From 8 to 3mins: Streamlining Ad-Hoc Invoicing for 2,000+ SaaS Businesses
Role
Lead Designer
Researcher
Engineering Hand-off
Team
+ Myself
+ Product Manager
+ Engineer
Timeline
12 weeks (2024)
Outcomes
60% faster invoice creation time
Average time reduced from 8 minutes to 3 minutes per invoice
55% reduction in support tickets
Users could now complete tasks independently without contacting support
2,000+ businesses impacted
Enabled faster revenue collection on the platform
Improved satisfaction and retention
Reduced churn attributed to billing workflow frustrations
"Definitely makes my life easier being able to add all the catalog items from the dropdown; it was quick and very efficient."
Barrow M. —VP of Product
To protect confidential information, I have removed or modified any sensitive details in accordance with my confidentiality agreement.
Problem
The ad-hoc invoicing feature needed an overhaul
A feature meant to simplify billing was doing the opposite.
Flooding support: Tickets about ad-hoc invoicing limitations kept piling up
100% manual entry: Every product name, quantity, and price typed from scratch
7-8 min per invoice: Hours lost weekly for high-volume billing teams
Feature gaps: No catalog selection, coupons, tax visibility, or line item editing
Research
What we discovered
Support tickets flagged a problem, but we wanted to understand the full picture. I partnered with Sales and Marketing to recruit 8 participants—billing ops, CX, and finance/AR teams across startups, SMBs, and enterprise—for 45-minute interviews.
We assumed users needed ad-hoc invoicing for one-off charges. We were wrong.
⚠️
7 of 8 participants were using ad-hoc invoicing to re-issue invoices
Not for one-off charges as we assumed—but to recreate voided, incorrect, or cancelled invoices. Every time, they had to open the old invoice, manually copy each line item, and re-enter everything from scratch. A painful, error-prone workaround that added minutes to every single invoice.
We also uncovered 5 critical pain points
Across all participants, the same frustrations surfaced repeatedly. Here's what they told us:
Final
The Redesign
The redesigned ad-hoc invoicing experience gave users the ability to select from their existing product catalog, apply coupons, and configure tax—all within a cleaner, faster workflow.
Selecting from the Product Catalog
To reduce cognitive load, I applied progressive disclosure throughout the line item experience. Fields and options only appear when users need them—keeping the interface clean and focused.
Applying coupons
Coupons live in their own dedicated section—separate from line items to reflect how they actually behave in the billing system.
Impact
3 months after launch…
Three months after launch, the results spoke for themselves—but the numbers only tell part of the story.
🕐
Faster Workflows
Billing workflow frustrations were a known churn driver. The redesign removed that friction entirely.
🎫
Fewer Support Tickets
Monthly tickets fell from ~150 to ~45. The support team was freed up to focus on higher-value customer issues.
📉
Reduced Churn
Billing workflow frustrations were a known churn driver. The redesign removed that friction entirely.
🤝
Unblocked Enterprise Deals
Feature limitations were stalling enterprise sales conversations. This removed a key objection at the deal table.
⚡
Faster Revenue Collection
Streamlined invoicing meant customers could bill faster—directly impacting their cash flow.
🏆
Stronger Market Position
Closed the feature gap against Stripe, Chargebee, and Recurly—making Maxio more competitive in the market.
Looking Back
What I Learned
Never Skip Research
Assumptions almost took us in the wrong direction. Research revealed users were re-issuing invoices—not creating one-off charges like we assumed.
Small Changes, Big Impact
Dropdowns, pre-populated pricing, inline editing—simple patterns that matched real workflows and drove measurable results.
Collaborate Early and Often
Engineering caught coupon complexity I would have missed alone. Diverse perspectives lead to better solutions.
What I'd Do Differently
Test With Real Customers
Internal testing validated our approach, but real customers would have surfaced edge cases we didn't anticipate.
Deep-Dive Complex Features in Discovery
I learned about coupon complexity mid-design. Earlier research would have shaped my designs sooner and saved iteration time.
Explore More Alternatives
We landed on a good solution for coupons, but I could have explored more patterns before committing to a direction.
NEXT CASE STUDY
Reimagining Maxio’s subscription management in HubSpot
60% faster setup time and 70% fewer support tickets— streamlining subscription management for sales teams.
FinTech
design lead
UX Research
