Intuit just released QuickBooks 2020 Desktop, and over the next few days and weeks, QuickBooks ProAdvisors (for Desktop), Enterprise Users, and QuickBooks Pro/Premier 'Plus' subscribers will be notified about the availability of the initial release of the software. Soon thereafter, QuickBooks Desktop 2020 versions will start appearing on retailers' shelves.
Insightful Accountant has been privy to various pre-release versions of these products for months, and has had multiple communications with Intuit personnel, including product managers and developers, so we can help you learn about the new products. This article takes a closer look at one or more of the features released as part of the QuickBooks Desktop 2020 (and associated) product updates.
If case you haven't read my article summarizing the Desktop Products then the chart below, courtesy of Intuit, reflects which new features are available in which QuickBooks releases. Of course, I would encourage you to read 'My QuickBooks Desktop 2020 Summary article'.
Source: Intuit
QBDT-2020_Feature-summary-table
Be certain to tune in for the September edition of QB Talks scheduled for 2 PM Eastern on September 18, 2019 to hear about QuickBooks 2020, there will be more information about that webinar outlined in a future article. You can register HERE.
Automatically Add Customer PO Number to Emails
This new feature is available in all 2020 Desktop versions of QuickBooks within the US, Canada and the United Kingdom. In a nutshell what it does is let you edit any Invoice Email Template to include the 'Customer PO Number' field.
A lot of customers use Purchase Order Numbers when then give you an order for products and services, but what good does it do for you to write that number down if it doesn’t display where your customer can easily find it when you correspond with them via email, especially when you are transmitting their Invoice? Oh sure, you have been able to record the Customer's PO # on either a Sales Order or Invoice (as in the example shown below) but if you wanted to include the PO # in an Email to your Customer you had to manually add it into the body of the Email.
QuickBooks has allowed you to capture a Customer PO # on your Sales Orders or Invoice Forms, but this Number hasn't Automatically Populated onto your related Customer Emails.
QBDT-2020_Customer-PO_Sales-order-example
With this new feature you will save effort and time by not having to manually add the customer’s PO number to Invoice related emails because you can now edit any Invoice Email Template to include the ‘Customer PO Number’ field (as shown below).
Easily edit any Invoice Email template to add the Customer's PO# so the number will automatically appear on future Emails generated from QuickBooks to that Customer.
QBDT-2020_Customer-PO_final
To access this feature, from the QuickBooks menu bar choose Edit, then select Preferences, now choose Send Forms and then choose Company Preferences*. Now select the Appropriate Template and click Edit, then click the Insert Field, and choose Customer PO Number. Be certain to Save upon completion of your modification to the template.
When the Invoice is transmitted via Email to the Customer their PO# will appear in the Subject Line of the Email to the right of the Invoice # (and other subject line content you have chosen to include). This means that Customers are going to immediately be able to more easily match the Email with attached Invoice to their own original Purchase Order saving them a great deal of time and effort. As for you, imagine the time you will save trying to go into each of the various Emails you send with Invoices and incorporate the Customer's PO# manually into the body of the email, then highlight it in some way so they can find it (what a mess.)
Yes, this new feature will definitely save both you, and your customers who use PO Numbers a great deal of time and effort, that's why this is a wonderful feature for QuickBooks Desktop 2020, but it's not only great feature there are a lot more, that's why you should head over to my QuickBooks Desktop (for Windows) 2020 Summary here for a full review, and also check out my companion QuickBooks for Mac 2020 Summary which can be found here. I will also be continuing this series on the individual QuickBooks 2020 features so be sure to check back in our Insightful Accountant headlines every day for the next week or so.
Editor's Acknowledgements
By the way, my very special thanks go out to Laura Madeira who helped cross-check my work with her own to make certain that we were consistent in providing accurate information regarding this 2020 release. For the official Intuit version of “QuickBooks Desktop 2020 – What’s New and Improved” you will find Laura Madeira's article posted at this Firm of the Future blog website.
I also want to thank the following Intuit personnel for their dedication not only in providing information, briefings and responding to questions, but in guiding the actual product developments within QuickBooks Desktop and this release: Chetana Arakanakere, Rachna Arya, Nipun Bhatia, Aditya Dixit, Varshitha Gokari, Sumit Poddar, Raman Verma. Of course there are entire teams, composed of hundreds of Intuit personnel, behind these people that make the magic happen and too often we forget to say, thank you, to them as well; so to all involved, "THANK YOU"!