Integrating with Quickbooks Online (QBO)

In this article:

• Start the Integration with Quickbooks Online
• Sync Contacts
• Sync Service Items

 

What Syncs with QBO?

Before we start, let’s explore what and how certain functions are synced between Quickbooks Online and Canopy.

Some are bidirectional, which is a fancy way of saying if you were to create something in QBO, it’s created in Canopy - and vice versa.

• Contacts: bidirectional
• Service Items: bidirectional
• Invoices: unidirectional - invoices created in Canopy sync to QBO. Invoices created in QBO do not sync to Canopy.
• Categories, Classes, and Locations: unidirectional - created and managed in QBO and used in both QBO and Canopy. But you cannot create these in Canopy.

Start the Integration

Connecting your Canopy instance to QuickBooks Online is a simple process. 

To get started:

1. Go to your profile picture or initials
2. Select Settings
3. Choose Integrations on the left-hand side
4. Click Connect under the Quickbooks pane.

This opens a new window that asks you for your QBO credentials, including two factor authentication. QBO asks you to verify that you want to connect to your Canopy account. Once accepted the connection is complete and the setup will begin!

Sync Contacts

The setup process walks you through the client list in QBO.

As it prepares to synchronize it to Canopy, you can preview existing Canopy contacts and/or create contacts into Canopy from QBO. Instructions are provided for each of the four categories, 

• Duplicates: duplicate records in QBO and Canopy 
• Unmatched: no match found between QBO and Canopy
• Matches: records match between QBO and Canopy 
• New Contacts: Contacts in QBO that will be created in Canopy 

Also, make sure your contacts are labeled with the correct entity. For example, make sure that individuals and businesses are set up appropriately in QuickBooks so that they can be created correctly. 

Sync Service Items

After the contacts are imported, you'll be prompted to sync your service items. 

Follow the recommended steps to sync service items:

• If you have existing service items in Canopy, make the names, rate, tax rate, and code of each item match what you have in QBO.
  • You can verify this in Canopy by:
    • Clicking your profile picture
    • Select Settings
    • Then choose Billing Settings
    • Then the Service Items Tab
      • Here you’ll want to make sure everything you have here matches in QBO
• If you have anything in QBO, those will be created in Canopy if a match is not found.

You can also choose to skip Service Items and invoices, but otherwise, click Start to begin. Matching service items is simple - you are just matching up what you have on both platforms here. 

Now, you’re all set!

Create and Edit Contacts

Contacts sync between QBO and Canopy. You can edit or add new contacts in either system and have it updated in the other system. 

Try creating a Contact using the global plus button and entering in relevant information once completed from the contact list, select the access button under the QBO header to view the contact in QBO. 

As you can see, all of the information has been corresponded and created over in QBO. It works the same in QBO. Make a client account here and it will sync to Canopy!

Creating an Invoice

Now, let’s go ahead and create an invoice for a client. 

Creating an invoice in Canopy can pulls the information from QBO:

• Locations 
• Service items,
• Categories, 
• and Classes 

– that's already available in QBO. If you see a QBO sync icon, that means that information is synced with QBO.

In this case, [SERVICE ITEM] are already linked to QuickBooks online and will be mapped to the general ledger account there. I can also fill in a CLASS and LOCATION for the invoice as well. 

Once the invoice is created and saved, the invoice is available in both Canopy and QBO. You can access an invoice via QBO from here with the access button.

Also, all relevant reports you created in QBO will be updated!

Update Classes and Locations

While Service Items and Contacts are on a two-way sync, categories, classes and locations are managed and updated only through QBO.

If you don’t have classes and locations turned on, you can do that in QBO by:

1. Clicking on the gearbox
2. Select Company Settings
3. Scroll down to the Categories section
4. Turn on Classes and/or Locations

To edit these in QBO:

1. Click the gearbox
2. In the menu, under Lists, Select All Lists
3. From here click:
   1. Product Categories to update Category Names
   2. Locations for locations
   3. And Classes for classes

Once you have those lists updated, they can be applied to invoices in QBO and in Canopy. Once again, you cannot create or manage these in Canopy - only in QBO!

Update Service Items

You can edit your service items in QBO or Canopy at any time. To edit in Canopy:

Go to your profile pic or initials

1. Select Settings
2. Choose Billing Settings
3. Check the Service Items tab

Here, you can add a new service item. In the menu, you create an item, a rate, tax rate, and SKU or code. You’ll notice those QBO syncs there as well! You can indicate the income account, and product category from your category list in QBO.

Restart the Integration

At any time, you can go through this QBO setup process again by:

1. Scrolling down to Integrations
2. Under Quickbooks Online, choose the three dots icon
3. Choose Restart Integration

Restarting the integration allows you to go through the setup process again, without logging in, disconnecting and reconnecting. 

The steps to follow are the same, from that point, that we covered in the start of the video.