The trick is, thats not really a work around it is entering information the wrong way which then puts it wrong on all following documentation. having a way to default all customers being listed by their company instead of their name with1 setting would also be a nice feature that is very related.

Having programming and database experience myself, I just want to add that it's very disappointing that this high demand request is taking so long to implement in Quickbooks. This is standard in every industry and virtually every software that involves lists names or accounts with names, and it does not take much work at all to implement something that will just automatically convert it this way in real time. That this has not been done in years is a very disappointing indictment of the professionalism and competency of the Quickbooks online developers. This realistically should not take more than a few lines of code to make this possible and a skilled dev could have it ready by tomorrow. This should have been a minimum basic option that was included at launch. Please hire some new devs or contractors that will finish the basic standard features MOST customers want and will use before going further with more advanced things catered to a small niche market that won't improve the experience of most users.

Thank you for at least providing a work around, though the extra time it will take to manually update hundreds of customers and manually update every single new customer is crazy for something that is expected as a default selection everywhere else.

Hello! We would also like to add our name to this list for recommendation!

Hello, Professional Roofers. 

I recognize how beneficial for your business to be able to add customer name according to last name. Please know we’re continuously improving to enhance our customers’ experience while using it. 

I'm going to submit feedback to our Product Developers Team for consideration in future updates. I also encourage you to send feedback as well. This helps us know how this option makes your QuickBooks experience smoother.

Here's how:

1. At the top menu bar, go to Help, then pick Send Feedback Online.
2. Enter your request/product suggestion, then select Next.
3. Click Skip and send a message, and choose Feedback as the Category.

I invite you to visit the QuickBooks Blog to know more about our latest happenings. From there, you’ll get the recent news, features, and updates about the product. 

Of course, you can always drop by here in the Community for any questions you need help with. I'm still here for you if you need further assistance. Have a good one.

Is there any way to change a setting to default to the preferred format (Last, First)?

I found this thread when looking to solve the same problem with QB2000. Do you think the developer will now change if nothing has been done in 24 years? Is this incentive for me to purchase QBO?