All you need to know about electronic invoicing

In this FAQ, you'll learn everything businesses need to know about electronic invoicing. The first thing to understand is what e-billing is and how it works. To help you understand what electronic invoicing can do for your business, we'll also tell you about all the advantages it offers. Finally, we'll show you how to implement electronic invoicing in your company.

Electronic invoicing: definition and operation

The electronic invoice is the equivalent of the paper invoice, but, as the name suggests, in digital format. These invoices are issued, sent and received in a totally electronic format. To be issued in digital format, the invoice must first be accepted by the recipient. The recipient has the right to refuse and demand a paper invoice. The dematerialization of electronic invoices should not be confused with the digitization of invoices. Digitization is simply the creation of a digital version of a paper invoice. It is therefore only one stage in the dematerialization of invoices.

The advantages of electronic invoicing over paper invoicing

If electronic invoicing is gradually becoming the new standard in business, it's because it offers so many advantages. Doing without paper documents means considerable savings in terms of production, dispatch and archiving. Electronic invoicing also helps protect the environment. Above all, because dematerialized invoicing can be automated, it considerably speeds up all business processes. Last but not least, electronic invoicing is a reliable and totally secure solution. In short, electronic invoicing has many arguments to seduce companies.

Implementing electronic invoicing in your company

Companies wishing to adopt dematerialized invoicing must ensure that the invoices they issue scrupulously comply with the law. To be recognized by the law, electronic invoices must contain all the information required for paper invoicing, but they must also be secure. To achieve this, companies can use electronic signatures or a reliable audit trail. A reliable audit trail consists in precisely documenting all information relating to the processing of digital invoices. As such, and only as such, electronic invoices have the same value as paper invoices in the eyes of the law.