Automating Recurring Invoices from Signed Documents

Overview

The CRM's Documents & Contracts feature includes an automation to generate recurring invoices when a document is signed. This allows you to seamlessly create a payment schedule tied directly to a contract or agreement. You can configure invoices to be sent immediately upon signing or on a specific future date.

Configuring a Template for Recurring Invoices

To set up this automation, you first need to create a document template with the correct elements.

Create and Configure the Template

Navigate to Payments > Documents & Contracts > Templates and click New Template.

• Add a product list to your template.
• Add a signature element where required for signing.

Set Up Recurring Products

When you add a recurring product to the product list, a settings drawer will open automatically for configuration. The product list visually tags items as either one-time or recurring.

• One-time products are billed only once.
• A recurring product with a setup fee will appear as two separate line items: one for the recurring charge and another for the one-time fee. Only the recurring charge repeats on future invoices.

Configure Invoice Scheduling

Within the product list settings, you can define when invoices are generated.

• Generate Invoice at Signing: Toggle this ON to create a schedule where the first invoice is generated immediately upon signing. Subsequent invoices follow the frequency you set (e.g., monthly). For example, a document signed on January 25th with a monthly schedule would trigger the next invoice on February 25th.
• Toggle this OFF to set a specific calendar date for the first invoice, independent of the signing date.

Enable Direct Payment

This setting controls what happens after the document is signed.

• Toggle ON to redirect the primary signer directly to the invoice payment page and send them an email with the invoice.
• Toggle OFF to save the first invoice as a draft, which you can then review and send manually.

Once your template is fully configured, save it.

Using the Template in a Workflow

To automate the sending and signing process, use your saved template in a workflow.

1. Go to the Workflows section and create a new workflow.
2. Add an action to send your document template.
3. When the workflow runs and the recipient signs the document, the invoice automation will trigger based on your template settings. The primary signer will be redirected for payment if you enabled direct payment.

Tracking Payments

You can monitor invoice status and received payments in two areas of the CRM:

• The Documents section under Payments.
• The dedicated Invoices section.

Troubleshooting: Invoice Not Generated

If a payment schedule is in your document but the invoice fails to generate, it's often due to a date conflict. This can happen if the first payment in the schedule is set to a custom future date that falls after the invoice's due date. To resolve this, configure the first payment to be "Upon primary signature". This ensures the payment schedule aligns correctly with the invoice generation logic.