Tabwell setup guide

Tabwell shows what a customer owes in QuickBooks Online or Xero in the Zendesk ticket sidebar, and lets agents put an invoice link or an account summary into the reply, email an invoice from the accounting system and add a note to the customer, with each action logged on the ticket. This page is published at https://greatwork.company/apps/tabwell/docs.

Which edition

Zendesk lets one app hold one sign-in, so Tabwell comes in two editions with the same features and price. Install the one for your books:

• Tabwell: Customer Invoices in Tickets for QuickBooks Online.
• Tabwell: Xero Invoices in Tickets for Xero.

QuickBooks Desktop isn't supported.

Before you start

• Who connects. Tabwell acts in your accounting system as the user who signs in during setup: invoice emails are sent and notes are added as that user. Use a user who can see customers and sales invoices (and, in Xero, send them).
• Agents don't need QuickBooks or Xero seats. They work through the one connection, and each agent only sees the customer on the ticket in front of them.

Install and connect: QuickBooks Online

1. Install the QuickBooks Online edition from the Zendesk Marketplace and pick Team (up to 14 agents and admins) or Scale (15 or more). The 14-day trial starts at install.
2. In Admin Center > Apps and integrations > Zendesk Support apps > Tabwell, click the sign-in link under QuickBooks connection, sign in, pick the company and click Connect.
3. In QuickBooks, open the gear menu > Account and settings > Billing & subscription and copy the Company ID. Paste it into QuickBooks Company ID (spaces are fine) and save. Zendesk's sign-in doesn't pass the Company ID on to apps, so this one field is needed; Tabwell checks it against the company you connected.
4. Open a ticket: the sidebar's QuickBooks Online card names the connected company.

Install and connect: Xero

1. Install the Xero edition from the Zendesk Marketplace and pick Team or Scale.
2. Click the sign-in link under Xero connection, sign in, pick the organisation and click Allow access.
3. If you connected more than one organisation, type the one to use into Xero organisation.
4. Open a ticket: the sidebar's Xero card names the connected organisation.

Settings

Using it

• Matching. Tabwell matches the requester's email to the customer's email in QuickBooks (an email field holding several addresses works) or to a Xero contact's email or contact persons'. If several records match, a picker shows them.
• Invoices. Open invoices come first, oldest overdue on top, then Show paid invoices for the 10 most recent. Badges show "N days overdue", "Due in N days" or "Part paid".
• Payments and Credit notes load when you open their tabs.
• Link to reply puts the invoice's customer link into your reply with your wording. QuickBooks only makes this link for invoices that accept online payments and have a customer email; Xero makes one for every approved invoice.
• Email from QuickBooks / Xero shows where the email goes, then sends it with your own email template. In QuickBooks, if the invoice's billing email differs from the requester's, Tabwell sends to the requester and QuickBooks updates the invoice's billing email (you're told before you confirm). Xero sends to the contact's email and contact persons set to receive invoices.
• Put summary in reply inserts a table of the open invoices with due dates and amounts, the total due and the overdue part, and unused credit. Neither QuickBooks' nor Xero's API can send a statement, so this is Tabwell's summary, sent through Zendesk.
• Add a note appends a dated line with the ticket number and your name to the customer's notes (QuickBooks, 2,000 characters in all) or the contact's history (Xero, can't be edited later).
• Logging. Each action adds an internal note and a tag: tabwell_invoice_emailed, tabwell_invoice_link, tabwell_account_summary or tabwell_customer_note.
• Safe on bad connections. If the accounting system's answer is lost, Tabwell checks whether the email went out or the note was saved before saying anything, and never sends twice.

Limits

• Tabwell never creates, changes or deletes payments, refunds, invoices or credit notes.
• One company or organisation per Zendesk account.
• Xero: drafts and invoices awaiting approval are not shown. Xero allows 60 API calls a minute and 1,000 or 5,000 a day per organisation, shared with your other Xero apps; opening a ticket uses about 5.
• QuickBooks: open invoices up to 100 per customer and the 10 most recent; payments and credit memos, the 10 most recent.

Troubleshooting

Uninstall

Uninstalling removes the stored connection. Disconnect Tabwell in QuickBooks (Apps > My apps) or Xero (Settings > Connected apps) as well. Internal notes and tabwell_* tags stay on tickets; notes in your books and sent emails stay in QuickBooks or Xero.

Questions: hello@greatwork.company, a person replies within one business day.