QuickBooks Online is amazing software. There’s a newish feature – AI created subject line from QBO when sending emails – and I’m going to discuss it here.
I’ve tested most of the other small business bookkeeping tools out there in the last year (Xero, CheqBook, Freshbooks, etc) and I’ve yet to find one that truly compares. I spent the better part of two decades being one of a very few privileged ProAdvisors that Intuit contracted to create and teach QBO content.
That being said, some of the latest AI features in QBO (what Intuit calls Intuit Assist) aren’t always helpful, not necessarily asked for, and quite frankly, my clients have complained about them. One issue I’ve run up against personally is the AI created subject line from QBO.
I have around 50 clients that I work with, either as a monthly service provider, or as a one time or recurring consultant or trainer. Every single one of them has complained or asked me recently how to turn off the AI in QBO once and for all, as opposed to having to dismiss it each time. As annoying as it can be (I’m looking at you, Google Gemini in Google Drive, STOP ASKING ME EVERY TIME, I still don’t want your help!), I think it’s here to stay.
The issue I ran into recently is the AI created subject line from QBO when I send an invoice. I rarely send out emails, so it took me a while to notice: the subject line wasn’t the same as what I set up in my settings:
Pretty simple, right? A simple “here’s your invoice from my business”, which is all that’s needed for a brand new invoice.
The last few times I sent invoices, that’s NOT what the subject line was; I didn’t pay too much attention, and thought I’ll just check my settings later – which I then completely forgot to do.
I have QBO set up to send a copy of each invoice to me, and when I saw this AI created subject line l from QBO, I was horrified. At a cursory glance, it comes across as a DEMAND: “Pay invoice 6661034”, and only after looking more closely, does the “with a few clicks” part at the end soften the messaging.
After seeing that, I absolutely panicked. I didn’t create this message! I’ve had pretty much the same basic email subject line for close to 20 years in Account & Settings > Sales.
After I create a couple of invoices for my “test” customer, I noticed that the messaging was now different than the “PAY INVOICE” demand message:
“New payment request”? What fresh hell is that? That seems to imply that there have been previous payment requests for an invoice that was JUST CREATED and has never been sent!
But then I notice that little light bulb at the of that line – could this be the culprit?
Upon clicking I find this:
YES. IGNORE.
I didn’t ask for it, I wasn’t notified of it, and I don’t want it. Which, silly me, I would assume would be obvious because I have a message that I already set up?
I’m not interested in an AI created subject line from QBO, and if I was, I would have found that setting and told the software I wanted it.
So anyway, that little light bulb in the screen you get when you choose “Preview and send” on a new invoice seems to be the only way to not use an AI created subject line from QBO, and it needs to be done each time an invoice is sent. If that’s the case, what’s the point in me choosing a default message in Account and Settings if the default in the “Preview and Send” screen is an AI created subject line from QBO? As much as I love QuickBooks Online, this is not something that’s helping me run my business.
