Configure Bharat Connect in Zoho Books

Bharat Connect is a platform for businesses to manage bill payments securely and efficiently. It works seamlessly with Zoho Books to provide an interoperable solution that streamlines the payment process, updates payments and transactions in real time, and simplifies reconciliation.

Benefits of the Zoho Books - Bharat Connect solution:

• Automatically sync transactions with your vendors and customers in real time.
• Make and receive payments effortlessly using Bharat Connect, connected banking, UPI, or cards.
• Reconcile payments automatically, saving time and reducing errors.
• Vendors can request financial assistance via Bharat Connect to manage cash flow.

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Get Started with Bharat Connect in Zoho Books

To get started, you will have to set up Bharat Connect in Zoho Books. Once that is done, you can create a B2B ID, add the B2B ID of your customers and vendors, and add users to access the solution. You can then start initiating transactions from Zoho Books via the Bharat Connect platform.

Set Up Bharat Connect

To set up Bharat Connect in Zoho Books:

1. Go to Settings and then Integrations and Marketplace.
2. Click Set Up Now next to Bharat Connect.
3. Check the box to confirm you’re authorised to set up Bharat Connect for your organisation.
4. Click Proceed.
5. Fill in the requested business details in the following form. This allows us to perform a KYC verification to get you onboard.

Section	Content
Business Profile	Enter your basic business details. Provide the other required business-related details and documents based on your Business Type.
Business Representative	Share the details of the individual engaged in the direction and control of the business. Enter their details and submit the requested documents for verification.
Business Owners	Provide the details and documents of all the business owners with significant ownership (10% or more) in your business.
Bank Account	Share the details of the bank account from which the payments should be initiated.

6. Enter the required details and click Save and Next at the end of each section.
7. Review the details on the Summary page.
8. Check the terms and click Submit.

Once your details are verified, you can use the Zoho Books - Bharat Connect solution.

Create B2B ID

A B2B ID (Business-to-Business ID) is a unique identifier created by businesses within the Bharat Connect network. It allows businesses to communicate seamlessly through the network.  

Guidelines to create your B2B ID:

• The B2B ID should reflect your brand or organization.
• It should be based on your registered business name or an acronym using the first letters of the business name. Avoid using aliases and generic names.
• You can include numbers or valid area, city, or state names in combination with your business name or acronym.
• Ensure the B2B ID does not include any language considered discriminatory, vulgar, or harmful.

To create your B2B ID:

1. Go to Bharat Connect in the Integrations and Marketplace section.
2. Click Create B2B ID.
3. Enter a B2B ID based on the guidelines above.
4. Click Save.

Your B2B ID will be created and shared with the Bharat Connect platform. Once your B2B ID has been assigned, you can process transactions within the Bharat Connect network. 

Associate B2B ID with Customers and Vendors

After your B2B ID is created, associate your vendors’ and customers’ B2B IDs to send and receive invoices and payments through Bharat Connect. Reach out to your customers and vendors who use Zoho Books or any ERP that supports Bharat Connect for the B2B ID.

To associate a B2B ID:

1. Navigate to the Customers or Vendors module.
2. Go to the customer or vendor whose details you’d like to update.
3. Scroll to the Other Details section.
4. Enter their ID near B2B ID.
5. Click Save.

The customer or vendor’s details will be updated.

Manage Users

You can permit the users in your organisation to initiate and manage transactions via Bharat Connect. To do this:

1. Go to Bharat Connect in the Integrations and Marketplace section.
2. Click Manage Users.
3. Select the users for whom you’d like to provide access.
4. Click Save.

The permissions will be updated for the selected users. Other users can also use the solution by clicking Request Access from the integrations page.

You can transact within the network once you’ve configured Bharat Connect in Zoho Books.

Initiate Transactions via Bharat Connect

Once you’ve set up Bharat Connect and assigned B2B IDs for your customers and vendors, you can start creating transactions. You will be able to create and push invoices, accept bills, initiate vendor payments, and record payments received.

Create and Push Invoices

You can create a new invoice and push it to your customer via Bharat Connect. To do this:

1. Go to the Invoices module under Sales on the left sidebar.
2. Create a new invoice for a Bharat Connect-registered customer.
3. Enter the required details and click Save and Send via Bharat Connect.

The invoice will be pushed to the customer’s ERP via Bharat Connect, and the invoice status will be updated to Push Initiated. When the invoice has been pushed, the status will be updated to Awaiting Response. Your customers can choose to view and accept or reject the invoice.

View and Accept Bills

When your vendor creates an invoice for your organisation and pushes it via Bharat Connect, you can view the details and accept them. To do this:

1. Go to the Bills module under Purchases on the left sidebar.
2. Select the bill received via Bharat Connect. The transaction’s status will be Pending Approval.
3. Verify the details of the bill and click Accept.

Once the bill has been accepted and converted to open, you can initiate payments for the bill directly from Zoho Books. If you make an offline payment, you can also record the payment made.

Initiate Payments from Zoho Books

Once the bill is open, you can initiate payments from Zoho Books directly using partner banks, UPI, cards, and net banking. To initiate payments:

1. Go to the Bills module under Purchases on the left sidebar.
2. Select the bill for which you need to make the payment.
3. Click the Pay via Bharat Connect button in the options on the top bar.
4. Enter the payment details in the pop-up that appears.
5. Click Proceed.

A payment will be initiated. All payments will be initiated to a virtual account and settled in your vendor’s account.

View or Record Payments Received

Once a customer has paid online, the invoice’s status will be automatically marked as paid.

If the customer has made a payment offline, you must verify the payment’s status on your bank statement and mark the payment as received or not received. To do this:

1. Go to the Payments Received module and select the recent payment record.
2. Verify the payment status offline and select Payment Received or Payment Not Received.

Once you mark the payment as received, the payment will be recorded in Zoho Books. If you’ve confirmed that the amount has not been received, the payment record will be deleted from Zoho Books. You can request the customer to initiate the payment again.