The QuickBooks collections gap
QuickBooks is where most small businesses manage their invoices. It has good invoicing features, a clean customer interface, and broad accounting functionality. What it does not have is a robust automated follow-up system. QuickBooks reminders are email-only, require manual triggers, and don't include the SMS and voice follow-up that actually gets invoices paid.
The result is a gap: your invoices are in QuickBooks, your customers have phones, and there's no automated bridge between the two. Filling that gap — connecting your QB overdue invoices to a system that texts and calls customers — is one of the highest-ROI moves a service business can make.
How QuickBooks sync works with Surety
Surety's QuickBooks integration reads your overdue invoices in real time via the QuickBooks API. When an invoice passes its due date without payment, it's automatically pulled into Surety with the customer name, phone number, amount, and due date. No re-entry required.
The system starts the reminder sequence automatically: SMS on day 0, SMS at day 7, Remi voice call at day 14. When a customer pays through the Stripe payment link in the SMS, the invoice is marked as paid in QuickBooks — the sync goes both ways. Your QB records stay current without any manual reconciliation.
What to do if customers don't have phone numbers in QuickBooks
This is the most common friction point in QB integrations. Many service businesses have customer records in QuickBooks with email addresses but no mobile phone numbers. For the SMS and voice features to work, you need a mobile number.
The fastest fix: export your customer list from QuickBooks, add phone numbers in a spreadsheet, and import it back. Going forward, make it standard practice to capture a mobile number at job booking. The incremental effort of asking 'Can I get your cell number for billing updates?' is worth it — SMS reminders on that number will pay for themselves on the first late invoice.
CSV import as a QuickBooks alternative
If you're not on QuickBooks (or you want to test the system before connecting your accounting software), Surety's CSV import lets you upload a spreadsheet of overdue invoices. The required fields are minimal: customer name, phone number, amount, due date. Upload once a week and the system handles the rest.
Many Surety customers start with CSV upload to validate the workflow, then connect QuickBooks once they've seen the results. Either path works — the goal is getting your overdue invoices into the system so Remi can follow up on them.