Send an invoice by email

Send without leaving Billora

Billora sends your invoices directly by email, with the PDF attached, without going through your mail client. Sending also moves the invoice forward: it switches to the « Envoyé » (Sent) status and, if it was a draft, it receives its final number.

Example. Samir is a plumber in Agadir. He has just finished a job for a real estate agency. From the invoice page, he clicks « Envoyer » (Send), checks that the agency's accounting contact is ticked, keeps the PDF attached, and sends. Within seconds, the invoice is out and its status is up to date.

Before you start

• The invoice must exist (as a draft or already sent). A cancelled invoice cannot be sent: Billora replies « Impossible d'envoyer une facture annulée » (Cannot send a cancelled invoice).
• The client must have at least one email address, on their record or in one of their contacts (see Create and manage your clients). You can also type an address manually when sending.

Send an invoice, step by step

1. Open the invoice (Facturation → Factures (Invoicing → Invoices)) and click « Envoyer » (Send) at the top of the page (or the « Envoyer » / « Renvoyer » (Resend) tile in the Quick actions). From the list, it is the « Envoyer par email » (Send by email) action.
2. The « Envoyer la facture FA-… » (Send invoice FA-…) window opens (for a draft: « Envoyer la facture (brouillon) »).
3. Recipients: the checkbox for the company email and one for each client contact that has an address are offered. The main contact is ticked by default; otherwise it is the company email. To add another person, use « Ajouter un email manuellement » (Add an email manually). You can enter up to 20 recipients.
4. Subject and Message: they are pre-filled with your email template, and you can edit them freely.
5. Tick or untick « Joindre la facture en PDF » (Attach the invoice as PDF) (ticked by default). If you have uploaded your tax compliance certificate, a « Joindre l'attestation de régularité fiscale (DGI) » (Attach the tax compliance certificate (DGI)) checkbox also appears.
6. Click « Envoyer ».

What you see next: the window closes and the page reloads. A draft is now « Envoyé » and carries its number. The message goes out with your logo.

Customise the email template

The pre-filled text comes from the « Envoi de facture » (Invoice sending) template, which you edit in Paramètres → Modèles d'e-mails (Settings → Email templates) (see Email templates). You can use the variables {{societe_nom}}, {{client_nom}}, {{facture_numero}}, {{montant_ttc}}, {{date_echeance}} and {{lien_portail}} in it. By default, the subject is « Votre facture {{facture_numero}} — {{societe_nom}} » (Your invoice … — …).

Template customisation depends on your subscription: if it is not included, the page tells you from which plan it is available.

The choice of sending server (Billora Mail or your own SMTP) is made in Paramètres → Email (Settings → Email).

After sending

• Editing an invoice that was already sent: if you edit it, a « Facture modifiée après envoi » (Invoice modified after sending) banner invites you to send it again, with a « Renvoyer » (Resend) button.
• Tracking opens: when the recipient opens the invoice, an « Ouvert par le destinataire » (Opened by the recipient) badge appears, with the date. The Ouvertures (Opens) tab of the page gives the details.
• Other channels: the « … » menu offers « Marquer comme envoyée » (Mark as sent) (if you handed it over another way, without email) and, depending on your subscription, « Envoyer via WhatsApp » (Send via WhatsApp).
• Reminders: for an unpaid invoice, « Relancer par email » (Send a reminder by email) uses a separate template (see Reminders).

If sending fails

• A mistyped address is flagged before sending: « Email invalide : … » (Invalid email: …), or « Au moins une adresse email est requise » (At least one email address is required).
• If the email server rejects the message, Billora displays an explanation in French. The latest failed sends are listed in Paramètres → Email, under « Envois récents en échec » (Recent failed sends).
• If you send many messages in a row, you may see « Quota d'emails atteint pour ce compte. Réessayez plus tard. » (Email quota reached for this account. Try again later.): wait a little.

Sending and stock

When the email goes out, the invoice switches to the « Envoyée » (Sent) status: this is when the stock of tracked products decreases (only once, even if you resend the email). A draft without a number receives its final number when sent. The details are in Understanding invoice statuses.

Frequently asked questions

My client says they received nothing. What should I check?

Ask them to check their spam folder, verify the address used, then look at « Envois récents en échec » in Paramètres → Email. You can also resend the invoice.

Can I send the invoice to several people?

Yes, tick several contacts or add addresses: up to 20 recipients.

Does resending an invoice change its status?

No. Resending an invoice that was already sent changes neither its status nor its stock. Only the first sending of a draft moves the invoice to « Envoyé ».

Can I send without the PDF?

Yes, untick « Joindre la facture en PDF ». The message then goes out without an attachment.

Next steps