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How do I sync customer accounts using an integration?

Link QuickBooks customer accounts to Clean Smarts locations using Location Sync on Manage Locations, including Sync, Link, Import, and Unlink.

Location Sync maps customer accounts from your payroll software to Clean Smarts locations. Linking them lets approved time activity carry the correct customer/job ID when it syncs back to QuickBooks.

Applies to: Managers with Locations (Edit). Location Sync only appears when your company payroll integration is QuickBooks Online or QuickBooks Desktop (Web Connector). Other payroll apps listed under Company Settings do not support customer-to-location sync yet.

Before You Start

  • Connect payroll first. Open Company Settings → Payroll and select QuickBooks Online or QuickBooks Desktop (Web Connector), then save. For QBO, complete Connect to QuickBooks. See How do I open Company Settings?.
  • Only service locations are listed. Location Sync shows Clean Smarts locations that are service / check-in locations (Service Location on). Organizing (non-service) locations are excluded.
  • This is not Accounting Customer Sync. Payroll Location Sync links customers to locations for time/job matching. Separately, Accounting → Customers can sync billing customers when accounting integration is enabled—that is a different workflow.
  • One payroll ID per location in the sync UI. The sync panel links one external customer ID to one Clean Smarts location. To reuse the same QuickBooks customer on additional sites, copy the Payroll System ID from a linked location and paste it into the other locations' General tabs.

Open Location Sync

  1. Open Manage Locations from your profile menu in the bottom-left corner, or press Ctrl/Cmd + K and search for Manage Locations.
  2. In the toolbar, click the Location Sync status control (it shows unsynced Clean Smarts / unsynced payroll counts).
  3. In the popover, review:
    • Unsynced Clean Smarts Locations
    • Unsynced Payroll System Locations
    • Matched Locations
  4. Click Sync Locations to open the Location Sync dialog.

If you do not see Location Sync, your payroll integration is not one of the supported QuickBooks options, or your role is missing Locations (Edit).

Pull Customers From Your Payroll Software

QuickBooks Online

  1. In the Location Sync dialog, click Sync with QuickBooks Online.
  2. Clean Smarts refreshes the staged customer list from QBO. Unmatched customers appear under Unsynced Payroll System Locations.

QuickBooks Desktop (Web Connector)

QuickBooks Desktop does not allow Clean Smarts to pull customers on demand. Use Web Connector instead of the in-dialog Sync with… button:

  1. In QuickBooks Desktop, open File → Update Web Services (Web Connector).
  2. Select the Clean Smarts application and run Update Selected.
  3. That update sends employee and customer lists to Clean Smarts and stages them for matching.
  4. Return to Clean Smarts and open Location Sync again so the staged customers appear under Unsynced Payroll System Locations.

Link an Existing Clean Smarts Location

Use this when the site already exists in Clean Smarts and you only need to attach the payroll customer ID.

  1. Under Unsynced Clean Smarts Locations, click the location card so it shows Selected for linking.
  2. Under Unsynced Payroll System Locations, find the matching customer account.
  3. Click Link on that customer row.

The pair moves to Matched Locations. Clean Smarts stores the payroll customer ID on the location as Payroll System ID.

There is no drag-and-drop in the current web portal—select the Clean Smarts location, then Link.

Import a New Location From a Customer Account

Use this when the customer exists in QuickBooks but has no Clean Smarts location yet.

  1. Under Unsynced Payroll System Locations, find the customer.
  2. Click Import.

Clean Smarts creates a new location and fills in the account name and address from QuickBooks when available. The new location is linked automatically.

Note: Import is supported for QuickBooks Online. For QuickBooks Desktop, create the location in Clean Smarts (see How do I add a location?), then either Link it to the staged Web Connector customer or paste the QuickBooks List ID into Payroll System ID on the location General tab.

Unlink a Matched Location

  1. In Matched Locations, hover the paired row.
  2. Click the unlink icon (link-off) on the right.

The payroll customer ID is cleared from the Clean Smarts location. Both sides return to the unsynced lists so you can rematch them.

Filter and Review Status

  • Use the Filter box at the top of the dialog to narrow either column or matched pairs by name.
  • On Manage Locations, the toolbar Location Sync badge turns amber when there are unsynced items, and green when everything is matched.
  • You can also show or edit Payroll System ID as a column on the locations list, or open a location's General tab → Integrations → Payroll System ID.

Tips and Troubleshooting

I don't see Location Sync on Manage Locations. Confirm Company Settings → Payroll is set to QuickBooks Online or QuickBooks Desktop (Web Connector) and saved. Confirm your role includes Locations (Edit).

Sync with QuickBooks Online fails or times out. Reconnect QBO under Company Settings → Payroll (QBO connections expire after long inactivity—commonly ~100 days). Save company settings after reconnecting.

QuickBooks Desktop customers never appear. Run Update Selected in Web Connector so customer lists are sent to Clean Smarts. The in-app Sync button cannot pull Desktop customers.

I selected a location but Link is disabled. You must select a Clean Smarts location on the left first; then Link enables on the payroll customer row.

Where did drag-and-drop go? The current portal uses click-to-select + Link instead of dragging cards between panels.

Can one QuickBooks customer map to multiple Clean Smarts locations? Yes, but not via multiple Link actions in the sync panel for the same customer once it is already matched. Link the first location, copy its Payroll System ID, then paste that ID into additional locations on each location's General tab.

I linked the wrong customer. Unlink the pair in Matched Locations, then Link the correct customer—or edit Payroll System ID on the location General tab.

This is different from Accounting → Customers. Location Sync is for payroll/time job matching. Accounting customer sync is for billing customers and invoices when accounting integration is enabled.