Capturing Lead Source using QuickBooks Online Customer Types

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Recently, while working with Ann Lee and Richard Roppa, we chatted about how to track customer leads. Our efforts were to capture how leads flow into our firm, so we could manage resources for new leads. An amazing unveiling happened, we soon realized, "what we thought was the main source of our leads was NOT the main source after all." Instead, an area we gave little attention was bringing us the bulk of our best leads. To our surprise, peer referrals were the best source of our great clients. I now believe this resulted from: (1) our specialization, and (2) because we as ProAdvisors weed out the bad clients and only refer the good ones to each other.   

While this project started as a word doc, our list became too complex, so we decided it would be more productive to park this project in the place we do our invoicing, QuickBooks Online. As a result, Customer Types became the best tool for the job.

Last January I wrote an article about how to turn on and use Customer Types so I won't detail that process. Just recall that Customer Types can be turned on after enabling QuickBooks Online Price Rules, which is a Beta-feature. At present, these two features are linked but doesn't mean you have to use Price Rules to use Customer Types, nor will turning on this feature be bothersome in terms of Price Rules. It just happens that these two features are a great enhancement to each other, but I don't need Price Rules for tracking leads.

To see both of these features in action you can download and watch the MP4 player version of Insightful Accountant's 'QB Talks' January 2018 Webinar which includes both the Price Rules and Customer Types in the final webinar segment. (By the way, even though you can't download only the Customer Types segment, Murph says it's OK to skip through his segment on the 'Automated Sales Tax' feature to get directly to the Customer Types. Of course, it's like landing on 'Go to Jail' in Monopoly, you won't get to 'Pass Go and Collect $200' if you do.)

Now let me demonstrate how the Customer Type functionality can be applied to accounting firms.

Accessing Customer Types

Adding, Editing or Deleting Customer Types

We created the various ways our leads are brought into our firm. When the Customer Types window opens, you can add a customer type by clicking the green 'New customer type' button.

You can edit customer types from the action column options at the right end of any listed customer type (once created).

Apply Customer Types to a single Customer

Reporting Customer Types

At present, the only way to view a Customer Type report is to create and then customize a Customer Contact list.

Create a Customer Contact Report

Once you have created the report and it is open, you will need to customize it.

Customize the Customer Contact Report

The result is a beautiful Customer Type report.

"It turned out, 'perfect!'" Customer Types was the best tool for tracking leads, in QuickBooks Online.

I am thrilled with how easy and cost-effective Customer Types is to use for our firm's leads. Because of our surprising results we are rethinking efforts for creating more peer campaigns.

In the future, I would expect to see Customer Type visible on an Income Report, where the type of customer would be highly beneficial.

Because this is part of the 'Beta' Price Rules feature, it means that Intuit is asking for feedback on this new functionality; therefore, be sure to leave feedback so Intuit knows where Customer Type is beneficial for you and your clients.