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Knowledge BaseCreating an Invoice Cover Letter
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Creating an Invoice Cover Letter

  • 21/10/2024
  • Knowledge

How To
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The Invoice Cover Letter feature enables clients to customise their invoices' initial page (cover letter) providing your clients with a detailed and personal narrative for the relevant invoice. With this time-saving advantage, users can insert data fields to facilitate quick and efficient automation and enhance the invoicing experience.

When you are ready to send your client their bill you can generate an invoice from within the relevant matter as usual.

Editing the Invoice Cover Letter

 

The Cover Letter options can be found in the middle of the Invoice window displaying your default cover letter.

  1. To open the default Cover Letter, click theicon or click the icon to select another cover letter from the list.

 
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  • If you have a selected a different invoice cover letter that isn't the default, you will receive a prompt 'Selecting another template will overwrite the attached Cover Letter'. Select whether you'd like to Continue or Cancel.
  • If you do not require the invoice cover letter, you can select <None> in the Cover Letter selection box within an Invoice. This will then save as the default and no longer generate a cover letter.

  1. The Invoice Cover Letter will open in Microsoft Word.

    The LEAP for Word add-in will appear on the right with the Cover Letter tabs allowing you to insert correspondence and relevant fields.

  2. You can use the Activities list to summarise the main events that occurred on the invoice and include links to documents so it may be presented meaningfully to your client.

    To insert links to correspondence items into the Invoice Cover Letter, click on the Correspondence tab.

    You will be able to filter through the matter's Correspondence items by status:

    • Billable - Next Invoice
    • Billable - Later Invoice
    • All

    You can also filter the correspondence by a custom date range using the calendar picker.

  3. Place your cursor on the document where you would like to place the correspondence item and double-click to insert. 

 
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If you wish to insert all available items, check the Select All checkbox then click Insert. 

  1. To insert additional Cover Letter fields, click on the Fields tab.

    Place the cursor on the document where you would like to insert the field and double-click the relevant field. 

    For more information, please see the section Inserting Cover Letter Fields.

  2. Click Save & Close on the LEAP Word ribbon.

The Invoice Cover Letter will be saved to the matter's Correspondence List. 

Any changes made to the Invoice Cover Letter from the Correspondence List will be saved to the Invoice window and vice versa.

Creating the Invoice Cover Letter Precedent

 

To edit the Invoice Cover Letter Precedent:

  1. Open a matter.

  2. Make sure you're on the Details & Correspondence tab.

  3. Click on Forms & Precedents. 

    The Forms & Precedents window will open.

  4. From the Browse tab, locate the Invoice Cover Letter Precedent.

  5. Right-click the precedent and then select Edit Precedent.

    The Invoice Cover Letter precedent will open in Microsoft Word and the LEAP for Word Add-in will appear on the right-hand pane.

  6. Customise your Cover Letter as desired, then click the Field tab on the right to access available fields.

    For more information, please see the section Inserting Cover Letter Fields.

 
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When editing the Invoice Cover Letter, documents will not appear under the Correspondence tab as these are matter-specific items only.

  1. Click Save & Close.

 
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Any existing precedent can be set as an Invoice Cover Letter template. Simply right-click on the selected precedent from within the Forms & Precedents window > Change > Precedent’s Class > select Invoice Summary.

NZ Change Precedent Type

Inserting Cover Letter Fields

 

When editing the Invoice Cover Letter, you can insert fields as placeholders to auto populate relevant data.

  1. From the LEAP for Word add-in, click on the Fields tab to display the list of available fields.

    LEAP for WORD fields

  2. Place your cursor on the document where you would like to insert the field.

  3. Double-click the field you wish to insert.

    The selected field will be inserted at the cursor's position in the document with information populated based on the matter.

The following Cover Letter fields are available to insert:
  • NZBN No
  • Addressee
  • Balance Due
  • Client Name
  • Date
  • Debtor Balances All Matters
  • Invoice Date
  • Invoice Due Date
  • Invoice Number
  • Matter Debtor Balance
  • Person Acting
  • Person Responsible
  • Person Credit
  • Person Responsible Qualification
  • Person Acting Qualification
  • Person Assisting Qualification
  • Total Inc GST
  • Trust Balance

Preview the Invoice Cover Letter

 

After you’ve made the relevant edits to your Cover Letter and saved your changes, you can Preview the Invoice Cover Letter before sending your Invoice out to the client.

  1. From the Invoice window, click Preview.

    The Preview Invoice will open in a new window.

  2. You may use either the Invoice Preview or Email Preview tabs at the top to view the the relevant display.

  3. From the Invoice Preview tab, the Invoice Cover Letter will be displayed as the first page followed by the entries of your invoice including Professional Fees and Disbursements.

 
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You can download a PDF copy of the invoice by clicking the printer icon in the top left.

  1. Click the X to close the preview invoice window.

Last Modified Date
21/10/2024 6:15 pm
Title
Creating an Invoice Cover Letter
URL Name
Creating-an-Invoice-Cover-Letter-NZ

Resolution
AutoTime (Matter Activity Recording) & Online Invoice
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Creating an Invoice Cover Letter