Skip to main content
The FreshBooks integration makes your invoicing and project time available in client work. Ask what a client owes, how many hours are logged against a project, or what the profit and loss looks like this quarter, and Hebno answers from FreshBooks with each record cited. When a request implies a change, such as preparing an invoice or an estimate, Hebno shows a confirmation card and writes to FreshBooks only after you confirm.

​
At a glance

​
Before you start

You need:
  • An owner or admin role in Hebno.
  • A FreshBooks user with the Owner or Admin role on the business you want to connect.
  • Projects and time tracking turned on in FreshBooks if you want project reads and time entries.

​
Permissions

FreshBooks lists the scopes on its consent screen before you approve them.
FreshBooks enforces the connecting user’s role on every call. A team member with the Employee or Contractor role sees only their own projects and time, so connect the organisation with an Owner or Admin.

​
Connect FreshBooks

1

Allow the integration

Open Admin → Connectors → Catalogue, find FreshBooks under Finance, and set it to Allow.
2

Connect the organisation

Select Connect and sign in to FreshBooks. Approve the scopes and choose the business Hebno may use. Hebno lists the business name and account ID.
3

Choose teams and data areas

Under Who can use it, choose All teams or pick teams. Under Data areas, choose what members can see. See Data areas.
4

Set access

Access is Read only by default. Choose Read and write to let members propose draft invoices, draft estimates and time entries.
The card shows Connected with the business name. In FreshBooks, Hebno appears under Settings → Apps and Integrations, where the owner can also disconnect it. Members can link their own FreshBooks team member account so time entries are logged in their name.
  1. In Hebno, open Settings → Connections, find FreshBooks and select Link your account.
  2. Sign in to FreshBooks and approve the request.
When your account is linked, Hebno reads and writes as you: time entries are logged against your team member, and you see only what your FreshBooks role allows.

​
Data areas

Data areas control what members of the allowed teams can see through the organisation connection. They apply on top of what the connecting FreshBooks user can read.
Admin connector panel showing who can use it, access and data areas

An organisation connection with team access and data areas. Financial figures default to owners and admins.

To share financials with delivery leads, open the FreshBooks card in Admin → Connectors, select Financials and add the teams that should see them.
When a member has linked their own account, Hebno uses that member’s FreshBooks role instead of the organisation connection. Data areas still apply, so a member never sees more through Hebno than both FreshBooks and your Hebno settings allow.

​
What Hebno reads

Reports come from FreshBooks as they are at the time of the request, so figures match what the owner sees. Reads are live. Hebno queries FreshBooks when a request needs it. Only what a reply used is stored with the conversation as its sources.
Excerpts a reply uses, including balances and profit figures, become part of the conversation. Anyone you share the conversation with can read them.

​
What Hebno writes

Every write appears first as a confirmation card. You can change any field before you select Confirm. Hebno writes drafts only.
Confirmation card for FreshBooks with editable fields

A FreshBooks change pending confirmation. Nothing is written until you confirm.

A draft invoice or estimate is in Draft in FreshBooks until a person reviews and sends it there. Hebno never sends an invoice or estimate, records a payment, marks an invoice as paid, charges a card or changes clients, rates or settings. If you have linked your own account, the record is created as you. Otherwise it is created through the organisation connection, with the write recorded against you in Admin → Logs → Integrations. Linking marks which FreshBooks records belong to a project, so you can ask “what is unbilled?” without naming the client.
  1. Open the project and select Brain.
  2. Under Linked records, select Link record, then FreshBooks.
  3. Search and select the client and each project the engagement uses.
In chats tagged to the project, Hebno starts with the linked records for any hours, billing or budget question, and cards default to them. See Linked records.

​
Use FreshBooks in chat

  • Attach: open the + menu, choose Sources → FreshBooks, and pick a client, a project, an invoice, an estimate or a report. Or type / and choose FreshBooks.
  • Ask: name the client, project or period in your request. For example:
    How much of the Contoso pricing review budget is used, and how many hours are unbilled?
    List overdue Contoso Retail invoices and draft a polite reminder.
    Prepare a draft estimate for Contoso for a four-week pricing review.
  • Research runs show a Checking FreshBooks step, with a chip for each record or report it read.
  • Agents can read FreshBooks on a schedule, for example a Friday summary of unbilled time by project. Writes an agent proposes appear in agent approvals for review.

​
Troubleshooting