The document as issued
Detail, covering note, timing, expenses, the total, and the format the client's system can actually process.
- Lines
- 08
- Of
- 50
How Much Detail to Put on It
Four levels of detail, from a single figure to every six-minute entry. What each one is for and which reader it serves.
The Covering Letter Does the Work
Four sentences in front of a bill carry everything the four columns cannot. The cheapest instrument in billing and the least used.
When to Send It
The same bill is accepted in one week and challenged in another. Four timing decisions, and which of them the firm actually controls.
Billing Before the Work Is Finished
A long matter billed once at the end produces one large document and one large conversation. Four alternatives, each with a different cost.
Expenses on Somebody Else's Bill
Expenses are a small part of most bills and a large share of the queries. Six categories, and what each needs in order to pass without comment.
The Total, and What Is in It
The figure at the bottom is the only one many readers look at. What has to be visible around it for the number to be checkable.
A Bill That Explains Itself
A firm rebuilt its bill around one question — can a stranger approve this without asking anybody — and watched the approval time halve.
The Format the Other Side Can Actually Use
A bill has to enter the client's system, not just their inbox. Five requirements that have nothing to do with how the document reads.