Dashboard

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Introduction

The Blinksale dashboard provides a comprehensive overview of your business’s financial performance. It’s designed to give you at-a-glance insights into key metrics such as invoiced amounts, payments received, outstanding balances, and document statuses. This guide will help you understand how to use and interpret the dashboard to make informed business decisions.

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Accessing the Dashboard

The dashboard is the first screen you’ll see when you log into Blinksale. You can also access it anytime by clicking on the “Dashboard” link in the main navigation menu. The dashboard is designed to provide immediate access to the most important financial information about your business.

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Dashboard Filters

At the top of the dashboard, you’ll find filtering options that allow you to customize the data displayed:

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Currency Filter

If you work with multiple currencies, you can use this filter to view data for a specific currency. The dashboard will display all currencies used in your invoices and estimates, allowing you to switch between them.

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Date Range Filter

The date range filter lets you specify the time period for which you want to view data. Available options include:

• Today - Data from the current day
• Yesterday - Data from the previous day
• This Week - Data from the current week
• Last Week - Data from the previous week
• This Month - Data from the current month (default view)
• Last Month - Data from the previous month
• This Quarter - Data from the current quarter
• Last Quarter - Data from the previous quarter
• This Year - Data from the current year
• Last Year - Data from the previous year
• Last 30 Days - Data from the last 30 days
• Last 90 Days - Data from the last 90 days
• Last 12 Months - Data from the last 12 months
• All Time - All historical data

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Key Financial Metrics

The top section of the dashboard displays four key financial metrics that give you an immediate overview of your business’s financial health:

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Invoiced Amount

This card shows the total amount invoiced during the selected time period. It represents the value of all invoices created within the specified date range, regardless of their payment status.

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Payments Received

This metric displays the total amount of payments received during the selected time period. It includes all payments recorded for invoices in the selected currency, giving you insight into your actual cash flow.

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Outstanding Amount

The outstanding amount shows the total value of all unpaid invoices as of the current date. This includes invoices that are pending payment but not yet overdue, partially paid invoices, and overdue invoices.

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Overdue Amount

This card, highlighted in red, shows the total value of all overdue invoices. An invoice is considered overdue when its due date has passed without full payment. The card also displays the number of overdue invoices contributing to this amount.

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Payment Trends Chart

The payments chart provides a visual representation of payment activity over time. This chart helps you identify patterns in your cash flow and track payment trends.

• For date ranges up to 14 days, the chart displays daily payment data
• For date ranges between 15 and 60 days, it uses weekly grouping
• For longer periods, it uses monthly grouping

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Document Status Cards

The middle section of the dashboard contains two cards that provide a breakdown of your invoices and estimates by their current status:

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Invoice Status

This card displays the distribution of your invoices across four key statuses:

• Draft - Invoices that have been created but not yet sent to clients
• Pending - Invoices that have been sent to clients and are awaiting payment
• Overdue - Invoices whose due date has passed without full payment
• Partially Paid - Invoices that have received partial payment but still have an outstanding balance

For each status, the card shows the number of invoices and a visual proportion bar that helps you quickly identify which statuses are most common in your workflow.

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Estimate Status

Similar to the invoice status card, this section shows the distribution of your estimates across four statuses:

• Draft - Estimates that have been created but not yet sent to clients
• Sent - Estimates that have been sent to clients and are awaiting response
• Approved - Estimates that have been approved by clients
• Declined - Estimates that have been declined by clients

These status cards help you identify potential bottlenecks in your business processes. For example, if you see a high number of draft invoices, it might indicate that you’re creating invoices but not sending them promptly.

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Top Clients

The Top Clients card at the bottom of the dashboard lists your highest-revenue clients for the selected period and currency. This section shows:

• Client name
• Total revenue generated from that client during the selected period
• A quick link to view the client’s full details

This information helps you identify your most valuable client relationships and better understand your revenue sources.

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Using Dashboard Data Effectively

The dashboard is designed to help you make informed business decisions. Here are some ways to use its insights effectively:

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Monitor Cash Flow

By comparing the “Invoiced Amount” and “Payments Received” metrics across different time periods, you can track your cash flow trends and identify any concerns early.

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Identify Collection Issues

A growing “Overdue Amount” or an increasing number of overdue invoices may indicate that you need to improve your collection processes or follow up more actively with clients.

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Track Client Value

The Top Clients section helps you identify which clients contribute most to your revenue, allowing you to prioritize these relationships and potentially offer loyalty incentives.

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Estimate Conversion Rates

By comparing the number of sent estimates to approved ones, you can calculate your estimate conversion rate and work on improving it if necessary.

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Plan for Growth

Tracking your invoiced amounts and payments over longer periods can help you identify seasonal patterns and plan for growth or cash flow management.

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Best Practices

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Regular Review

Make it a habit to check your dashboard regularly—ideally daily or weekly—to stay informed about your business’s financial health and catch any issues early.

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Compare Periods

Use the date range filter to compare performance across different periods. This can help you identify trends and measure the impact of any business changes you implement.

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Currency Management

If you work with multiple currencies, use the currency filter to examine your performance in each currency separately. This can be particularly important if exchange rates fluctuate significantly.

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Look for Anomalies

Pay attention to unusual changes in any metrics. A sudden increase in outstanding amounts or a drop in payments received might indicate issues that need addressing.

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Action Planning

Use the insights from the dashboard to create specific action plans. For example, if you notice a high number of overdue invoices, you might implement a new follow-up process.

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Troubleshooting

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Missing Data

If you don’t see expected data on your dashboard:

• Check that you’ve selected the correct currency and date range
• Verify that invoices and estimates have been properly categorized with the right currency
• Ensure that the dates on your invoices and payments fall within the selected period

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Discrepancies in Totals

If the numbers on your dashboard don’t match your expectations:

• Remember that the dashboard filters by currency, so multi-currency invoices might be split across different dashboard views
• Check for any draft invoices that might be included in some calculations but not in others
• Verify that all payments have been correctly recorded and assigned to the right invoices

By effectively using the Blinksale dashboard, you’ll gain valuable insights into your business’s financial performance, helping you make informed decisions and maintain a healthy cash flow.