Why use QuickBooks for small business?
As your small business grows, so do your business needs. This includes the need for better tools – or at least an update to your old ones.
While using QuickBooks for small business accounting is reliable, using QuickBooks alone is not enough. QuickBooks Online (QBO) may have met all your business needs a few months ago, but it probably doesn’t today and won’t in the future.
Luckily, you can overcome these growing pains by making use of the hundreds of QuickBooks apps for small business owners in Intuit’s app store. In fact, chances are that there’s a QuickBooks Online app for every aspect of your business.
To help you find the best QuickBooks program for small business growth, we’ve compiled our top 6 QuickBooks Online (QBO) apps below.
Keep reading to find out which solutions enhance your accounting software and drive efficiency in your day-to-day operations.
6 QBO apps you need to succeed
1. Method:CRM
As your company grows, you need a more comprehensive system for lead and sales pipeline management than spreadsheets or a notebook. And while you can technically add this information into QBO, it doesn’t mean you should.
As a QBO app, Method:CRM empowers you to:
- Connect your sales and accounting data.
- Track sales opportunities from first touch to last purchase.
- Create invoices, estimates, and sales orders while on the go.
- Improve your customer retention rate with automated follow-ups.
- Better serve your customers with online portals.
- Accept debit and credit cards payments online.
With 1300+ 5 star reviews on apps.com, Method:CRM is the #1 rated CRM for both QuickBooks Desktop and Online users. Below is a look at why.
Method:CRM’s two-way sync makes it an ideal QBO app as it updates information between your CRM and QuickBooks in real time and eliminates the need for double data entry.
How to get started
Method:CRM offers a free no commitment trial. Your trial will include:
- A free hour of customization services.
- Access to all features and the Method:CRM mobile app.
- Unlimited support resources.
2. MessageDesk
As your company grows you’ll find that you need more efficient ways to manage multiple conversations between team members, customers, and clients. Many people prefer texting with businesses, so the best way to keep connected to them is through MessageDesk business text messaging.
MessageDesk is a shared team inbox for text message conversations and more. Sync your QuickBooks Online contacts to start more conversations, send reminders, collect payments and feedback and even earn more reviews. As a QBO app, MessageDesk makes it easy to:
- Text enable your existing business number.
- Filter, sort, and order text conversations for team-based customer service.
- Automate and schedule text message blasts, reminders, and responses.
- Text links to QBO invoices with text-to-pay.
- Collect more feedback and reviews.
With 34 reviews on apps.com, MessageDesk is the only business text messaging service with a shared team inbox that integrates directly with QuickBooks Online.
How to get started
MessageDesk offers a free trial that includes:
- Free text messages.
- Access to all features.
3. Tsheets time tracking
Next on our list of top QBO apps is Tsheets time tracking software. Tsheets offers small businesses the following features:
- GPS tracking and time reporting.
- Employee payroll management.
- Invoice creation and job costing.
- Digital time sheets and scheduling.
A top QBO app on apps.com, Tsheets has over 4,000 5 star ratings in its reviews section.
How to get started
Their 14-day free trial is the best way to see if Tsheets is right for your business.
4. Float
Float is an award-winning cash flow forecasting QBO app that shows you how much cash your business will have in the future.
Once you give Float access to QuickBooks, all you need to do is enter your expectations for future cash in and out. Then, the software instantly updates your cash flow projections based on your accounts receivable and payable.
If you’d like to see what keeping, winning, or losing customers could mean for your business, you can easily build these ‘what-if’ scenarios in Float. Their scenario planning feature lets you see how things like customer retention, higher headcount, or investing in new equipment will affect your business.
With 30+ 5 star reviews on apps.com, Float is the go-to QBO app for accounting professionals and small businesses who need to get a better handle on their cash flow.
How to get started
Float offers a free trial as well as unlimited free support for its users.
5. Bill.com
The next QBO app small businesses need to succeed is Bill.com. This is a great tool if you want to make and receive payments faster.
By providing a centralized place for accounts payable and receivable, Bill.com makes it easy for you to find the exact financial data you need to keep your business running smoothly.
As a cloud solution, Bill.com lets you manage payments on the go and automatically syncs payment data to QBO.
With over 400 5 star reviews on apps.com, QBO users love Bill.com because it:
- Speeds up the payment process on both ends.
- Cuts down on admin time.
- Helps them save money long-term.
How to get started
Take advantage of Bill.com’s free trial and enjoy exploring this QBO app for 90 days.
6. Expensify
The last QBO app we recommend is Expensify — a receipt and expense management tool that integrates seamlessly with QuickBooks Online.
As a small business solution, Expensify lets you:
- Customize how expenses are added to QuickBooks.
- See company spending in real time.
- Streamline your expense reporting process.
- Reimburse your team faster.
One of the coolest Expensify features is their image receipt scanning. With it, you take a picture of a receipt you need to get reimbursed for and Expensify automatically transcribes the expense and keeps a digital record of it.
This is a super handy QBO app for small businesses whose employees buy business supplies or treat clients to lunches, as it makes recording expenses and receiving reimbursements a quick and easy process.
With 800+ 5 star reviews on apps.com, Expensify is a solution that QuickBooks users seem to love!
How to get started
It’s easy to get started using Expensify. Simply share your email address with them on this page and follow the prompts from there.
Recap: 6 QBO apps for your small business
Thankfully, there are plenty of QBO apps you can use to extend the power of your accounting software. Here’s a summary of our top QBO apps for small businesses:
- Method:CRM.
- MessageDesk.
- Tsheets Time Tracking.
- Float.
- Bill.com.
- Expensify.
With all of these solutions offering no commitment free trials, nothing is stopping you from taking your QuickBooks account to the next level.
Extend the power of QuickBooks Online with a free trial of Method:CRM.
Image credit: Myriam Jessier via Unsplash
