How to Verify Claims Made by Billing Software Vendors

B2B SaaS Billing Software Buyer’s Guide | Chapter 5

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Every billing demo looks good in isolation. The difference between a strong platform and a risky one only shows up when it’s tested against your real data, contracts, and close process. Here’s how to separate proof from presentation.

1. Take the Demo, Then Ask for Proof

Start with the demo to see how the product works, but don’t stop there. After the walkthrough, ask the vendor to model one or two of your actual contracts in a sandbox. Use examples that represent your edge cases: hybrid seat and usage pricing, mid-term changes, true-ups, or credits. This step reveals how well the system mirrors the complexity of your billing logic, not just a simplified version built for show.

2. Review How the Data Flows

Once your contract runs through the system, trace the data from invoice to journal entry. Look for alignment in amounts, dates, and structure: does the invoice tie back to how revenue is recognized in your ERP? Ask to see the exports for billing, revenue schedules, and sync reports. A clean system will make it obvious where everything lands; a messy one will leave you reconciling columns.

3. Check the Controls

Accurate billing depends as much on governance as it does on math. Ask to see how the platform handles change management: who can update the catalog, what approvals are required, and how those changes are logged. You should be able to view an audit trail that shows who did what and when. Also, ask how failed syncs or import errors are surfaced. Ideally, these issues are minimal, but when they happen, you need full visibility.

4. Validate With References

Before signing, talk to Finance leaders already using the platform. Ask about implementation length, support quality, and how much maintenance they still handle internally. Push beyond surface-level feedback: ask what surprised them after go-live or what they’d do differently if starting again. Those conversations give you a clearer picture of the vendor’s real-world maturity than any proposal ever will.

A credible billing vendor should welcome scrutiny. Take the demo, test it with your contracts, follow the data, and talk to people who’ve lived through the implementation. The ones worth partnering with will be eager to prove it.

Explore the B2B SaaS Billing Software Buyer’s Guide

This Buyer’s Guide outlines a full evaluation framework that helps Finance validate functionality before committing to a new billing platform. In the next chapter, we examine the total cost of billing automation software and how to model long-term ownership.
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Previous chapter: 4. Common Mistakes When Buying Billing Software
Next chapter: 6. The Total Cost of Billing Automation Software
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