Future FreshBooks Fanatics: We're Giving You Fair Warning

Have you ever met a fanatic? You know, the folks who LOVE something - a product or a service - so much that they literally become walking, talking commercials for it? Yea. That's my friend and co-worker, Andrew. Ever since we started working together about a year ago, Andrew has simply raved about one of his favorite Web services: FreshBooks, the online invoicing and time tracking service.

Lucky for the OfficeArrow audience, Andrew is the guy who finds our amazing partners and sponsors. So, it's really no surprise that today, we're proud to introduce FreshBooks as the newest supporter of OfficeArrow.

The interesting thing about FreshBooks is that, apparently, Andrew isn't the only one who's out there spreading the word. The company is actually known for having a fanatical following. Why? Because FreshBooks software provides business professionals with a way to spend less time managing finances and more time focusing on their real business objectives.

Such enthusiastic support stems from the fact that FreshBooks fills a huge need for small business owners, freelancers and other professionals by providing easy-to-use invoicing and bookkeeping services. Since the company launched in 2004, it's had over 1 million new users. Obviously, there was a void.

FreshBooks provides an alternative to boring, awkward (and easy to write over or lose!) Word and Excel invoice templates. They even let you brand the entire service with your own logo and colors so your company looks way more professional. Using it means no more hours spent re-formatting invoices, remembering the time spent on projects, assimilating invoices from contractors, manually adding up your expenses and income, and following up on payments you don't even know for sure that your clients received. That's a lot of time saved! Plus, the FreshBooks process is sophisticated enough to please your accountant, but simple enough that anyone can use it.

Talk to any of the thousands of FreshBooks Fanatics though, and one thing will truly stick out as being the distinct factor worthy of such enthusiasm: The over-the-top, exceptionally attentive customer service. Finding a phone number for most software companies can be a challenge, but FreshBooks highlights their toll free number at the top of their homepage in big, bold font. They encourage customers to call and they pride themselves on actually picking up the phone right away (in-house, not outsourced). On the FreshBooks blog, they acknowledge that this is partly due to the fact that they're friendly Canadians (ha ha), but also because it "makes all the difference."

They believe in being accessible. That's why you'll always find their blog updated with information about product improvements. You'll always find their online forums buzzing with discussions, employees answering questions and gathering feedback. If you're a member of the Twitterverse, send them a tweet @FreshBooks and you'll get a response - often 24 hours a day. This level of customer-attention is rare for any company. But at FreshBooks, it's just the way they do business.

In the coming months, you'll learn a lot more about the wonderful world of online invoicing and how it can help you manage the billing process efficiently and effectively. And you can even try it for yourself with the FreshBooks free account. But I warn you: Getting to know FreshBooks may cause O.S.I. (Obsessive Software Infatuation). Just ask Andrew. He's been afflicted for years.