WSW Podcast- QBO Mobile App - Ringing Up Sales
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[00:00:00] [00:00:30]
[00:00:38] Dan DeLong: Well, welcome to another Workshop wednesday brought to you by school bookkeeping. com helping you be the best bookkeeper that you can be. Because we have casual conversations for serious workflows and you may notice that Rachel looks a little different today. Rachel you really
[00:00:53] Matthew Fulton: need to shave. Yeah.
[00:00:57] Dan DeLong: So subbing for Rachel who was subbing for [00:01:00] Kerry.
So this is I feel maybe I'm cursed or something. I can't keep a co host for, to save my soul here. No Rachel had a client emergency meeting. We we definitely, understand that when clients need to meet they need to meet whether you have a workshop scheduled or not.
So I reached out to Matthew and he was gracious enough to join us here today, friend of the show. So Matthew, what's last we saw you, we were talking about the pricing updates in QuickBooks. So it's almost been like [00:01:30] almost a year now. What have you been up to? What's what's going on in your world?
[00:01:34] Matthew Fulton: First I'd like to thank you the manager of the team here for bringing me up from the AAA leagues up to the big game. Thank you so much, Noah. It life's been good. I've been rebuilding my business, Parkway Business Solutions, still working actively with Ledger Sync, helping them build out some pretty cool tools that go above and beyond just like the fetching aspect of it.
Been working with a lot of other apps as well with not the only app round table with Richard Roper Roberts and just [00:02:00] getting back into doing more of the community educational building stuff, which I truly love. And again, I know I was joking, but I'm more than happy to pretend to be Rachel and be part of this
[00:02:10] Dan DeLong: conversation.
And Matthew, if you don't know Matthew he's one of the givers of the community. If you think of the. I don't know what book that is, but it's there's givers and takers. He is definitely one of the, one of the most giving people that I've ever had the pleasure of knowing.
And I hope I can be just as [00:02:30] giving as you, when I grow up.
[00:02:36] Matthew Fulton: So I was really excited about today's topic when you reached out to me and I have to be honest. I was like a little nervous Oh my gosh, I haven't used some of this stuff yet. So I better probably do some extra research.
[00:02:47] Dan DeLong: Yeah. So last week we had Talked a little bit about the QuickBooks online mobile app and gave a little overview of what you can do.
I shared this article, which I will share again which has [00:03:00] a side by side comparison of what you can do in the QuickBooks online mobile app. Verse as far as iPhone or iOS versus Android, as well as the mobile versus the tablet. So going down and I was noticing again, I like this one here.
It says you can add an account. And nobody can do it, right?
I would just delete this whole column row all together. I would think that would [00:03:30] be a little bit more Make sense there,
[00:03:32] Matthew Fulton: Maybe it's along that lines of if you purposely put typos in your post you get more engagement Right exactly
[00:03:39] Dan DeLong: I
[00:03:40] Matthew Fulton: would love to ask though your audience out of everybody that like what are the What devices are you specifically using?
And I'm an iPhone person. So is anybody really using this actively on an iPad and how do you like it? If you are,
[00:03:53] Dan DeLong: Yeah, it's it was, it's interesting, right? Because the, especially in the iOS and I, I don't, I know nothing [00:04:00] of Android other than how annoyed I get when when it shows up green in a group chat, but but as far as what, um, what the difference is between the tablet versus versus the mobile device on an Android.
But I know in Apple land you have to either you have a universal app or you have one for one platform, one for the other. And I assume that, Android is the same where you could potentially have [00:04:30] a universal app or individual ones for the other, which makes it very difficult to, Develop to code and develop.
And I was like now I have this problem on this particular flavor of my app, which makes it challenging. But I know when I worked it into it they were, that was one of their initiatives is to make a universal app so that they only have to code it once. And it it, it gets deployed. In the app store simultaneously, it's up, it's on the same update.
So they don't [00:05:00] have to do that. I assume that Android is the same, but yes, I'd be curious to anybody that's watching what devices do. Do you and your client use, right? So is it do you find that that it is there? Cause as we were talking, right before the show this is not really something that, that a lot of, accounting pros use, teach or talk to their clients where man, is that.
What you would do.
[00:05:25] Matthew Fulton: I'm going to tell on myself a little bit here, but for the longest time I've been griping and [00:05:30] complaining about the fact I don't understand why we don't have the ability to do electronic signatures on estimates.
[00:05:36] Dan DeLong: Yeah.
[00:05:38] Matthew Fulton: If I, Yeah. Because I, in my role as an accountant, I'm not usually using we don't usually use the mobile device for most of our stuff unless it's like a last minute need.
And then I popped the thing open today and was like, wait a second, what? I can get a digital signature right here on the device? And then he even told me on my iPhone, it's would you like to create a Siri shortcut to create an invoice? I'm [00:06:00] like, what? Talk about workflow. That's amazing. What you can do,
[00:06:04] Dan DeLong: Which is which is really cool. Some of the things that you can ultimately do with the app and this is one of those things that probably say 10 years ago. Add into it when, desktop was king in the, in, in that, in the QuickBooks space and QuickBooks online was.
Trying, get some foothold. And and that was the the thing is okay, we have this whole idea of this [00:06:30] mobile app experience and I'll just There was this initiative, it was just called one app which would be just the whole concept of entering data in one place and your QuickBooks ecosystem is updated, right?
So, they tried different apps to synchronize with QuickBooks desktop and those types of things, but ultimately this is what QuickBooks online is really best suited for. And one of the things that, that it. It stands [00:07:00] above these extra add ons and integrations and those types of things with desktop is that it is, as long as you have an internet connection you can put your data in anywhere as long as you can do it, right?
Like what we're talking about here. There is nothing in here about bills which we'll talk about next week about the expenditure side of things, but yeah. As long as your app can do it anything that you do in the app shows up in your QuickBooks, anything you shows up in your [00:07:30] QuickBooks or you do in your QuickBooks shows up in your app.
So by vice versa, right here. And as Matt was saying, and that's what we'll talk about first is the whole idea of, let me turn this off here and come on. The whole idea
[00:07:42] Matthew Fulton: here is. You've got this database in the sky. This is the fundamental change from a desktop to cloud based environment.
You have a database in the sky that's holding all of your accounting data and into it was wise enough to recognize if we make that database accessible with different applications, different pieces. Now you can actually [00:08:00] really fine tune and customize the accounting around the needs of the business where it used to be before.
You just got whatever reports you could. And now having done that, now the accessibility through all these different devices is just where the power is. It's
[00:08:17] Dan DeLong: awesome. Speaking of power my secondary monitor, which is the one that I'm sharing is Is acting really crazy. There we go. Okay. This happens every once [00:08:30] in a while and now I cannot use my, Oh, what'd I do?
Stop that. Okay. Whew. Yeah this happens with my computer every once in a while. I have a secondary monitor and it just is powered by a USB C. It doesn't even plug into the wall type of thing. And for some reason, every once in a while. My touch pad or my mouse doesn't click. So
[00:08:55] Matthew Fulton: I think it was my fault.
And Linda will appreciate this. Trying to get my big head through the stream, took up too [00:09:00] much voltage to tie down on you. So we will
[00:09:04] Dan DeLong: go with that.
[00:09:06] Matthew Fulton: Okay. So we were going to talk about the app itself, which thank you so much for having pulled up and be able to see it. Like how cool there we go.
[00:09:14] Dan DeLong: There we go.
Which I gotta stare at the phone. Okay. So this is, yes, it's moving. Okay. So this is actually just As we, as Matthew was talking about, it's this is the estimates, right? I just wanted to take a look here that the, all [00:09:30] of the things that you can do, as far as the topics, but we just want to talk about today that the sales section here, money, and I can't pinch and make it bigger.
So sorry, if you guys squint,
[00:09:40] Matthew Fulton: I can see it on live. So it's a good size. People can see it. Excellent.
[00:09:45] Dan DeLong: So invoices, estimates, customers, and leads. If you're using a newer version with the customers and the leads sales receipts, invoice payments, bank deposits. Now as a bookkeeping professional and [00:10:00] in the accounting industry, what is your thoughts about that?
bank deposits showing up under sales.
[00:10:06] Matthew Fulton: If I had a choice on this as the accountant, I probably would like the ability to streamline what they're allowed to access through this or not, which seems weird. It's one of those sometimes when we're able to keep our clients out of aspects of the books, we can help them get further along.
Bank deposits. I see why because it's about, they're trying to suggest that you need to match the money that's coming in. So if you have a sales receipt, trying to match it up, [00:10:30] but I prefer that they don't touch that. Usually. I don't know. I'd love to hear from other people again, when you're watching this now or later, put your comments in as to what you're saying.
[00:10:41] Dan DeLong: Because that's typically one of the things that gets. Business owners in trouble is they put in bank deposits as revenue when they're skipping over invoices, customers, and invoice payments, their workflows, they break their workflows by doing the, go right in the bank deposit.
[00:11:00] Which I guess if they would just change sales to money in, that would be, that could be, a way to distinguish that, or if they put. It down somewhere else, bank, banking, down somewhere else here, but so if we go into estimates, these are estimates that are synchronized directly with with the QuickBooks file.
If I could actually click on, of course, now my mouse is broken again,
[00:11:27] Matthew Fulton: as it's reloading for you. So what I did [00:11:30] earlier, which was neat is I went into my QuickBooks online. And again, as an accountant, sometimes we have to select the right one cause we can get to our clients or anything else, but went in and created an estimate, like you're seeing, I could select any of the items, just like you'd expect, pull it all up.
And it's that I cannot overstress that get signature.
[00:11:49] Dan DeLong: Yeah, right down here is get signature. So you're standing in front of someone. I wonder if I, Oh, I turned it hoping it would it would reorient itself, but apparently [00:12:00] it does not.
[00:12:02] Matthew Fulton: It it's just a vertical, it gives you more vertical space, right?
[00:12:05] Dan DeLong: And you can, sign it right there. Now I'm curious what happens. To the estimate in your QuickBooks when you do this, right? So I'm going to hit done. You can do other things like, convert it to an invoice, right? Right then and there. So I'm just going to hit done there.
So there's a little signature is is saved in here and go back down there. And now it's recorded. My squiggle [00:12:30] and what date that actually took place. Now I cannot I gotta, I'm going to check
[00:12:36] Matthew Fulton: in my, I think where you were going with this was if I was to then go into my own online computer version and go look I see that signature sign.
saved on that. Because I was wondering the exact same thing earlier and let's see attachments. Yes. So the signature, how cool is that goes on as an attachment inside [00:13:00] of QuickBooks online. Super stoked to see that.
[00:13:03] Dan DeLong: So down in here. Yep. There it is. There's the squiggle.
[00:13:09] Matthew Fulton: That's cool. That'd be, I would actually prefer that it's showing the whole document with a signature on it would be preferred because I, there could be an argument saying that, oh, you just attached my signature there.
You didn't actually like,
[00:13:21] Dan DeLong: That's not my squiggle.
[00:13:23] Matthew Fulton: Yeah, exactly right. Yeah,
[00:13:26] Dan DeLong: but that's my squid
[00:13:28] Matthew Fulton: was more vertical. [00:13:30]
[00:13:30] Dan DeLong: Exactly. My ex, but you can see, the history here, you can see that it was except accepted. And one of the things as I was playing around with it to in estimates themselves, right?
If you just go into any other any other estimate, You've got this option of wait, where to go. I did. I saw it on this one. So now it's forever ruined. Here I had it over here. You can send an [00:14:00] estimate link and they can accept it. Right there on the web, which I didn't even, I didn't even know this before today either, but that will feed it back into that feed that it was accepted, but you can't sign the screen.
If I hit accept here, which is already accepted. Now I've caused some kind of vortex. I've caused some kind of a glitch in the matrix now by accepting it twice from two different places. But that's all it [00:14:30] says is Awesome. You've accepted this estimate, which anybody could have clicked on that.
Not even the so now there's no signature
[00:14:38] Matthew Fulton: because they don't even have an IP verification. So the importance of what we're talking about with this is if, there's so many different industries this could be used for, but really like service based companies, field service, any of those types of things where you're going out.
Even as accountants, we go out, we talk, go meet with somebody and we want to create a quote and you want to like always [00:15:00] be closing, right? So you try to create their proposal estimate right away. And you want them to sign it before you're leaving having the ability on a mobile device. It makes sense. It's mobile first because unless you're clunking your computer with you for laptops.
But yeah Oh, it's not a touch
[00:15:15] None: screen.
[00:15:16] Matthew Fulton: Yeah, exactly. How do you do that part? And then the people still can't do it. Having that signature. It actually eliminates one of the major pain points. Like for me as an accountant, I have a whole different software I have to use to [00:15:30] create my estimates, to get the digital signature, to get the contract before I can move forward.
And this is definitely a major step towards removing that roadblock.
[00:15:40] Dan DeLong: Which only will work in this particular case, if you are face to face, with that person. So you can have that estimate, preset up rather than sitting there and trying to. Plug away and create the estimate which is typically.
The case in, construction and those contractor types of things is that, I gotta go back and, plug in the [00:16:00] numbers, maybe can't do that, right on the fly, but if you do have, things that have a set price and those types of things, you can just make it right in front of them, have them sign it, boom, you're done and you're on.
You're on your way. You can email it to them. You can do all that stuff right from the mobile device, right in front of, right in front of your customer. One thing I didn't see in there was taking a deposit and those types of things, but to be continued on that, because I think, there's some, Potentially some things coming that will [00:16:30] help with that.
Do you know of a way to take a deposit? I think I saw it somewhere, now I'm now I may be dreaming.
[00:16:38] Matthew Fulton: And pulling like trying to pull it in against or something,
[00:16:41] Dan DeLong: right? Being able to take a deposit off of a off of an estimate. That was something in desktop this year with with enterprise where you could do that and take a, take an actual payment.
But again, you'd have to be clunking your laptop and to be able to do that.
[00:16:57] Matthew Fulton: Progress invoicing. So would be an [00:17:00] interesting aspect of it. And in mine, I don't have pro when I was testing it earlier, I don't have progress invoicing turned on. To have the ability. I don't think it had the ability to create a progress invoice.
In other words, another fancy way of saying you actually do. Yeah, you
[00:17:15] Dan DeLong: do have, you can create progress invoicing. That's on one of these on that screen, which I can't click on anymore. Then
[00:17:22] Matthew Fulton: deposit, my only challenge is I've never been a big fan of using the deposit line on an invoice [00:17:30] anyways.
I know it's an extra step, but I've always preferred to actually save the invoice, have it signed, and then go and do the extra step of recording a payment against it as a deposit. It just doesn't See always works weird and anybody who doesn't know this yet never make a deposit exactly 50 percent for the exact same dollar amount make it off by a penny, even if it's one penny difference.
[00:17:50] Dan DeLong: That way you know which one's the deposit and which one's the actual payment.
[00:17:54] Matthew Fulton: Your life will be so much easier because then what ends up happening is you actually have the deposit on there. Then the bank feed comes through and [00:18:00] is like, Oh, I'm going to match their final payment. Oh, I'm all paid up. Oh, and then you miss half your money.
Yeah, exactly. Bad business owner. So,
[00:18:10] Dan DeLong: yeah. So as far as the sales side of things, anything that you can do with customers estimates, invoices. Now we know with that additional, get a signature. Peace is something that the QuickBooks online app can do. And you got excited there for a second.
Yeah,
[00:18:26] Matthew Fulton: So I think I may have mentioned it earlier, but I thought this was really cool. I [00:18:30] want to draw attention to it. I'm sure you Android lovers out there have something comparable to this. Hi, Seth, David. Love you, buddy. But with, Apple for sure, when I was doing it and I was creating the invoice, it popped up and said, would you like to create a shortcut?
Hey Siri, create an invoice. I should probably wake her up first. Go, Hey Siri, create an invoice. And it will then pop up and make it to our, I can start to create an invoice immediately. You could create other, but you can do the same thing for an estimate or a sales receipt. [00:19:00]
[00:19:00] Dan DeLong: Create your Siri shortcuts so that you can actually just talk to your phone.
It would be, especially if you've got some detail oriented stuff to put in there, it'd be really hard to have that conversation. I can't have a conversation with any of the Alexis or series that, that involves more than five words, because then I start stumbling. I got to say it right.
[00:19:22] Matthew Fulton: Artificial intelligence will actually be great artificial intelligence when you don't have to learn how to use it.
[00:19:29] Dan DeLong: Yeah, [00:19:30] exactly. And then I always love the, sorry, I didn't get that. Really? You're a machine and you're sorry. I
[00:19:40] Matthew Fulton: had a little off topic, but I actually had chat GPT. Tell me one time you need to go do your own work.
I was like, wow,
[00:19:49] Dan DeLong: I'm going to tell on you.
[00:19:50] Matthew Fulton: Exactly. But so those shortcut things, it's, I've always been a firm believer the least number of clicks wins. So having that kind of ability that you could [00:20:00] be engaged in a conversation just real quickly. Hey, sorry, creating a new voice. And then you could start boom.
And doing it would be pretty nifty.
[00:20:07] Dan DeLong: How cool would your client think you would be if you're like
[00:20:10] Matthew Fulton: I'd probably do it, but like right now I'm actually still manually logging in. I'm just making sure everybody sees it. So
[00:20:18] Dan DeLong: everybody
[00:20:19] Matthew Fulton: thinks I'm that advanced. It's all, magic. www. microsoft.
com
[00:20:22] Dan DeLong: Alright, so these are some of the cool things that you can do inside of the QuickBooks Online mobile app. If you didn't know [00:20:30] these things are there. Some of them are nice surprises, right? Like the signature squiggle sideways thing. So next week we're going to be talking about, actually next week will be a replay because I'm actually going to head up to New York city to hang out with Hector for a day.
He's consolidating his reframe conference from two days into one and it's just happened to be up in in New York and I'm close enough to take a train. I'll be doing that next week and After that, [00:21:00] we'll talk about the expenses side of things in the mobile app. Matt, again, I appreciate you joining us here today.
I know you got a, another webinar to do. Squeezing us in on such short notice. I really appreciate you joining us today.
[00:21:13] Matthew Fulton: Happy to fill in any time I can. And as always, here's wishing everybody a very successful week. Thanks.
[00:21:17] Dan DeLong: All right. Have a great day, [00:21:30] everyone.
