Questions the person actually doing the work asks.
If you're the team member who processes POs into QuickBooks, this is for you. The ten questions below are the ones we hear in every Day-1 conversation. If yours isn't here, send it to us.
Matching
What happens if SideQuest can't match a part?
The line gets flagged as "needs review" and the draft Sales Order is created with that line marked. You see the line, you see the candidates SideQuest considered, you pick one or override with the correct QB SKU. SideQuest remembers your choice forever — next time that part shows up from any customer, it auto-matches.
Can I override SideQuest's match?
Yes, always. Every match is editable in the draft Sales Order. SideQuest never commits anything without your approval (unless you've explicitly enabled auto-mode for that customer). When you override, SideQuest learns from the correction.
How does SideQuest handle misspelled part numbers and descriptions?
Three layers. First, a fuzzy match on the SKU itself ("BR-ELB-050" vs "BR-ELB-O50" or "BR-ELB050"). Second, a description-based match ("stell pipe 3/4 sched 40" → your steel pipe SKU). Third, your uploaded cross-reference list. Confidence scores attach to every match so you can see what to trust.
What about customer-specific part numbers that don't match anything in QuickBooks?
This is what the cross-reference upload solves. Give SideQuest a CSV mapping "ACME-EL34" → "BR-ELB-075-NPT" and SideQuest handles it forever. The first week of using SideQuest is the highest-value time to do this. Most distributors upload 100–300 cross-references on Day 1.
Pricing variances
What's a pricing variance and what do I do with it?
A pricing variance is when the PO line item price doesn't match either your QuickBooks list price or that customer's typical contract price. SideQuest flags it in yellow on the draft Sales Order and shows the right price next to the wrong one. You approve the right price with one click. If the customer's PO is right and your QB list is stale, you update QB.
How does SideQuest know what a customer "typically" pays?
SideQuest reads the last 90 days of Sales Orders for that customer when you first connect, then keeps a rolling memory. After ten orders from any given customer, SideQuest knows their typical pricing pattern. If a new PO underprices versus that pattern, SideQuest flags it. You decide.
Data and privacy
Does my data leave my infrastructure?
SideQuest is a Claude connector. The connector runs inside Claude. Your POs are read from your Gmail using your OAuth token. Your QuickBooks data is read using your QuickBooks OAuth token. The processing happens inside the Claude session you're already paying for. We do not store your PO data, your QB data, or your customer pricing on SideQuest Automation servers.
What does SideQuest Automation actually see?
Metering data only: number of POs processed, number of variances flagged, number of cross-references uploaded. We use this to bill you on the paid tiers and to improve SideQuest. We do not see PO content, customer names, item names, prices, or any business data.
If I cancel, what happens to my data?
You disconnect SideQuest from QuickBooks (one click) and remove the Gmail label permission (one click). We're disconnected the same minute. Your cross-reference list and any settings you uploaded to SideQuest get deleted within 24 hours unless you reactivate.
Workflow edge cases
What if a customer sends a PO with multiple ship-to addresses or split shipments?
SideQuest drafts one Sales Order per ship-to. If a single PO covers three warehouses, you get three drafts in QuickBooks. Each one is clearly tagged with the ship-to so your warehouse team knows where to send what.
What if the PO has a backorder or partial-quantity request?
SideQuest notes the requested quantity, checks your QB qty_on_hand, and flags any line where the customer wants more than you have. You decide: short-ship, backorder, or substitute. SideQuest doesn't make that call for you.
What if a customer's PO is just a PDF of a screenshot of an inventory list (no proper PO format)?
SideQuest still tries. Description-only matching is built for exactly this. If SideQuest can extract item descriptions and quantities, it'll match what it can and flag what it can't. You might see lower confidence scores, more "needs review" flags, and a higher chance of edge cases. Worst case: SideQuest is a faster first-pass than you doing it from scratch.
Can SideQuest handle non-English POs?
English-only at launch. Spanish, French, and Portuguese are on the roadmap for Q4. If your customer base is mostly North American distribution, you're covered.
Workflow control
I don't want SideQuest to auto-reply to my customers. Can I turn that off?
Yes. Auto-reply is off by default. You only turn it on when you trust SideQuest for a specific customer. Even with auto-reply on, you can review the draft confirmation message before it sends — that toggle is in /onboard/ → Settings → Auto-reply review.
Can I have SideQuest run on some customers and not others?
Yes. The default is "SideQuest handles all incoming POs with the purchase-orders label." If you only want SideQuest on POs from specific customers, set up Gmail filters that auto-label only those customer domains. Or label manually per-PO.
What if I want to stop SideQuest mid-flow?
Remove the purchase-orders label from the email. If SideQuest hasn't already drafted the Sales Order, it cancels. If the draft is already in QuickBooks, just don't approve it and SideQuest moves on.
Money
How does pricing work? Per PO? Per user?
Per company, flat monthly. Solo is free up to 20 POs/month. Pro is $79/month for unlimited POs and multi-user. Team is $149/month for everything in Pro plus multi-Gmail and cross-reference uploads. We don't charge per-PO so you don't have to budget for spikes during your busy season.
What if I go over 20 POs on the free tier?
SideQuest processes the first 20, then queues the rest and emails you that you've hit the limit. You can upgrade in one click. SideQuest catches up the queued POs as soon as you're on Pro. Nothing is lost.
Can I cancel anytime?
Yes. Cancel in /onboard/ → Billing → Cancel. You stay on Pro until the end of the billing month you already paid for, then drop to Solo. No phone calls, no friction.