E-Delivered Invoices Failing for One Customer

This document explains what to do if the automatic (e-delivery) emailing of invoices is failing for one or a few customers. 

If a customer notifies you they aren’t receiving their automatic emailed invoices.  You have to determine if it is the setup of your profits plus emailing invoices, your email server, or your customer’s email. 

Automatic emailing of invoices failing for one customer:  This is based on pre-set parameters in the document titled, E-Mailing or Faxing Invoices. 

•  If NONE of your customers are receiving automatic invoices, verify everything on the E-Mailing or Faxing Invoices is setup correctly.  If everything is setup correctly follow the below steps for one customer.
  • If NONE of your customers are receiving automatic invoices, & you have verified the setup is correct: you must verify your email server is working correctly: email yourself an edit list or report from Profits Plus.  If this isn’t working correctly, you may need IT assistance to see what is wrong with your email server.  

  •   If other customers are receiving automatic invoices, but one or a few are NOT receiving the automatic invoices, and the parameters are setup correctly.  Follow the below steps for one customer. 

• ​Go into order entry (6,1,1) & open an order for this customer, put an item on the order & invoice the order.

• If the printer screen comes when invoicing, make sure field 1 Printer, on the printer screen is the physical printer that you would normally want a physical copy to print.

• ​Call the customer to see if they received the invoice.  If they did receive it you are finished & you can void the invoice. If needed wait 15 minutes to see if the email server is delayed.  If they didn’t receive the emailed invoice, don’t void the invoice, continue. 

• Verify the TO email address.  Go into A/R Customer master (Task 17), Sub-task 2 Change existing customer record.   The TO email address needs the correct prefix: for example:

  • ​.ESTM support@mvsoftware.com The .ESTM must be correct according to your ESTM’EML’PREFIX= parameter.

  • The parameter must have a . period, and the memo notes must have a . period. 

• ​Go into A/R, Customer Master (Task 17), Change existing customer record (Sub-task 2).  Bring up the customer #

  • ​Look at field 12 Cust type: is the customer a summary customer?  Summary customer automatic invoice delivery is handled a little differently. 

  • Look at field 50 Invoice code: make sure this is setup correctly per the parameter (6,32,22,8) EDELIVERY’ICODES=  If the customer had an incorrect invoice code, correct it & go back to the invoice in order entry & select the action Re-invoice.  Call the customer to see if they received the email with the invoice as an attachment.  If needed wait 15 minutes to see if they finally received it.  If they received it, you are finished & you can void the invoice. If they didn’t receive it continue. 

  • Go back into A/R Customer master (Task 17), Change existing customer record (Sub-task 2), Bring up the customer #, go to the memo notes, go to the top of the memo notes.  Add a new line at the top of the memo notes by pressing the Control key and the B at the same time.  On this blank line type in the invoice email prefix and your email address.  For example:

    • ​.EIVC cheryl@someplace.com

      • ​Escape out of the memo notes

    • ​Next, go back to order entry, bring up the invoice & select the action Re-invoice.  The system will send the invoice to only the first .EIVC in the memo notes, which is now you.

    • Verify you received the email. 

• ​Go into A/R, Customer Master (Task 17), Change existing customer record (Sub-task 2).  Bring up the customer & go to the top of the memo notes.  Put the cursor at the line with your email address. Change your email address to a different email address outside of your system.  If your first test was to your work email address, now change it to your personal email address, cheryl@yahoo.com, or cheryl@gmail.com

  • ​Go back to order entry, bring up the invoice & select the action Re-invoice.  Wait 15 minutes to see if this email address was received by your outside email.

  • & press the Control key and the Z at the same time.  This should delete the line with your email address.  Escape out of the memo notes.  The next time you automatically email to this customer it will look for a different line with the .estm

• ​ Go into A/R, Customer Master (Task 17), Change existing customer record (Sub-task 2).  Bring up the customer & go to the top of the memo notes.  Put the cursor at the line with your email address & press the Control key and the Z at the same time.  This should delete the line with your email address.  Escape out of the memo notes.  The next time you automatically email to this customer it will look for a different line with the .estm

• Go into Order Processing (Module 6), System Management functions (Task 32), Modify parameter files (Subtask 22), Custom options (8).  Look for:

  • ​EDELIVERY’EML’FROM=

  • This from address must be valid

  • The email rejections should be going to this email address.  So you need access to this email address to check for rejections.

  • Re-invoice the invoice for this customer.  Go into the FROM email & look for a rejection notice.

• ​Open your email & email them something, anything out of profits plus.  In the email ask them to reply to the email.  Verify they have received it.  If they didn’t receive it wait an hour & verify if the customer received it.  (Some email servers are delayed.)

  • ​ If the customer received the email from you, then you know your customer is receiving email from you.

    • ​When the customer replies to you, verify their address is the same as what you have setup in the customer’s memo notes. 

    • If your email address is different then the ESTM’EML’FROM= email address: meaning your email address is cheryl@someplace.com & the parameter is set to ESTM’EML’FROM=accountsreceivable@someplace.com  then you know your customer is receiving email from you but not from the accountsrecievable@someplace.com address.

• ​If the customer was receiving emails and now all of a sudden isn’t receiving them

  • ​Ask your IT manager if your company changed anything to do with your email server. 

  • Ask the customer to check with their IT manager, to see if they changed anything to do with their email server.    

• ​Ask your customer to check their email server’s SPAM folder.  They might have their own spam folder & their email server may have a separate SPAM folder.  Have your customer check both SPAM folders.  If the invoice is in either spam folder the customer will need to add the email address to their white list.  Then send the automatic invoice again.  

NOTE: If an invoice was created specifically for testing, remember to void this invoice.

There is a difference between emailing an invoice on demand versus automatically emailing an invoice.             

• Emailing an invoice on demand: We call this manual emailing. A customer calls requesting an invoice copy.  An invoice is printed.  Instead of physically printing the invoice, the EMAIL EFORM Invoice type printer is selected on the printer screen. The email, subject, to & from, screen comes up & the PDF invoice is emailed, via profits plus, through your email server, to the customer.
  • ​If the customer isn’t getting this type of email:
    • ​Email the customer an invoice from history, when the email, subject, to & from, screen comes up, pay attention to the TO & FROM address.  The FROM address must be a valid address. 
    • Go into your email & email the customer anything & have the customer reply to the email.  If the customer received this email, & replies, verify the TO address used is correct. 

Note: If you don't already have invoices automatically delivered via email or fax, but would like to start, contact us & see document titled E-Mailing or Faxing Invoices.