John Coates is the Communications Manager at FreshBooks and he recently took a few minutes to explain what FreshBooks.com is and how online businesses can save time and money using their service.
Bryan: What is FreshBooks.com?
John: FreshBooks is an online invoicing, time tracking and expense management service that helps people save time, get paid faster, look professional and focus on what they love to do - their work.
Bryan: What do you call FreshBooks? Is it software or a web site?
John: FreshBooks is an online invoicing service. It’s not just a product as the service comes with great support and is constantly being updated. FreshBooks is committed to serving our users in the long run.
Bryan: And what title / responsibilities do you have at FreshBooks?
John: I run the marketing communications at FreshBooks. That includes email, blog, PR and everything else in between including communication in the application. Officially, I’m the Communications Manager.
Bryan: How does FreshBooks.com differentiate itself from the other online/offline accounting packages? What makes you stand above the others?
John: We are committed to our customers. We always pick up the phone if they have a problem and will spend as much time with them as needed – no cut off time. We listen and have conversations with them; we get to know them. We’re also all about keeping the service as simple as possible, not overcomplicating it with features that prevent users from invoicing and getting paid - users should be spending time on their business, not invoicing.
Bryan: Can your system keep everything paperless? Please explain the basic workflow.
John: Yes users can. With FreshBooks, everything is done online. Users login, create an invoice, and then send it to their client all electronically (and within minutes). A user’s client then views the invoice online and can pay via a number of online payments options if they want to. If a client prefers paper invoices, then a user can always send it via “snail mail” provided by FreshBooks. FreshBooks also stores all of a user’s invoices online, so no need for printing and folders. And for clients, there is a separate login for them to view their invoices.
Bryan: How will using FreshBooks.com help small business owners run their business more efficiently?
John: The biggest benefit is less time invoicing. FreshBooks is the fastest way to track time, organize expenses and invoice. It also makes invoicing a lot easier and faster, so users do not delay creating their invoices. When they delay sending invoices, they get paid slower. There are also automated email follow-ups and over 60 add-ons to extend a business’ workflow beyond the invoice. And when it comes to tax time, FreshBooks organize invoices, which includes reporting, so users get tax totals in seconds. Say goodbye to countless Excel spreadsheets or paper folders!
Bryan: What is the learning curve, when switching to the FreshBooks.com platform? What type of training do you provide?
John: FreshBooks is built on simplicity so it is fast and easy to use.
We offer support during regular business hours that is completely free. If users have questions, they can call us and we’ll sort them as soon possible or show you how something works.
Bryan: Can previous accounting data be imported? How difficult is that to do?
John: Clients and expenses can be mass imported into FreshBooks through CSV files (easily exported from a number of programs). Other information can be easily entered in through the interface. Creating invoices is easy with FreshBooks!
Bryan: What apps and tools to you integrate with?
John: FreshBooks integrates with 60 add-ons including CRMs, Expense Tracking, Email Marketing, Online Payments and Support Ticketing. There is something for everyone to improve their workflow and save time. (FreshBooks recently launched Add-on Store).
Bryan: You offer a free version. Is this primarily as a demo, or can a business use this long-term?
John: The free version is a full version of the service and it never expires. Customers can use it as long as they want, but it has a limit of 3 clients.
Bryan: How stable is your system? Both in terms of hacker/virus attacks, and in regards to accessibility/uptime.
John: FreshBooks is very stable and the goal is 100% uptime. We’re constantly improving our security and infrastructure. Users need to be always access their invoices at anytime, so we can never be down. So in terms for security, we have 256-bit SSL, Cisco powered firewalls, vulnerability scanning, intrusion detection, strong AES encryption for sensitive information and physical security. For reliability, we rely on redundant servers and datacenters, managed hosting and of course, backups.
Bryan: What advice would you give to someone starting an online business?
John: Focus on what you love doing and what you’re good at. Find services or people to do the rest (that love doing what you don’t love doing) and you’ll be very successful. That’s goes for any business.
John Coates is the Communications Manager at FreshBooks and he recently took a few minutes to explain what FreshBooks.com is and how online businesses can save time and money using their service.
