David Tuck, our next developer in the Intuit Developer Spotlight series, understands the challenges SMBs face when it comes to getting invoices paid on time. He wanted to help, so he created Chaser, an app that helps businesses chase up and collect payment on unpaid invoices. All for a much smaller resource cost than traditional accounts receivable.
We had the pleasure of speaking with David and several members of his team about the app, which was a finalist in the 2018 $100K Small Business App Showdown. They opened up about their journey and the steps they’ve taken to get where they are. They also shared how the Intuit Developer team has encouraged them throughout the process.
The Inception of Chaser
“As a Certified Accountant myself, as well as a former CFO, I’ve had plenty of firsthand experience with accounts receivable,” David says. “Late payment is a huge problem, particularly for smaller businesses, who tend to be taken advantage of in that area. But because of their size, getting paid on time is imperative to their solvency. And at that scale, where you don’t have the internal resource to conduct amazing AR consistently, it can be extremely stressful.”
So, David decided to do something about it.
“I started Chaser to democratise access to world-class AR. CPAs and bookkeepers are incredibly well-positioned to be able to solve the pain of late payment for their clients. All they need is the right tool, and here at Chaser, we work tirelessly to ensure our software is best-in-class for that,” he says.
By all accounts, Chaser has accomplished this goal. All 22 (and counting!) reviews on their QuickBooks App Store page gave the innovative and pragmatic app 5 stars. One reviewer wrote, “I have been really impressed with the Chaser app since first trialing it and am rolling out to my clients. It integrates perfectly with QBO, is easy to use and set up, and customers really respond to the “chasing” of their invoices, which has a positive impact on reducing debtor days. Would highly recommend.”
What exactly does Chaser do?
In David’s words, Chaser is “accounts receivable (AR) software for CPAs, bookkeepers, and small-to-medium sized businesses (SMBs / SMEs). Chaser empowers CPAs and bookkeepers to deliver a virtual AR function to their SMB clients who sell on payment terms. SMBs using Chaser get their invoices paid on average 16 days earlier, boosting their cash flow by $4,400 per $100,000 turnover, and saving on average 7.3 hours a week.”
He goes on. “Chaser does this by automating the chasing of unpaid invoices without losing the human touch, consolidating AR communications into one central location, and delivering intelligent insights to help guide financial decisions.”
Another benefit? The app’s seamless integration with QuickBooks Online.
Chaser on Integrating with QuickBooks Online and Working with Intuit Developer
David and his team recognized that SMBs around the world already use QuickBooks Online to efficiently manage their accounting processes. Designing their app to work directly and automatically with the number one accounting software was an easy decision.
“QuickBooks Online is a fantastic product,” David says. “We’re always looking for how we can help more SMBs achieve world-class AR in their business, so integrating with QuickBooks Online was a no-brainer, really.”
But David also says that it’s not just about QuickBooks as a product. The support of the Intuit team has been integral in taking Chaser to the next level.
“The Intuit team are incredibly friendly and passionate people, who are really looking to support SMBs, CPAs, and bookkeepers in achieving success,” he says. “Plus, the community of QuickBooks Online users is so warm and welcoming. Having exhibited at two QB Connects now, it’s great to be amongst some truly lovely, truly brilliant people.”
Brad Ewin, Content Lead at Chaser, agrees and had some great things to say about an Intuit team member with whom he has worked extensively.
He says, “Through her you can clearly see Intuit are all about fostering a positive, inclusive community of app developers. She’s welcomed us with friendly, supportive exuberance from day one, which just makes you even more excited to be working alongside Intuit. Her keenness to help wherever she can, on any front, and all despite the eight-hour time difference separating us from her, is a testament to Intuit Developer’s commitment to its app partners.”
Where Chaser is Headed
As the team continues to improve Chaser, participating in the App Showdown gave them direction for the future. The experience taught them that the excitement they have for their app—and for what it can do for their users—is contagious.
Molly O’Byrne, Chaser Marketing Executive, explains. “The whole process for the App Showdown was an amazing ride. When we first started putting posts out on social media about the App Showdown, there wasn’t loads of interaction initially. But getting the whole team on board, shouting out about the good-natured fun of the competition, you could see the momentum grow behind our social efforts. It wasn’t long before we had Chaser supporters sending us emails or text messages every morning telling us they were voting for us and rooting for us to make the final round of the competition.”
They also learned that the App Showdown provides participants with a lot of support. David says it made them realize that improving the QuickBooks Online integration would be worth the effort, both for their existing users and for those joining them going forward. The improvements include leveraging invoice payment links in email chasers, improved handling of projects and sub-customers, and additional placeholders and customizations for email templates. And there’s more to come.
“That’s only the beginning,” David says.
We’re excited to see what Chaser does next. Here at Intuit, we love providing the platform and the support (which includes keeping you in the loop about everything going on with Intuit Developer) amazing developers like David and his team can use to turn their ideas into creative solutions for the QuickBooks Online community. If you’re wanting to talk to us about how we can help during your app journey, reach out to us right now.
We’ll leave you with David’s thoughts on emerging technology trends and how they can affect the developer journey.
“I’m a big believer in the impact of AI and machine learning. They’re common speaking points for a reason. They’re going to give us the ability to truly augment humanity in our businesses. With the information and insights they’ll put at our fingertips, we’re all going to be able to make much better-informed decisions,” he says. “The other big one for me is voice cognition. For software to truly be able to understand and react to regular human speech, we as software providers are going to be able to deduce and surface further insights to our users in real time.”
And he ends with this advice for growing apps, “Find enthusiastic beta testers. And strive for quality over quantity in this department. The feedback and product insight you’ll be able to get from them can supercharge the development and growth of your app.”
Stay tuned for more great advice coming from our next developer in the Intuit Developer Spotlight series.
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