Sales works in Salesforce, accounting works in QuickBooks. As long as the two don’t talk to each other, someone types customers, products and invoices in twice, and sales only finds out whether an invoice has been paid by asking. A Salesforce QuickBooks integration solves that. But before you choose one, you want to know exactly what such a connector does, and above all what it doesn’t. That is what this article covers.
The first question: Online or Desktop?
QuickBooks comes in two flavours, and technically they differ more than the name suggests. Influx for QuickBooks is built for QuickBooks Online and connects through the official QuickBooks Online API.
QuickBooks Desktop does not work through that API. Intuit treats Online and Desktop as two separate products, each with its own development environment: Desktop integrations run through an SDK and the Web Connector, a Windows program that sits next to the local installation. A connector for QuickBooks Online therefore can’t simply work with a Desktop company file.
If you use QuickBooks Desktop or another edition, get in touch with us first. We will look at what is possible in your situation together, rather than you finding out halfway through the setup.
What the connector does
With QuickBooks Online as the basis, the connector exchanges a broad set of objects between the two systems:
- Customers and vendors
- Products and services
- Estimates and invoices
- Payments and credit memos
- Bills
- The chart of accounts
- Classes and locations
For each object you decide the direction (one-way or two-way) and the timing: real time or on a schedule. Bringing classes and locations along means analytical groupings such as department, project or branch are usable in Salesforce too.
You set up the mapping in a visual drag-and-drop interface, without any programming. Both systems are authorised through OAuth, no passwords are stored, and every sync is logged with clear error messages. You are typically live within 24 hours.
What the connector doesn’t do
An integration synchronises data. It doesn’t make decisions for you and it doesn’t replace another system. Specifically:
- No QuickBooks Desktop. See above.
- No invoice creation. The connector moves invoices between Salesforce and QuickBooks Online. If you want to generate invoices automatically from Salesforce, for subscriptions for example, combine the integration with the Billing Module.
- No decision on which system leads. You make that call yourself, per type of data. A common split: customer and sales data leads in Salesforce, payment status and the chart of accounts lead in QuickBooks. Without that agreement, the systems overwrite each other’s data.
What to watch during setup
Start small. Many organisations begin with customers, products and invoices, then expand to payments and the chart of accounts. Use one-way sync where you can, and only switch on two-way sync where both teams genuinely edit the object. Every extra direction brings conflict rules you have to manage.
Also decide per object how current it needs to be. You want to see payments quickly, while a chart of accounts rarely changes. Read more in how often data is synchronised.
To get started you need an active Salesforce account, an active QuickBooks Online subscription and API access to both systems. Influx for QuickBooks costs 85 euros per month.
Is the connector a fit for your situation?
Not sure whether your QuickBooks edition or the way you invoice fits this integration? Get in touch and we will go through your situation with you.