Generate Invoices with Wufoo's FreshBooks Integration

FreshBooks

Over the weekend, we released a new payment integration feature that works with our good friends over at [FreshBooks](http://freshbooks.com). You can now process online orders collected from your Wufoo form with FreshBooks’ invoices! In addition to having Wufoo collect information that you need from your users through our forms, you can automatically create a Freshbooks client profile and invoice based off of the data that is submitted.

Wufoo + Freshbooks!

This is great for users that want to collect information, quotes and payments from their users, but don’t want to process a credit card right away after getting that data. Instead, they can use FreshBooks to create customized invoices tailored to each quote or request and then offer those invoices at a more appropriate time in their interaction with the user. You can even have FreshBooks send those invoices via snail mail! Here’s a quick video Chris whipped up showing how that process will feel to the user:

This integration can be found in the [Payment Settings](/docs/merchant/freshbooks/) for your forms along with our other merchants. Just select their service from the list of merchants to process your orders and then assign the prices to your fields just like with our other integrations with PayPal or Authorize.net. Because Wufoo needs to generate a client profile every time we send information for generating an invoice to FreshBooks, your forms will need to collect from your users their name, organization’s name and email address. Additionally, we provide a very easy field matching interface to associate all the different client information FreshBooks accepts with data collected by your forms.

Freshbooks Field Matching

We’re really excited this integration with our friends up in the north and hope you’ll enjoy using Wufoo to help jump start your invoicing journey. For more information about the advantages of using Wufoo’s payment system for creating leads and processing online orders check our our [Wufoo Powered Payments page](/payments/).

###Update!

We had initially envisioned our Freshbooks integration only being used to create and invoice brand new clients since you can also invoice existing clients through the Freshbooks interface. But as it turns out people want to use the integration for even more than we initially designed.

Effective [December 2, 2009](http://www.wufoo.com/2009/12/02/freshbooks-integration-update-invoice-existing-clients/), any new invoices that are created with an email address already associated with a Freshbooks client will be assigned to the existing client instead of creating a new client. If the email address is not associated with an existing client then a new client will be created and invoiced.

Comments

  • I’ve been looking forward to your FreshBooks integration, great work. One question though. You write:

    “Because wufoo needs to generate a client profile every time we send information for generating an invoice to FreshBooks, your forms will need to collect from your users their name, organization’s name and email address.”

    Is there any way to get this to generate invoices for existing clients already in the freshbooks system, or does a new client need to be generated every single time?

    If not, anyway to get that to work?

    Thanks!

    Posted October 27th, 2009 by Ryan Erisman.
  • You cannot invoice current clients using wufoo, but that functionality is built into Freshbooks itself. wufoo is trying to provide an easy for a new client and their first invoice to be created.

    Posted October 27th, 2009 by Chris Campbell.
  • This is good news, thanks for your efforts to bring it to us.

    Posted October 27th, 2009 by Jamie.
  • This is awesome. I have already created a “New Client” form so that my web and print clients can enter themselves into the freshbooks system; however, is there any way that I can leave off the required payments.

    In other words, I would love to be able to use the payment integration to add my clients to freshbooks without requiring a payment.

    Any ideas?

    C-

    Posted October 27th, 2009 by Chris.
  • Hey Chris, we’re working on a different integration method for allowing only client creation in wufoo without all the payment/prices stuff so you can use it just for new client creation. It’s not out yet, but will be coming soon.

    Posted October 27th, 2009 by Kevin Hale.
  • Great additions!

    Is there anything in the works that would allow the information that clients input into the forms to translate directly into an Excel spreadsheet that is specific to each form?? For example, our organization does numerous camps/retreats throughout the year. We use Excel to record the information from each field on the forms after they are received from wufoo. A method of running a report that would generate results in Excel would be beyond amazing!

    Posted October 27th, 2009 by Christina.
  • where can I find more information about fresh books? I am not sure if my form needs this…

    Posted October 27th, 2009 by Benjamin.
  • Christina – You can create reports with wufoo (http://wufoo.com/docs/report-builder/) and then use those reports to export the data as an excel or .csv file.

    Benjamin – You’ll probably want to look at http://freshbooks.com for more info about FreshBooks.

    Posted October 27th, 2009 by Chris Campbell.
  • Absolutely brilliant. I’ve been waiting for something like this. Can I just clarify something though?

    If someone signs up to one of my services through wufoo, then a client profile and invoice is created in Freshbooks. This invoice is then paid at a later date, i.e. when I’ve completed the service for the client and have asked them to log into Freshbooks and pay their invoice.

    Do I understand that correctly?

    Posted October 27th, 2009 by Debra Carey.
  • Here’s my workaround for using this functionality to invoice existing clients.

    1. I’ve set up the workflow exactly as described.
    2. In Freshbooks, I’ve placed an * at the end of the ‘master’ client account, so that I can differentiate it from the auto-created accounts that wufoo builds.
    3. Once the client has paid the invoice, I simply re-assign the invoice to the master account. Voila, reporting accurate and I can delete the auto-created client account.

    It’s working for me with minimal drama! 🙂 I haven’t found any holes in this system yet.

    Posted October 27th, 2009 by Raina Gustafson.
  • Debra – You can configure wufoo to send the invoice to their email address automatically after the form is submitted or you can manually send the invoice from within FreshBooks at a later date.

    Raina – Thanks for sharing how you’re using the integration!

    Posted October 27th, 2009 by Chris Campbell.
  • Hi, it’s very good idea. We already registered but than found out, that we cannot use it. And I think non of companies from EU would be able to use it.
    Because:
    Each invoice released by EU company need some mandatory items like:
    – Company name,
    – Full address,
    – Company ID,
    – EU VAT number.
    This applies for both parties on the invoice. The supplier and the customer.
    May be I did not find where to add fields Company ID and EU VAT#, but these are mandatory in EU as well. Please help me and we can start to use it. Or may be you did not include such a fields there. Than we cannot use it. Pity 🙁

    Posted October 27th, 2009 by Peter Vidovic.
  • Our billing systems needs to be able to show net and gross rates for our clients when we do billing. If a client pays on time withing 15 days they pay the lower amount. How can I do this in your system?

    Posted October 27th, 2009 by Chase.
  • Peter – I’m sorry, but wufoo does not send Company ID and VAT data to FreshBooks.

    Chase – I’m afraid that functionality is a little too advanced for the wufoo/FreshBooks integration.

    Posted October 27th, 2009 by Chris Campbell.
  • Next FB/WF Feature Request.

    Create a wufoo form support ticket that also create a ticket at Freshbooks.

    Posted October 27th, 2009 by BK.
  • Hey Kevin, any news on the freshbooks integration without the payment requirment?

    Posted October 27th, 2009 by Chris.
  • Hey Chris, we can’t put out any timelines, but we’re hoping to release a version that does client only creation eventually.

    Posted October 27th, 2009 by Kevin Hale.

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