Quick Guide to Quickbooks Sync

Follow these guidelines while you are doing your initial QuickBooks sync. Use this PDF for printing the instructions, if you prefer.

How Does the Service Autopilot QuickBooks Sync Work?

The two-way QuickBooks sync is truly two-way, which means that a change to an item in Service Autopilot causes the item to change in QuickBooks, and vice-versa. Everything that syncs between the systems syncs both ways. A change to a service in SA updates the service in QuickBooks, and a change to a payment in QuickBooks updates the payment in SA.

However, SA cannot sync some items between the two systems. Some are excluded, such as Estimates, because of incompatibility between how the two systems implement those items. Others are not allowed with the tools QuickBooks offers to third-party developers.

Here’s a list of what does and does not sync between the two systems:

What Service Autopilot Syncs from QuickBooks:

• Customers
• Customer Type
• Invoices
• Payments
• Payment Method/Type
• Standard Terms
• Credits
• Vendors
• Sales Reps
• Charts of Accounts
• Cost on Inventory Products
• Employees
• Items List (products, services, sales tax, discounts, other charges)
• Refund Checks (as long as they’ve been applied to payment they’re refunding)

What Service Autopilot Does Not Sync from QuickBooks

• QuickBooks Checks
• Estimates
• General Journal Entries
• Expenses
• Time Tracking/Payroll
• Bank Account/Reconciliation
• Item Costs
• Statement Charges
• Discounts on Payments
• Credit Card Numbers
• Cost on Non-Inventory Products
• Balance Adjustments
• QuickBooks Receipts

Before the Initial Sync

Follow these guidelines to ensure a successful initial sync.

1. Check your QuickBooks file and make sure there is no corrupt data. You need to fix any data issues first to avoid serious issues later.
2. Make sure the data in your file is correct and up to date with account name, parent and child relationships, and current balances.
3. Don’t use identical names. They can get mixed up on the way into QuickBooks. If an employee is also a client, add something to one of the names to make it unique.
4. Don’t put a colon (:) in names. QuickBooks uses a colon to signify related items for Clients, Services, and Products, so using a colon in a name will cause the item to error.
5. Close all windows within QuickBooks. If you have an invoice open, or you are inputting payments, QuickBooks will block the sync’s attempt to connect.

About the QuickBooks Sync

After you sign up for SA, you’ll be directed to the 7-Step Setup Wizard. At step 2, you’ll make selections on syncing to QuickBooks, and then start the sync.

• If you’re using QuickBooks Desktop, you will be prompted to install the Connector Program.
• If you’re using QBO, you will be prompted to link the accounts.

Follow the instructions for either QuickBooks Desktop or QBO

Run the Initial Sync for QuickBooks Desktop

1. Start the 7-Step Setup Wizard.
   When prompted at step 2, click Yes to confirm that you will be syncing, then select QuickBooks Desktop.

2. For Step 2a: answer these questions accurately for your company.
   
   
3. For Step 2b: Click I’m Ready to Sync. Follow the prompts to download the SA QuickBooks Connector program.
4. Open QuickBooks.
   Close all windows within QuickBooks. If you have an invoice open, or you’re putting in payments, QuickBooks will block the sync’s attempt to connect.

5. Open the QuickBooks Connector.
   - Use your QuickBooks Admin login credentials (for the initial sync only).
   - Make sure you’re in single user mode (for the initial sync only).

6. Click the Force Sync button to start the sync, then let it run. Do not close QuickBooks while the sync is running. Closing QuickBooks during the sync will cause issues.
7. As the sync runs, you can monitor it on the Connector’s two tabs:
   - “Recent Activity” indicates the items syncing and updating.
   - “Messages” refers to the item sending an error and not syncing over.         
   
   
   Note: If you click Force Sync and nothing happens, try re-entering your SA username and password. If you changed your password recently, you need to update it here also.

8. You must allow the sync to complete before moving to the next step.
   
   How to tell if your sync is successful:
   You’ll see “Last Sync Date [date]” and “Next Sync Date [date]” in the bottom left corner of the Sync Connector.
9. If the initial sync is successful, click the Force Sync button two more times. This will usually help clear most of the remaining errors. Then continue with the 7-Step Setup Wizard.
   
   If the sync fails, contact Service Autopilot’s QuickBooks team.

After the initial QuickBooks Desktop Sync is successful

• We recommend running the sync at least once every day.
• Click Force Sync to initiate the first sync each day, and then it will run automatically every two hours if both programs remain open.
• The Connector program will show any QuickBooks errors you need to review.

Run the Initial Sync for QuickBooks Online

QuickBooks Online is connected in step 2 of SA’s 7-Step Setup Wizard. Because QBO is cloud-based, there is no need to install an extra program to do the sync.

1. Start the 7-Step Setup Wizard.
   When prompted at step 2, click Yes to confirm that you will be syncing, then select QuickBooks Online.

2. For Step 2a: answer these questions accurately for your company.
   
   
3. Follow the prompts to sign into the online account and connect this way.
4. You will receive an email that tells you if the sync was completed or failed.

      If the sync fails, contact Service Autopilot’s QuickBooks team.

After the initial QuickBooks Online Sync is successful

• QBO will sync to Service Autopilot automatically.
• The Service Autopilot banner will inform you of any QuickBooks Errors to review.

After the Initial QuickBooks Sync

When the initial sync completes successfully, follow the 7-Step Setup Wizard prompts to finish setting up your Service Autopilot account.

Reminders

• Do not condense your QuickBooks file at any time, as this will change the data in the file and cause serious issues when you continue to sync.
• Do not sync to a backup or blank version. If something goes wrong and you need to use a backup version or blank file to sync, please contact the SA’s QuickBooks Support Team, as we will need to run system checks before this is done to ensure there are no issues when syncing.
• Do not separate master and sub-properties. If it’s required, you need to do this in QuickBooks, not SA. If QuickBooks does not allow this, you’ll have to inactivate the sub-property and re-create it as a new client. Afterward, when you sync, those changes will come to SA.

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