new to Zoho and I figured out how to sync my business Google calendar but I would also like to sync my personal Google calendar. How can I do this so that, at the very least, when I have personal engagements like doctor's appointments, I can
      • Need to extract date from datetime field

        I have a datetime field and need only the date part from it. I am unable to find a built-in function that would be <DateTime>.Date(). I don't think I want to go the string conversion route of converting the datetime to string and then parsing out values and create a date out of it. Any one out there has a better solution to this? Thanks in adavnce. Regards Moiz Tankiwala Smart Training & IT Solutions
      • How to Hide Article Links in SalesIQ Answer Bot Responses

        I have published an article in SalesIQ, and the Answer Bot is fetching the data and responding correctly. However, it is also displaying the article link, which I don’t want. How can I remove the link so that only the message is shown?
      • New in Cadences: WhatsApp follow-ups, upgraded limits, and options for add-ons

        Hello everyone, We're rolling out two key updates to help you engage better and scale smarter with Cadences in Zoho CRM. Reach customers on WhatsApp, directly from Cadences Previously, Cadences have enabled you to automate follow-ups through emails, calls,
      • additional accounts

        If I brought 5 emails to my account. Can I later buy additional emails.
      • Issue in Zoho People Regularization – Incorrect Hour Calculation

        I have noticed that when applying attendance regularization in Zoho People for previous dates, the total working hours are not calculated correctly. For example, even if the check-in is 10:00 AM and check-out is 6:00 PM, the system shows an incorrect
      • Why I am unable to configure Zoho Voice with my Zoho CRM account?

        I have installed Zoho Voice in my Zoho CRM, but as per the message there is some config needed in Zoho Voice interface. But when I click on the link given in the above message, I get an access denied page.
      • Issue with Hour Calculation in Zoho People Attendance Module

        I have noticed an issue in the attendance regularization feature of Zoho People. When trying to regularize past dates, the total working hours are not calculated correctly. For example, if I enter a check-in and check-out time for a previous day, the
      • Cliq Meeting Calls No Audio and Screen Share

        When in a Cliq channel meeting, the audio does not work at all on pc. When i use my phone as audio source, screen share on pc does not work. I have updated audio drivers but the strangest thing is that during a 1 on 1 call, it works well. Therefore the
      • Bug in Total Hour Calculation in Regularization for past dates

        There is a bug in Zoho People Regularization For example today is the date is 10 if I choose a previous Date like 9 and add the Check in and Check out time The total hours aren't calculated properly, in the example the check in time is 10:40 AM check
      • Work anniversary and birthdays on connect

        Hello, I like the idea of having employee's work anniversary and birthdays on the dashbaord. Do you have to have the employee complete this information themselves in connect settings, or does it pull from their directory settings? (ie. we use Zoho one
      • Alias Email Id already exists

        Hi I'm trying to create an alias : contact @ yoavarielevy.co.il but i get the message  Alias Email Id already exists I had an account with the same name but I deleted it. Can you help? Thanx Yoav
      • BANK FEED - MAYBANK , provider from YODLEE IS NOT WORKING

        As per topic, the provider YODLEE is not working for the BANK FEED. It have been reported since 2023 Q3, and second report on 2023 Q4. now almost end of 2024 Q1, and coming to 2024 Q2. Malaysia Bank Maybank is NOT working. can anyone check on this issue?
      • Feature Request: Ability to Set a Custom List View as Default for All Users

        Dear Zoho CRM Support Team, We would like to request a new feature in Zoho CRM regarding List Views. Currently, each user has to manually select or favorite a custom list view in order to make it their default. However, as administrators, we would like
      • Adding Multiple Products (Package) to a Quote

        I've searched the forums and found several people asking this question, but never found an answer. Is ti possible to add multiple products to a quote at once, like a package deal? This seems like a very basic function of a CRM that does quotes but I can't
      • Zoho Commerce in multiple languages

        When will you be able to offer Zoho Commerce in more languages? We sell in multiple markets and want to be able to offer a local version of our webshop. What does the roadmap look like?
      • Compensation | Salary Packages - Hourly Wage Needed

        The US Bureau of Labor Statistics says 55.7% of all workers in the US are paid by the hour. I don't know how that compares to the rest of the world, but I would think that this alone would justify the need for having an hourly-based salary package option.
      • webinar registration confirmation are landing in SPMA folders

        I am trialing zoho webinar and do not have access to custom domains. When I test user registrations, they are working but the resulting confirmation email is landing in a spam folder. How can I avoid this?
      • Making digital signatures accessible to all: Introducing accessibility controls in Zoho Sign

        Hi there! At Zoho Sign, we are committed to building an inclusive digital experience for all our users. As part of our ongoing efforts to align with Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG), we’re updating the application with support that will go
      • Next Page