Refrens

Refrens helps you automatically create invoices and other documents in bulk via CSV files. In this article, we will learn by taking the example of bulk uploading invoices. you can follow the same process for other documents.

To bulk upload invoices, go to your invoice dashboard > on the top right side, click on the dropdown menu beside the "Create New Invoice" button > Select "Bulk Upload Invoices" OR "Bulk Upload Invoices (custom Config.)". (The difference between these two options is explained later in this article.)

A pop-up will appear on the screen, and from there download the sample CSV:

You can then fill up your data in the CSV and upload the same CSV on the bulk upload invoices option. But before that, you need to keep several things in mind.

1) "Bulk Upload Invoices" Vs "Bulk Upload Invoices (custom Config.)" - What to choose?

Here’s how to choose the right option for you:

• Use Bulk Upload if your documents follow a standard format without custom formulas (e.g., Quantity × Rate = Total Amount).
• Choose Bulk Upload (Custom Config.) if your documents have custom formulas (e.g., Quantity = Area × Breadth or Final Quantity = Articles × Words per Article). (learn more about this here.) 

2) File Format

Only CSV files are supported for bulk upload. 

3) Column Names 

The sample CSV file that you downloaded will look like this:

You can add your data in this file only to avoid any errors. Also, do not make changes to the column names.

4) Mandatory Columns

Some columns are mandatory to be filled. You can leave other columns empty if not needed, but you will need to have data in the below-given columns:

1. clientName - The name of your client.

2. invoiceNumber -  This is optional. If you keep this empty, the system will automatically assign invoice numbers based on your last invoice number in the system.  

3. invoiceDate - (must be in a format of dd-mm-yyyy, for example, 23-01-2022)

4. lineItem - The product or service you are selling.

5. amount - Price of the product or service.

6. currency - You will need to add the currency as a currency code. for example, INR, USD, EUR, GBP, etc. You can see the full list of currency codes below.

7. quantity - This is mandatory in the normal "Bulk Upload" method, but if you are using the "Bulk Upload (Custom Config.)" method, this field will be missing in your bulk upload file. Learn Why> 

8. country - You can add the country by adding country codes such as IN, US, AU, SA, and so on. If you add India, United States, Australia, etc., it will give you an error. So please add the country code only. The full list of country codes is given below.

9. gstState  - If you are an Indian GST-registered business, you will also see a column called "gstState". You have to add the GST State Code of your clients here. Adding this helps the system know if your invoice will show GST as IGST or CGST + SGST based on whether the transaction is interstate OR intrastate respectively.  (The list of GST State Codes is given at the end of the article for your reference.)

5) Sending Emails to Clients/Vendors

In the CSV file, you will see two columns called "fromEmail" and "fromName" as shown below:

But firstly, ensure that you have connected your personal/work email with Refrens. (See how to do that>)

In the "fromEmail" column, add the email from which you want to send the documents to your clients/vendors. (As mentioned above, this email should be connected to Refrens)

In the "fromName" column, add your sender name.

6) Phone Number Format

Phone numbers are not mandatory to add, but if you are adding a phone number that contains a plus sign in the beginning, add an apostrophe (’) at the start to avoid any errors. 

For example:

7) Uploading Time

Once you are done adding all the data, you can upload that CSV file. If your upload is successful, you will the following message.

Do keep in mind that the invoices you uploaded will take several minutes to reflect in the system. So unless you receive an error message while uploading, do not re-upload the CSV file again. 

After a few minutes, you will be able to view the uploaded invoices in your invoice dashboard. You will also receive a confirmation email once this process is complete.

In case you want to add custom fields in the header/footer/additional charges sections of your invoices, or you want to add multiple line items while bulk uploading, please check out this help article: How to add custom fields and multiple line items using bulk upload?

Adding Payment Details

If you want to update payment details as well in bulk, you can do that by adding 4 more columns:

1. paymentDate: (must be in a format of dd-mm-yyyy, for example, 23-01-2022)

2. paymentAccount: Name of the payment account in which the payment was made/received.  (Bank A/c., Cash A/c., Employee A/c., Debit/Credit Card A/c., etc.)

3. paymentMethod: Add the method via which the payment was made (Account Transfer, UPI, etc.)

4. paidAmount: Amout which you paid/received.

Important Note: If your document includes multiple line items, ensure that the total payment amount for the entire document is entered when adding payment details. Do not enter the payment amount for individual line items. For example:

Key Things To Take Care of

1. Always use the sample CSV file format.
2. Avoid altering column names.
3. Ensure correct formats for dates, currencies, and country codes.
4. Allow processing time for uploads to reflect in the system.
   • Avoid re-uploading unless you receive an error.
   • You’ll get a confirmation email once the upload is successful.

Read More:

How to add forex conversion rates while bulk uploading documents? 

How to add custom fields and multiple line items using bulk upload?

List of Country Codes, Currency Codes, and GST State Codes

A) Country Codes

B) Currency Codes

C) GST State Codes