As with probably many others I'm commencing the shift from QB Desktop to QB Online. I'm starting with my first, very simple company so I can get a feel and know how of QB Online before I bring my vastly more complex company over later on in the year.
Now, I do actually have a little bit of experience with QB online back in 2013, but was rather disappointed as there was pretty much zero ability to customise company forms, so I ditched the idea and stuck to the Desktop version. Roll on 8-9 years and I'm starting to hit the same issues.
So, my question is. How do I, as with just about every other company in the UK, issue a single invoice showing multiple customer PO's by line? This is pretty basic stuff but can't seem to find how to do this. Please tell me things have got better over all these years?
I've attached a typical invoice to show what I'd like to do. Several order, one invoice. I could have 20 of these per week, imagine my customers getting individual invoice for several of their PO, per week? They'd do their nut.
Solved! Go to Solution.
Hi Mark, we understand this is a limitation to the workaround, currently this is the only solution available and the description would need to be included in the same field. We would be grateful if you could submit feedback following the steps above if you haven't done so already so that our developers can consider implementing a feature for this. :folded_hands:
Hi Mark,
I see the benefit of including PO numbers on each line item on an invoice. However, this is currently not a feature in QBO. As a workaround, you'll want to manually enter them in the Description field.
I'm sure many users will like this option as well. I'm encouraging you to submit feedback so our product development team can consider adding it in future updates. Just click on the Gear icon and choose Feedback.
If you like checking references for QuickBooks Online, you can go to the main support page and choose the said product. You can also utilize the QBO test drive to explore new features.
We're just right here if you have other concerns with QuickBooks Online.
Thanks for the reply Jess.
I've done as you suggested and used the Description column as the PO so I can display each service line reference to my customers PO's. However, even though this is a work-a-round I'm now left with no actual description column to confirm what this is referencing.
This is getting pretty frustrating when I'd rather be getting on with understanding QBO rather than trying to add something extremely basic as customised invoice layouts. Please advise.
Hi Mark, we understand this is a limitation to the workaround, currently this is the only solution available and the description would need to be included in the same field. We would be grateful if you could submit feedback following the steps above if you haven't done so already so that our developers can consider implementing a feature for this. :folded_hands:
Hi Georgia.
So having looked through the forums there's seems to be plenty off other suggesting similar. I also found out via your web site you removed the ability of add customer invoice layouts as of last year, so I'm not holding out much hope that this or any other suggestions are action very quickly or if at all?
To be blunt I've been with QB desktop for 18 years and would have expected QBO to be on a par at minimum, especially after cancelling subscription later this year for QBD. But I had a similar issue when I tried to move to QBO several years ago about how QBO can't handle part deliveries on purchase orders, and it STILL can't. This maybe a minor point but it is super important for my customer and myself for tracking purchase order descriptions on stock and sizes.
These kinds of suggestion shouldn't be up for your developers debate, adding at least custom column on forms isn't rocket science is it?
So is my last reply just left unanswereed?
I can see how the benefit of being able to add a custom column on forms would aid you in managing transactions with QuickBooks Online (QBO), @Mark Armistead. That's why I'm here to share a few details about this.
For the time being, the option to add a custom column on forms is unavailable in QBO. We take customer suggestions as opportunities to improve the various features within our products. Therefore, I would encourage you to send suggestions or product recommendations.
Your valuable feedback will be forwarded and reviewed by our Product Development team to help improve your experience while using the program. Here's how:
I've attached screenshots below that show the first four steps.
Also, to further guide you in personalising your sales forms and managing your company's income and customers in QBO, I'd recommend checking out these articles:
On top of that, I'd also recommend visiting this page to keep you updated with the latest software improvements and enhancements with QBO: Customer Feedback for QuickBooks Online.
I'm all ears if you have other concerns about creating and customizing invoices in QBO. You can drop a comment below, and I'll gladly help. Take care, and I wish you continued success, @Mark Armistead.
Thanks for the reply. I have already sent in the feedback and had the email confirming this.
Now, this is an ambiguous process as I'm guessing that there is no real process to if or when any suggested feedback will be actioned, or not? Looking back in the forums there's been many instances of people asking for the same thing, custom columns, some dating back years, so it doesn't fill me with much hope this would be added.
My concern is that after all these years of using QBD and Intuit dropping Desktop as a product I'm more or less 'forced' to swap to the Online version. Yes I realise there's other services but transferring decades of account with a very large stock list isn't something I wish to do. But, what is galling is moving over to QBO, paying more than I was with QBD, and not having the same amount of customisation as the desktop version. The pre set layout are a terrible, they look like they've been designed by a 12 year old. Serious fonts and sizes, random placement of fields etc, and these are to represent my business. It smacks as a money grab and cheapening the product.
@Mark Armistead wrote:To be blunt I've been with QB desktop for 18 years and would have expected QBO to be on a par at minimum, ...
@Mark Armistead QBO is miles away from being a QBD replacement - particularly if you were using QBD to any meaningful percentage of its capability.
While the simplistic Compare Features table might have ticks in all the same boxes, when it comes down to the nitty-gritty, QBO is just not the same product - and it isn't meant to be (no matter what the advertising says!).
What you have to realise is that, like any company, Intuit is maximising its revenue streams (thereby its profit). It does this by selling a product that can be used by the largest number of people. In terms of subscriptions, the largest (by far) sector is the Micro/Small business. For the average one-man-band, QBO is sufficient - it has an app, so must be good & modern. For the average Small Business (maybe to 5/10 employees) & a straightforward sales/service business QBO can be cajoled or worked around.
Customising anything in QBO is limited - let's be honest. For Invoices: it's OK for the one-man-band but amateurish for anything beyond that. Credit Notes, Statements have zero customisation - nothing.
I was lucky - I got in while the docx Import Styles was still a thing but that too was only for invoices & estimates. If that feature is ever fully disabled, I'm gone & taking several separate company subscriptions with me (I think Xero still offer docx import).
I have, of course, given Feedback but that's just to get it off my chest - I don't fool myself into believing that anyone's reading the feedback!
I'm fast coming to the conclusions you've replied with. Sold a dead duck would be my choice words, never mind the false advertising.
The first business I've moved over will be fine on the QBO version, typically a simple service invoice for a task completed. However as I've mentioned my second business is just a beast when it comes to stock and multiple lines of PO's per invoice. I know it will get to me over time if I can't even present a tidy and simple invoice to my customers.
I noticed they'd removed the DOCX ability last night, doesn't point in the right direction that they'll be adding much else but the crappy templates.
Looks like I'll have to bite the bullet and look to Xero again see if they can help import the data.
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