Numbers tell a story. Your SemaQuote invoice dashboard transforms billing data into actionable insights that help you improve cash flow, spot problem accounts, and make smarter business decisions.
Let's explore what you'll find here and how to use it effectively.
Your Dashboard at a Glance
When you open your dashboard, you'll see several invoice-related widgets that give you an instant health check on your accounts receivable. Think of it as your financial vital signs.
The Four Key Metrics
At the top of your dashboard, four numbers give you the big picture:
Total Outstanding
This is the sum of all unpaid invoice balances. It represents money your clients owe you right now.
What to watch for: A healthy contracting business keeps this number manageable relative to monthly revenue. If your outstanding balance is consistently growing faster than your collections, you have a problem building.
Overdue Amount
This shows the portion of your outstanding invoices that are past their due date.
Your goal: Keep this as close to zero as possible. If it's growing month over month, you have a collections problem that needs attention.
Paid This Month
This is the revenue you've collected in the current calendar month.
How to use it: Compare this to your monthly goal or to previous months to track your performance. Is this month better or worse than last month?
Overdue Count
This is the number of invoices (not dollar amount) that are overdue.
Why it matters: Even if the dollar amount is small, a high count might indicate a systemic issue with your payment terms or follow-up process. One big overdue invoice is different from twenty small ones.
Understanding the Status Distribution Chart
The pie chart shows how your invoices break down by status. Here's what each slice means:
| Status | Color | What It Tells You |
|---|---|---|
| Draft | Gray | Invoices waiting to be sent |
| Sent | Blue | Out the door, awaiting payment |
| Partial | Amber | Some payment received, balance remaining |
| Paid | Green | Fully collected |
| Overdue | Red | Past due date, needs action |
Reading Your Chart
A Healthy Distribution
You want to see mostly green (Paid) with a small blue wedge (Sent) representing recent invoices. Red should be minimal or nonexistent.
Warning Signs
- Large red wedge: Growing overdue problem, time to focus on collections
- Large gray wedge: Too many drafts sitting unsent, you're delaying your own payments
- Large amber wedge: Many invoices stuck in partial payment, follow up on remaining balances
Taking Action from the Chart
Click on any status segment to filter your invoice list to just those invoices. This lets you jump from insight to action in one tap. See a growing red wedge? Click it and start making calls.
Revenue Trends: Your Financial Timeline
The revenue chart tracks three important metrics over time (typically the last 30 days):
The Three Lines
Invoiced (Blue Line)
The total value of invoices you created each day. Spikes indicate when you billed for completed work.
Paid (Green Line)
Payments you received each day. Ideally, this line trends upward and roughly follows the invoiced line with a delay that matches your payment terms.
Overdue (Red Line)
The cumulative overdue amount over time. This line should stay flat or trend downward. A rising overdue line means you're accumulating unpaid bills faster than you're collecting them.
Patterns to Watch For
| Pattern | What It Means | What to Do |
|---|---|---|
| Green follows blue with 2-4 week lag | Healthy cash flow | Keep doing what you're doing |
| Large gap between blue and green | Cash flow stress | Shorten payment terms or follow up faster |
| Red line trending downward | Collection success | Your efforts are working |
| Red line trending upward | Growing problem | Prioritize collections immediately |
Your Collection Rate: The Number That Matters Most
Your collection rate answers a simple question: "Of all the invoices I've sent, what percentage have been fully paid?"
Collection Rate = (Paid Invoices / Total Invoices) x 100
How Do You Stack Up?
| Rate | What It Means |
|---|---|
| 95%+ | Excellent. You're collecting nearly everything |
| 85-94% | Good. Normal range for most contractors |
| 70-84% | Needs attention. Review your follow-up process |
| Below 70% | Concerning. Time to address systemic issues |
Practical Ways to Improve Your Collection Rate
Shorten Your Payment Terms
If you're currently at Net 30, try Net 15 for smaller jobs. Shorter terms mean faster payment.
Send Strategic Reminders
Follow up 3 days before the due date and immediately when an invoice becomes overdue. Most late payments are just oversights.
Require Deposits
Collect 25-50% upfront on larger projects. This reduces your risk and improves cash flow from day one.
Vet New Clients
For big jobs with new clients, consider running a credit check or requiring payment milestones instead of a single final payment.
Invoice Aging: Where Your Money Gets Stuck
Invoice aging shows how long your outstanding invoices have been waiting for payment. This helps you prioritize which clients need follow-up first.
The Aging Buckets
SemaQuote groups your unpaid invoices into categories:
| Bucket | What It Means | Your Priority |
|---|---|---|
| Current | Not yet due | Low, payment is expected |
| 1-30 Days | Overdue up to a month | Medium, send a reminder |
| 31-60 Days | Overdue 1-2 months | High, call the client |
| 61-90 Days | Overdue 2-3 months | Critical, escalate efforts |
| 90+ Days | Overdue over 3 months | Severe, consider write-off |
The Hard Truth About Aging
The longer an invoice remains unpaid, the less likely you are to collect it. Industry research suggests:
| Age | Collection Probability |
|---|---|
| Current | 95%+ |
| 30 days overdue | ~85% |
| 60 days overdue | ~70% |
| 90+ days overdue | 50% or less |
The takeaway: Focus your energy on the 30-60 day bucket. That's where your intervention is most effective. Don't spend all your time chasing 90+ day invoices at the expense of preventing fresh invoices from getting there.
Status Trends Over Time
The status trend chart shows how your invoice mix has changed over the past week or month. Each bar represents a day, with color-coded segments showing draft, sent, paid, and overdue counts.
What to Look For
Improving Trend
The green (paid) segment grows over time while red (overdue) shrinks. Your collection efforts are working.
Stable Operation
Consistent mix day to day indicates predictable business operations. You know what to expect.
Warning Trend
Growing red segment over multiple weeks suggests you're falling behind on collections. Time to take action.
Real-World Scenarios and Action Plans
Scenario: End-of-Month Cash Crunch
You need cash for payroll, and your outstanding invoices are higher than usual.
Your Action Plan:
- Filter to Sent and Partial invoices
- Sort by amount (largest first)
- Call your three largest outstanding invoices personally
- Consider offering a small discount (2-3%) for immediate payment
Sometimes a quick discount beats waiting another 30 days.
Scenario: Overdue Amount Is Growing
Your dashboard shows overdue invoices have doubled in the past month.
Your Action Plan:
- Review the aging report to identify problem invoices
- Contact clients in the 30-60 day bucket immediately
- For 90+ day invoices, decide: pursue aggressively or write off
- Review your new client onboarding process, are you attracting bad payers?
Scenario: Collection Rate Dropped
Your collection rate fell from 90% to 75% this quarter.
Your Action Plan:
- Identify whether specific clients are responsible for most unpaid invoices
- Review your payment terms, are they too generous?
- Evaluate your reminder and follow-up process
- Consider requiring deposits for higher-risk work or new clients
Building Better Habits with Your Dashboard
Check Weekly
Make time every Monday to review your invoice dashboard. Catching problems early prevents them from becoming crises. A 10-minute weekly review can save you hours of collection headaches later.
Compare Periods
Look at this month versus last month, this quarter versus last quarter. A single data point tells you little. Trends tell you everything. Is your collection rate improving or declining? Is overdue amount growing or shrinking?
Act on What You See
Analytics are only valuable if they drive action. When you see a warning sign on your dashboard, address it that day. Don't wait until your weekly review to call a client whose invoice just hit 30 days overdue.
Set Personal Benchmarks
Know your numbers. Set targets for:
- Collection rate (aim for 90%+)
- Average days to payment (shorter is better)
- Maximum acceptable overdue amount
Review your progress against these goals regularly.
Quick Reference: Dashboard Health Check
| Metric | Healthy | Warning | Action Needed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Collection Rate | 90%+ | 80-89% | Below 80% |
| Overdue Amount | Under 10% of outstanding | 10-25% | Over 25% |
| Average Days to Payment | Within your terms | 10+ days over | 30+ days over |
| Status Distribution | Mostly green | Growing red | Red > 20% |
Related Articles
- Understanding Invoice Statuses - Learn what each status means
- Recording Payments - Track payments as they arrive
- Sending Invoices - Get invoices in front of clients quickly
- Creating Invoices - Build professional invoices fast