Summary
- CRMs that integrate with QuickBooks save accountants’ time and centralizes their data
- Karbon offers robust CRM features through its practice management software
- Salesforce is a good option for large firms
- Pipedrive is a simple and straightforward CRM
- Zoho CRM may be useful for firms using other Zoho products
- Insightly offers a good range of integrations with accounting apps
- Freshsales is a good option for firms with mature sales processes
- Hubspot may be suited for firms with a strong focus on marketing
A firm that prides itself on meticulous work needs to give the same value to its client relationships. Firms that give equal attention to both grow and succeed. And those that don’t? They get left behind.
But excellent client or customer relationship management isn't simple—not without the right processes, team, and communication strategy. And definitely not without the right tools.
In fact, the firms leading the way in practice excellence are leveraging workflow and CRM technology 120-130% more than their less-competitive counterparts.
If your firm is struggling with siloed and scattered client data, a CRM solution might be the next tool you need.
The right CRM system will leverage automation and provide features like document management, a client portal, activity timelines, centralized communication, and onboarding assistance. And if you are a QuickBooks firm, a CRM with an Intuit QuickBooks integration will enhance each of these features.
With these tools in place, you can focus on the client relationship itself, knowing that the administrative client management work is under control.
QuickBooks CRM integrations: What are the benefits for accountants?
Better access to client data
Without timely, accurate data, an accountant’s job gets very difficult, very quickly. But with a CRM that directly integrates with general ledger tools like QuickBooks and Xero, client information can freely flow between each app. Client data is centralized and you reduce the need to context-switch between tabs.
Enhanced client management
Again, because your CRM and G/L are integrated, your information is centralized, allowing you to provide a better client experience. Your CRM is your knowledge hub for client details, like name, email, business addresses, etc.
And if your CRM tool integrates with your email, client communication will be centralized too, giving you the ultimate single source of truth.
A more connected team
Having the right CRM software that centralizes client information, email, notes, or other relevant data will simplify your team members’ lives.
When your CRM tool integrates with QuickBooks, they won’t need to navigate between various apps just to get the information they need. As a result, their efficiency and productivity should increase. Not to mention their overall satisfaction.
Your team will also be more agile and your clients are more likely to receive a more consistent, high-quality service from your firm—no matter who they’re dealing with.
Workflow automation
Having robust, well-thought-out workflows is important for every accounting business. Bonus points if they’re equipped with automation that streamlines processes, avoids double data entry, and keeps things moving.
For example, you can use QuickBooks' two-way sync with your CRM to automate the creation of Quickbooks invoices and estimates.
Why finding the right CRM with a QuickBooks integration is important for accountants
In a study in 2014 by Nucleus Research, they found ROI on CRM to be $8.71 USD for every dollar spent. While there haven’t been further studies on this metric, estimates predict it to be much higher today.
US-based firm BWCO CPAs have been using Karbon as their CRM solution since just before the pandemic. They found it, along with its integrations, invaluable for processing a variety of tax returns, especially when they couldn’t meet in person during lockdowns.
Rebecca Sheer, BWCO client and owner of Sheer Celebrations, explains the benefits she reaps as a result of her accountant using the right tech:
“[BWCO] can send me comments and documents in Karbon, and I can upload documents with ease. Whenever I need anything, I can just go to them, and it's like having an extension of my family right there, available for me and my business.”
Because they don’t need to chase clients and follow up for information, Karbon customers are saving 3.2 hours every week, per employee.
If you consider that number multiplied across all staff members over time, the hours saved quickly become days and even weeks.
What accountants should consider when choosing a CRM that integrates with Quickbooks
47% of firms report a massive impact on client satisfaction with CRM software, but not all CRM software solutions are created equal.
Finding the right CRM for your firm is a process. First, you need to pinpoint what you need it to do. Then compare your options, and finally, test it.
Figuring out your firm’s needs
The size of your firm impacts the uses it has for CRM software.
For firms looking to grow, software that includes scalable client onboarding processes is a must-have. Similarly, firms that are bringing on new staff will consistently benefit from centralized historical data, allowing team members to be brought up-to-speed quickly on different clients.
Understand how robust the QuickBooks integration needs to be
How deeply do you need your CRM to integrate with QuickBooks? Do you need all team members to have access to this integration, or will a single user be enough?
These types of questions will guide you in choosing the right CRM tool for your firm.
Essential features in CRM tools for accountants and bookkeepers
The following features are fundamental to client relationship management, particularly for accounting firms.
Contact and lead management
Your single source of truth for all client details
Stores contact information such as names, email, business and postal addresses, and other identifying information
Tracks and manages the process of converting prospects into paying clients
Track sales efforts, including sales pipeline, lead scoring and lead generation
Activity timelines
Any team member can see what action has been taken, a client’s status, or a job’s progress
Tracks interaction history of each client
Featured notes and other communications can be left here
Document management
Integrated email
Enables you to send automated emails
Keeps your client communication centralized with the rest of their data
Provides client activity and communication timelines
Gives you the ability to search for and collate emails from clients
Saves time by reducing context-switching between tools
Bonus points if the integration allows other team members to be tagged or notified about relevant information
Client portal
A reliable place for your clients to see what action they need to take
The place where they can securely upload documents or information
A communications area where you can collaborate with clients
Real-time reporting and insights
Data about clients and their behavior to highlight trends
Valuable information when formulating growth plans for the future
Provides the ability to request datasets with different specifications
Scalable onboarding and business processes with workflow templates
Never start processes from scratch again
Customizable per client or work type
Easily onboard multiple clients
Leverage automation features
Seamless project management
Traditional vs. accounting-specific CRM
The concept of a CRM is not specific to accountants. Anywhere there are clients or customers, there is CRM.
Most CRM software is generic and built to cover needs across multiple industries. But when you’re finding the right software for your accounting firm, there are purpose-built tools that provide accounting-specific features.
One benefit to choosing an industry-specific CRM is having the right integrations. If you can integrate with QuickBooks Online, Ignition and other useful accounting software, you’ll save time and the hassle of not needing to move information across platforms.
With Karbon, for example, you can generate a proposal with Ignition, which can then kick off a workflow within Karbon—the whole process can be completely automated.
Plus, generic CRM tools don’t have accounting workflow template libraries to further speed up your processes.
The question is: when you are choosing between different software, why not go for the option that was built specifically for you?
The best CRMs with QuickBooks integrations for accountants
Here are 7 tools with the best QuickBooks CRM integrations:
Karbon
Karbon is an accounting practice management tool equipped with CRM features. Because it’s not a traditional, standalone CRM solution, Karbon does not offer every bit of functionality that you may expect from a CRM solution. But it also brings a significant advantage of being part of a wider practice management platform—and with that comes lots of other features and functionality from one single app.
Client management features in Karbon, including document management and client portal
Hundreds of accounting firms use Karbon as their CRM solution, streamlining their client interactions, centralizing their data, and enhancing their workflow efficiency.
What kind of firms use Karbon?
Accounting firms of various sizes leverage Karbon’s CRM as a system of record for their clients and the related information that they need to track in order to deliver services (e.g. TaxID, entity type, DOB, address, email, phone number, etc.).
Reviews
Karbon’s key CRM features
Pros
Accounting-specific tool, built by a passionate team of accounting industry experts
Automated workflows and client reminders to streamline your processes
Open API so you can integrate apps, build custom solutions, and optimize workflows
Constant innovation and frequent product releases
Centralized activity timelines
250+ accounting and bookkeeping workflow templates, including this scalable client onboarding template
Robust reporting and analytics with Karbon Practice Intelligence
@mention colleagues and comment on emails, turn emails into tasks, and assign emails to colleagues and client or project timelines
Cons
May require more time to be set up than basic alternatives
Functionality is geared towards teams, so may not be suitable for sole practitioners or teams of two to three staff
Not a traditional, standalone CRM solution
No marketing-specific automation features
Free trial?
Yes
Pricing
Karbon has three pricing plans: Team, Business, and Enterprise.
Annually:
Team: $59 USD/month, per user
Business: $89 USD/month, per user
Enterprise: Custom pricing
Monthly:
Team: $79 USD/ month, per user
Business: $99 USD/month, per user
Enterprise: Custom pricing
Hubspot CRM
Hubspot is a CRM tool that manages your contacts as well as your sales, pipeline, digital marketing campaigns, and lead nurture. It’s not specific to accounting firms, and appeals to a wide array of small businesses.
Contact information page in HubSpot
What kind of firms use Hubspot CRM?
Hubspot CRM is best suited for firms with a heavy focus on sales and marketing, and those that don’t mind a relatively shallow integration pool with accounting-specific software.
Reviews
Hubspot’s key CRM features
Integrations with QuickBooks and Xero
Contact management
Dashboard and reporting software
Client management and lifecycle overview
Company insights to help inform business decisions
Meeting scheduler to maintain regular contact with clients
Email template builder
AI email writer for email marketing
Automation and task alerts
Client and customer data profiles
Pros
Offers a free plan
Large market share with wide user-base
Extensive integrations library
Current and historical client information is available in one centralized location
Supports client lifecycle tracking
You can connect your social media accounts to see how your ads are performing
Marketing automation capabilities
Cons
Aimed at sales and marketing rather than ongoing client-based CRM
The free CRM plan has basic functionality compared to paid options, which can get expensive
Not built for accountants, so it lacks industry-specific features
No client portal
Free trial?
Yes
Pricing
For small teams, Hubspot’s CRM Suite offers a free service with the option of upgrading to a paid plan.
Zoho CRM
Zoho is a comprehensive software suite for small-large businesses. One of their products is Zoho Books, an online accounting software that integrates with Zoho CRM. The following are features of Zoho CRM.
A client feed example in Zoho CRM
What kind of firms use Zoho CRM?
Firms that use Zoho Books may find more value in using Zoho CRM, along with other Zoho software products.
Reviews
Zoho CRM’s key features
Integrations with QuickBooks and Xero (available as a separate purchase)
Contact management
Workflow automation
Client lifecycle overview and management
AI-powered conversation assistant
Task management
Robust reporting and analytics
Pros
Offers a free plan
Highly customizable interface
Uses automation to reduce manual data entry and repetitive tasks
Hundreds of integrations with different applications, including over 50 Zoho products
Pre-made and customizable reports that you and your team can collaborate on via comments
Cons
In order to reap the benefits of many of its features, you need to purchase other Zoho products
Complex navigation in some areas of the product
Not built for accountants, so it lacks industry-specific features
Limited document management
Set-up is complicated and often requires customers to have technical skills
Free trial?
Yes
Pricing
Zoho CRM has four pricing plans:
Free: $0 USD/month, per user
Standard: $20 USD/month, per user
Professional: $35 USD/month, per user
Enterprise: $50 USD/month, per user
Ultimate: $65 USD/month, per user
Insightly
Insightly is a CRM and project management tool that helps small to medium businesses manage contacts, track relationships, monitor sales pipeline, and organize projects.
Sales dashboard view in Insightly
What kind of firms use Insightly?
Even though it’s not accounting-specific, its library of integrations does include a decent selection of apps firms use (i.e. QuickBooks, Xero, Sage, Bill.com, Freshbooks). Firms that need their CRM to integrate with these tools will benefit from Insightly.
Reviews
Insightly’s key CRM features
Integrations with QuickBooks Online and Xero
Contact and lead management
Sales pipeline management
Automated, scalable processes
Project management
Data tracking and metric analysis
Client portal
Pros
Wide range of integrations
Customizable workflow automation
Track milestones and manage processes
Ability to build custom apps for various departments that include only the information that’s specific to them
Customize and capture any dataset
Can link and show relationships between different entities and clients
Cons
Free trial?
Yes
Pricing
Insightly offers three different packages for its CRM with a free trial available.
Plus: $29 USD/month, per user
Professional: $49/month, per user
Enterprise: $99/month, per user
Freshsales
Freshsales is the CRM product of Freshworks, which is a customer service, IT and CRM software provider. Freshsales is a more sales-focused CRM designed to help you convert leads into clients quickly.
Client profile view in Freshsales
What kind of firms use Freshales?
Accounting and bookkeeping firms with a dedicated sales team or salesperson would benefit from Freshsales’ CRM features. And because the increases in price between each package are relatively affordable, it’s suitable for firms that are scaling.
Reviews
Freshsales’ key CRM features
Integration with QuickBooks and Xero
Contact management
Activity timelines
Chat campaigns
Workflow automation
Sales sequences
Multiple sales pipelines
Integrated email
Forecasts, reports, and dashboards
Contact lifecycle stages
‘Freddy AI’
Pros
Offers a free plan
Simple, easy-to-use and intuitive interface
Auto-profile enrichment automatically enriches lead, contact, and account profiles with social media information and actions taken on your website (only available with the Enterprise package)
Strong customer support across phone, email and chat—including the free version (however, it’s limited to work days)
Cons
Some customization options (such as custom fields), access to the API, workflows and dashboards, and a two-way email sync are restricted to higher product tiers
Integrations with other Freshworks tools are very basic
Not accounting-specific
Free trial?
Yes
Pricing
Freshsales offers four pricing options. The following prices are based on annual billing:
Free: $0 USD/month, per user
Growth: $15 USD/month, per user
Pro: $39 USD/month, per user
Enterprise: $69 USD/month, per user
Pipedrive
Pipedrive is a simple and user-friendly CRM that focuses on your sales process. It’s also a generic CRM tool that applies to a wide range of audiences.
Sales pipeline view in Pipedrive
What kind of firms use Pipedrive?
Firms with dedicated sales teams would benefit from Pipedrive’s heavy sales focus.
Reviews
Pipedrive’s key CRM features
Pros
Calendar and email integration
You can make calls through Pipedrive (five free hours per month with the ability to buy call credits)
The AI sales assistant feature will analyze your tasks and help prioritize your day
Unlimited sales pipelines
Cons
Not accounting-specific
Designed specifically for salespeople, so might not be suitable for firms without a dedicated sales function
Lackluster integration with QuickBooks (only one user in Pipedrive can install it)
Free trial?
Yes
Pricing
Pipedrive offers five pricing options. Here are the tiers, each based on annual billing:
Essential: $14.90 USD/month, per user
Advanced: $27.90 USD/month, per user
Essential: $49.90 USD/month, per user
Power: $64.90 USD/month, per user
Enterprise: $99.90 USD/month, per user
Salesforce Sales Cloud
Salesforce is one of the most popular and customizable CRM products available. In fact, it’s so highly customizable that you can essentially configure your own bespoke app.
Salesforce Sales Cloud dashboard view
What kind of firms use Salesforce Sales Cloud?
Larger tax, accounting, and audit firms with dedicated sales teams and the time and money to take advantage of the customization capabilities would benefit from Salesforce Sales Cloud.
Reviews
Salesforce Sales Cloud’s key CRM features
Integration with QuickBooks
Activity, lead and opportunity management
Pipeline management
Contact management
Forecasting
Reporting and dashboards
Workflow and process automation
Quote builder
@mentions and comments
Custom fields and custom objects
Pros
Highly customizable—the possibilities are impressive (which can also be a pitfall—see below)
Thousands of apps, premium options and robust suite of products is ideal for large and rapidly growing firms
Impressive generative AI product, Einstein GPT
Cons
Highly customizable—this can be complex to take advantage of, often taking time, and third-party experts to set up and optimize
The lower pricing tiers are basic compared to the higher price points, especially across workflow automation, quoting, and forecasting
Not accounting-specific
Pricing
Salesforce Sales Cloud offers four pricing levels. The following prices are based on annual billing:
Starter: $25 USD/month, per user
Professional: $80 USD/month, per user
Enterprise: $165 USD/month, per user
Unlimited: $330 USD/month, per user
Try Karbon for free
In a market saturated with CRM platform options, it’s important to consider that few are built with accountants in mind.
CRMs that aren’t built for accounting present two major implications:
Their functionality is broad and doesn’t address your specific needs
Their customer support isn’t trained in how you work, the work you do, your priorities, and challenges
Accounting-specific CRM options like Karbon are dedicated to one industry and one industry alone: yours.
Here is what some Karbon customers are saying:
“We have been using Karbon for a few years now and had previously switched from a few different CRMs. Karbon is the most interactive, customizable and helpful one we have found." — Marika T. on G2
“We’re really happy. Karbon’s given us the ability to really be able to grow our client base, automate work for our staff, and enable more transparency for both clients and staff. And we’ve been able to provide our clients with the best service by knowing them a little bit better.” — Ana Lukac, New Wave Accountants
“Our firm has grown because of our reputation for communication and responsiveness. Karbon helps us provide that. We're able to focus on the meaningful relationships and stand out against the crowd.” — Gary Wood, CRC
“I knew Karbon would be a game-changer to have all our communication and client details in one system, while being able to provide clients with timely communication.” — Melissa Stout, mAccounting
Book a demo to find out how Karbon can help you manage your client relationships.
