The European Union's Expert Group on electronic invoicing has released a Final Report on the subject.

Our own government hasn't taken a completely hands-off approach to EIPP. Many types of businesses are getting financial incentives to switch to electronic record-keeping and invoicing, in light of government studies concluding that such measures can save the nation billions of dollars.

But the European Union has taken the question very seriously. Here's what they envision for member nations:

• Within 5 to 8 years, e-invoicing will be the norm across Europe.
• Shared standards will make e-invoicing compatible from one country to another.
• There will be "a wide choice of solutions and services to support e-invoicing."
  
• Companies with limited technological skills will not be excluded from the benefits of e-invoicing.
• Solutions will be easy and user-friendly, as well as being affordable to companies of different sizes in different areas.
• E-invoicing will encourage other kinds of paperless office procedures.

This seems like a sensible vision to us. One of the main recommendations of the report is "to ensure that e-invoicing moves towards the top of the agenda, in view of its huge potential benefits to the economy and society."

We agree. We're doing our part, too, by offering SmartPay as a practical, user-friendly, affordable solution for businesses of all sizes. For us, it's part of a move toward paperless offic practices, and we're proud to be part of the wide range of choices available for e-invoicing. 

What's your vision of e-invoicing? Will the United States be ready,in five to eight years, or will we be behind the EU? It's up to all of us. 

SmartPay has some new pricing options.

First, we now give you a choice of merchant accounts.While we still recommend our partner, Intercept EFT, we realize that some companies already have merchant accounts with their banks or as part of their brick and mortar operation. We want SmartPay to be available to all businesses, so we don't require that you create a new merchant account if you prefer not to.

Second, we've created new pricing tiers. Our first tier, at a mere $19 a month, is ideal for professionals or small firms that send fewer than 36 invoices a month. We don't limit you to a particular number of clients, either. You pay for the number of invoices you send out.

We like that first tier, also, for companies that would like to try EIPP and see how it works for them. You can serve a group of customers -- new clients, for example, or those with recurring invoices -- and get the hang of using SmartPay. We're sure that once you try it, you'll want to roll the system out for all your invoices.

The pricing system is great for companies that have variable needs: you're charged for the number of invoices you actually send out each month. If you invoice 100 in January and only 32 in February, your cost is lower in February. It's simple.

Whichever tier fits you, there's always just one low set-up fee. We customize your SmartPay system, including a secure portal. Since this portal will have have your look and feel, your customers can immediately feel at ease with your new system.

SmartPay is even better for your business now. 

The census is a lot of things to a lot of people.

It's an important repository of information. For researchers, census data is the best way to find information about populations. What percentage of the American people could read in 1860? Just how urban were we during the Roaring Twenties, and what effect did the Great Depression have on that aspect of our lives?

It's an essential tool in economic decision making, too. Federal funds are allocated in part on the basis of information gathered in the census. Decisions about and within schools,  business plans, and marketing strategies use information gathered in the census.

Ordinary people use census data about their ancestors to gain a deeper understanding of their families, or practical information about health issues. 

But we're seeing the Census of 2010 as a testimony to electronic record-keeping.

We advocate electronic records, including electronic billing, as an environmentally responsible change, an important cost-cutting measure, and a way to reduce error and stress.

For the census, it may be what makes the process possible.

Our forefathers and foremothers probably didn't foresee the kinds of numbers we're working with this year. We're expecting 90 million responses to the census. They have to be tabulated within 90 days. Yes, that's a million documents a day to capture and count.

 It'll be done with the assistance of electronic technology. 

The census is still done on paper, so the records all have to be scanned before they can be worked with. By 2020, we should have turned the corner on that and moved on to a paperless census. But even with some paper involved, the 2010 census will still be more  automated, more efficient, and more accurate.

Every one of us counts. Fortunately, we've got computers to help do the counting.

It's nobody's favorite part of the job, but every business has to face it sooner or later: the customer who doesn't pay.

SmartPay can help. Here's how:

•  First, and perhaps most important, using an EIPP solution like Onsharp's SmartPay cuts down on the number of collections efforts you'll have to make. Far fewer people will fail to pay because they forgot, delayed because of having run out of checks or stamps, lost the bill -- all the little things that cause delays among people who intend to pay.SmartPay is so easy for customers that most will pay your bill quickly.
  
• Second, SmartPay eliminates problems on the merchant's end, too. You'll no longer have invoices that don't get sent because you failed to get around to invoicing, thought you had billed someone, or mislaid the stack of bills waiting to be mailed.  SmartPay lets you set up recurring invoices to be sent automatically, too.
• SmartPay keeps track of who has paid and who hasn't. There is no question of a check getting lost in the mail or a payment not being recorded in your office. You can easily run a report of aging invoices at any time.
  
• SmartPay lets you send reminders and messages -- automatically to anyone who falls behind on payments, or individual messages to one customer who needs some extra support. SmartPay won't get tired of sending reminders and give up, either.

We hope that 2010 is a prosperous year for you and all of your customers, and that you don't have any collection issues. However, it's nice to know that SmartPay can help if these issues arise.

If you need some help taking advantage of all the features of SmartPay, contact us and we'll be happy to work with you.