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General Questions
What is online invoicing or online invoice presentment?
Online Invoicing or Online Invoice Presentment generally has the same meaning. Online Invoicing or Online Invoice Presentment involves companies sending their invoices to their customers and offering them the ability to pay these invoices electronically via the Internet.
What is the difference between EIPP and EBPP?
Electronic Invoice Presentment and Payment (EIPP) is a system where invoices are presented to customers electronically via the Internet and provide the ability to pay the invoices electronically in a business to business environment.
Electronic Bill Presentment and Payment (EBPP) is similar however companies send bills to consumers and offer the ability to pay these bills electronically via the Internet. There are many derivatives of EIPP and EBPP models.
Is online billing the same as online invoicing?
Yes. Billing and invoicing are used interchangeably in many cases in the same way as EBPP and EIPP are used.
What is the difference between online invoicing and electronic invoicing?
There is no difference between online invoicing and electronic invoicing. The terminology is interchangeable but how companies offer their own particular service may result in the differences between the individual systems.
What Are Online Payments?
Online payments enable companies to make and accept payments though the web. Companies may accept payments over the Internet for goods and services rendered. They may take these online payments prior to the delivery of the goods, or where credit terms have been agreed, the online invoice payments will be made in response to the receipt of invoices.
What is Electronic Data Interchange (EDI)?
Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) is an old standard that allows one company to exchange electronic documents directly with another company. Typically EDI is a point-to-point solution over a leased line. Electronic Data Interchange is favored by large Enterprises that exchange significant volumes of documents with a trading partner under certain business rules. EDI is generally not attractive to SME companies because of high costs and integration difficulties.
What are Digital Signatures?
Digital Signatures are a replacement for physical signatures. Bluefish utilizes a Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) based on the use of digital certificates and public key cryptography to ensure the safety of all documents. In the year 2000, a law was passed that allows legal documents to be signed via digital signatures. In the physical world, a written signature indicates an individual's agreement to a document; a public notary may verify that the signature is unique and authentic. A digital signature is the online equivalent; a certificate authority verifies the identity of the signer.
What is Public Key Cryptography (PKI)?
Public Key Cryptography (PKI) ensures the confidentiality of sensitive information or messages by using a mathematical algorithm to scramble (encrypt) data and unscramble (decrypt) the message. In public key cryptography, authorized users receive special encryption software and a pair of keys: one an accessible public key, and the other a private key, which the user must keep secret.
The keys in a key pair are related so that a message encrypted with a user's public key can only be decrypted using the corresponding private key. A user (let's say David) encrypts a message using the public key of the intended recipient (Betty). When Betty receives the message, she decrypts it using her private key. Public keys are published in electronic directories.
What is ebXML?
Electronic Business using eXtensible Markup Language (ebXML), sponsored by such companies as UN/EDIFACT, is a modular suite of specifications that enables enterprises of any size and in any geographical location to conduct business over the Internet. Using ebXML, companies now have a standard method to exchange business messages, conduct trading relationships, communicate data in common terms and define and register business processes.
Questions About Our Services
What is Bluefish?
Bluefish a secure Electronic Invoice Presentment and Payment system (EIPP) that allows users to create, send and receive electronic invoices, electronic purchase orders and make secure online payments.
Bluefish works with all major accounting, billing and ERP packages, and as a stand-alone system. Users of the system can integrate seamlessly with their accounts receivable (A/R) and accounts payable (A/P) operations creating a true purchase to pay system that is not in a closed trading network.
Who Can Use Bluefish?
Any business can use Bluefish. Bluefish is generally meant for any size company that has high volumes of orders and/or invoices and/or payments that are currently going out in a manual paper based method on a regular basis.
What do I need to start using Bluefish and how long does it take?
To use the Bluefish Web-based e-billing service all you need is a PC with Internet Connection, and a Web browser.
If you wish to send e-documents from an application, such as an accounting package you will need to install the Bluefish plug-in. The plug-in can be emailed to you or downloaded from our website and only takes a moment, so you can start sending e-documents straight away.
What is the Bluefish Plug-in?
The Bluefish plug-in is a small piece of software that enables you to send electronic purchase orders and invoices from your accounting package or other application.
It is installed as a virtual printer on your system, and it always works alongside your existing software, never directly changing or modifying your accounting data files. The plug-in can be uninstalled at any time, should you decide to discontinue the service.
Do I need to upgrade or change my accounting package to send electronic documents?
No. Bluefish has been specifically designed so that it can plug-in to all the major accounting packages such as MS Great Plains and AccPac. There is an Bluefish plug-in for packages for the larger business, and Bluefish can be easily integrated with any system.
Can I send purchase orders, invoices and make payments from my accounting package?
Bluefish supports a managed solution for handling purchase orders, invoices and payments. Send your purchase orders or invoices from your accounting package to the Bluefish plug-in and have them delivered securely in an instant. Receive purchase orders or invoices directly into your accounting package. Define authorizations, workflow, set-up and initiate payments via the Bluefish Management Interface.
Can I send purchase orders, invoices and make payments from a small package like a Quickbooks®?
Bluefish supports a managed solution for handling purchase orders, billing and payments. Send your billing or purchase orders from QuickBooks into the Bluefish plug-in and have them delivered securely in an instant. Receive purchase orders or billing directly into your QuickBooks. Define authorization workflow, set-up payment and initiate payment via the Bluefish Management Interface.
I can already send invoices as PDF attachments in an email. What’s the difference?
Internet Email is completely insecure. How does the customer know the document came from you? How do you know the document has gone to the customer? How do you know that nobody else has viewed or tampered with this document? Can your customer import the PDF into their accounting package?
Bluefish offers you the most secure system using the most advanced practices in Encryption, Digital Signatures and User Authentication. Documents are digitally signed providing them with legal status in many countries. They are transported encrypted over the Internet so that you can be sure nobody else can view them. Only authenticated users can access the documents and import them into their accounting packages. Read our article on Security to find out more
How do I send electronic documents?
You create them exactly the same way as you do now using your existing accounting package. But when you go to print, you select the special "Bluefish " printer rather than your usual one. Bluefish then generates the e-documents or prints paper versions, depending on your customers’ chosen method of delivery. (See Demo).
Do I need an accounting package?
No. Bluefish has a built-in function that allows you to create and send electronic invoices online. This can be done by entering your invoice details into a simple web form, that is accessed from the Customer Admin Website (called Today’s Desktop). Once generated the invoices are stored to the Bluefish database for you and your customers to process online.
Is Bluefish secure?
Yes. Bluefish is far more secure than many traditional methods of sending and receiving accounting documents. The Bluefish system digitally signs (1024-bit encryption) e-invoices, which enforces the integrity of data at all times, and s also provides non-repudiation, that means that it ensures that a certain organization has signed a given invoice. In addition, Bluefish transports invoice data using the latest Internet technology (SSL, and server and clients certificates).
How do I manage my electronic documents?
Using the secure Bluefish Customer administrative website icon, that is password-protected, you can view the status of any new or archived documents, monitor disputes, and manage receivables.
How do my customers manage their electronic documents?
They manage them in exactly the same way as you do. At The Bluefish Customer admin website, your customers can view documents, download them in a variety of formats, dispute, approve and make electronic payments. They can also import the data directly into their accounting package, regardless of which accounting package you sent them from. (See Demo)
Does it cost my customer anything to receive e-documents?
No. Your customer will incur no charges for receiving electronic invoices or using the Bluefish service.
Can I send paper as well as electronic documents?
Yes, you can. Bluefish automatically sends out both electronic and paper invoices depending on your customer’s chosen method. Your customer has the ability to choose to receive electronic documents by changing their profile on the Bluefish Admin web site.
But my accounting package already supports XML?
Maybe, but it doesn't help with the secure delivery of that document. Typically you create a document and save it in an XML format, you start up your email system, type in your customers email address and attach the XML in an email to your customer. They read the email, save the attachment and import it into their package. You then have to repeat this process for each of your customers. Actually, you repeat the process for each of your customers who are happy to receive XML invoices (while keeping track of who they are!) and then go back and print paper invoices for the customers who cannot handle your XML. With Bluefish, you print all your invoices in one batch from your accounting package and we automatically manage the e-delivery in your customer's preferred format. It's as simple as that.
How is Bluefish different from EDI (Electronic Data Interchange)?
Unlike EDI, Bluefish can be used by anyone who has an Internet connection. Therefore most of your customers will be able to receive e-documents immediately without buying any new software or hardware - all they need is a Web browser. The use of EDI is limited to companies who have invested in EDI software and services.
Is Bluefish a global service?
Yes. Electronic invoicing is rapidly receiving global recognition. People are becoming more aware of it and how it can help them streamline their business processes while saving money. It is used extensively in Canada and the US and will soon ensure harmonization of standards in all member states to facilitate more efficient cross-border trading. Bluefish also offers a multi-lingual service, allowing all documents to be sent in English, French, Spanish, German, and others.
How much does Bluefish cost?
Not as much as you think! Many businesses will be able to halve their monthly invoicing costs by using Bluefish. Bluefish is an online invoicing service that consist of a monthly fee and a delivery charge. For more information visit our. Also, read our article "The Shocking Truth about Paper Invoicing" to discover exactly how much you currently spend on paper billing.
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