Major bank unveils invoicing product

The bank's general manager of SME Banking, Ganesh Chandrasekkar, said the introduction of Biz Invoice follows a joint research with Deloitte, which found that small businesses spent 12 hours each week completing paperwork to comply with government regulation and eight hours each week chasing invoices.

Further, it added that 40 per cent of business owners will receive payments from debtors later over the Christmas period.

“We know that many small businesses are doing it tough and making significant sacrifices to keep their business running over Christmas,” said Mr Chandrasekkar.

“In addition to sacrificing their wellbeing, small businesses are spending up to one working day every week chasing invoices. Cash flow is the life blood of any business and being able to manage it is extremely important, especially in the lead up to a busy period like Christmas.

“Our goal is to provide the capability for business owners to leverage quicker payment terms and quicker access to funds. Biz Invoice positions us well ahead of the federal government’s roll out of e-Invoicing next year which will standardise electronic invoices to help reduce admin costs and boost productivity for small businesses,” he said.

Earlier this year, research from Deloitte Access Economics said e-invoicing could result in economy-wide benefits of up to $28 billion over 10 years.

Further to this, the Treasury last month released a discussion paper consulting on the e-invoicing governance arrangements between the Australian and New Zealand governments.

Both governments are ramping up their commitment to create a trans-Tasman business environment.

The ATO has backed the incoming e-invoicing initiative and believes it will help the industry move towards a total digital environment.

[Related: 6 tips to help small businesses generate more cash]