Zoho Books Exact Online integration: how CAST invoices automatically for three legal entities
Imagine a sales order in your CRM turning into an invoice by itself. Within seconds that invoice is in the right accounts, for the right legal entity, with the right customer and the right products. That is exactly what Mobile XL built for CAST with a Zoho Books Exact Online integration.
The challenge
At CAST, there were many administrative steps between the order process and the invoicing process. Data had to be entered in several places. Customer details, products and amounts were not the same everywhere. And nobody had a complete overview of what had been sold, invoiced and booked.
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Legal entities, each with its own administration in Exact Online, fed from a single Zoho CRM.
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Phases: the Exact Online integration in 2024 and the expansion to three legal entities in 2026.
500+
Brands for which CAST is an ambassador, with more than 100 showrooms in Nieuwegein.
Instant
Every new invoice appears in Exact Online straight away, without overnight synchronisation.
From sales order to invoice in Exact, without retyping a thing
Mobile XL is a Dutch partner for digital transformation. We help SMEs in the Netherlands and Flanders with Zoho, process automation and low-code solutions. As a Zoho Partner we don't just set systems up, we get them talking to each other. That is what it was all about at CAST.
In this customer story you can read how we automated CAST's order and invoicing process. You'll see which Zoho solutions we used, how the Exact Online integration works technically and what changed when the organisation was split into three legal entities.
About CAST: the trading platform for footwear, sports and fashion
CAST has been bringing supply and demand together in the footwear, sports and fashion industry since 1984. From Nieuwegein, right on the A2 motorway, CAST offers more than 100 showrooms of national and international brands. The platform is an ambassador for more than 500 brands.
Retailers come to CAST to get inspired, to buy and to network. Brands rent showrooms there and take part in events such as the PREVIEW fairs for women's and men's fashion. CAST is also working on supply chain digitalisation, including with the online BrandPortal.
Behind all this activity is a sizeable administrative flow. There are regular customers with recurring agreements and there are one-off services. Every agreement eventually has to be invoiced correctly and on time. With hundreds of brands as relations, that is no small task.
Project background: implementation, configuration and integration
This was an end-to-end project. Mobile XL implemented and configured CAST's Zoho environment and integrated it with Exact Online. The project ran in two phases over several years.
Phase 1 (2024): connecting Zoho CRM and Zoho Books to Exact Online
We started in 2024. The goal was to set up Zoho CRM and Zoho Books so that invoices reach Exact Online without manual work. Zoho CRM became the central business application. Zoho Books became the invoicing engine underneath.
Phase 2 (2026): three legal entities, three Exact environments
A second phase began in 2026. CAST split the organisation into three legal entities, each keeping its own administration in Exact Online. The customers in Zoho CRM stayed the same, though. So we adapted the solution so that one CRM correctly feeds three separate Exact environments.
Too much manual work between order and invoice
Sound familiar? An order is recorded in one system, the invoice is created in another and the accounts run somewhere else again. Every hand-off means retyping, checking and hoping nothing goes wrong.
Objectives and agreed deliverables
Before each phase started, we agreed with CAST what had to be delivered. That way everyone knew in advance what the project would be measured against.
| Phase | Objective | Deliverable |
|---|---|---|
| Phase 1 (2024) | All one-off and recurring invoices go to Exact Online automatically | Configured Zoho CRM and Zoho Books, an integration between the two and an Exact Online integration for invoices, relations and products |
| Phase 2 (2026) | For every sales order in Zoho CRM it is clear in advance which legal entity the order is for | Adapted sales orders in Zoho CRM and an integration that feeds three Exact environments, with customers allowed to appear in all three |
The core of both phases is the same. In principle, the finance team should not have to do anything to get an invoice into the right Exact Online environment.
The solution: Zoho CRM, Zoho Books and our own Exact Online integration
We deliberately chose a clear division of roles between the systems. Each system does what it is good at. Zoho CRM leads, Zoho Books creates the invoices and Exact Online remains the financial administration.
How the Zoho Books Exact Online integration works, step by step
The process runs from left to right: Zoho CRM feeds Zoho Books and Zoho Books feeds Exact Online. So Exact receives all of its data through Zoho Books. This is what it looks like in practice.
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Record the sales order
An employee records a sales order in Zoho CRM and selects the legal entity the order is for.
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Create the invoice in Zoho Books
The integration between Zoho CRM and Zoho Books creates a one-off or recurring invoice based on that order.
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Recurring invoices
Zoho Books generates recurring invoices itself at the agreed moment.
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Pick up the invoice straight away
The integration platform on Zoho Catalyst picks up every new invoice immediately.
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Choose the right Exact environment
The platform selects the right Exact environment based on the legal entity on the order.
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Check customer and products
The platform checks whether the customer, contact and products already exist in that environment and creates them if needed.
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Book in Exact Online
The invoice is booked in the right administration through the Exact Online REST API.
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Only checking left
The finance team checks in Zoho Books and does not need to take any further action.
Third-party integration: the Exact Online REST API
Exact Online is the only external application in this project. For this Exact Online integration we use the official Exact Online REST API. Through that API we can create and update relations, items and sales invoices in every administration the integration has access to.
The challenge in phase 2 was mainly working with three administrations at once. For each legal entity, the integration platform manages the connection, the mapping of customer numbers and the mapping of products. Because the platform runs on Zoho Catalyst, we can adapt it quickly if CAST grows or a new entity is added.
Results of the Zoho Books Exact Online integration
After both phases, CAST's order and invoicing process is largely automated. These are the main outcomes.
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Automatically in Exact Online
All one-off and recurring invoices end up in Exact Online automatically, without manual entry.
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The right entity for every order
Every sales order in Zoho CRM determines in advance which legal entity the invoice is for, so three administrations are filled correctly.
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No duplicate debtors
Customers can appear in all three Exact environments without double entry or duplicate debtors.
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Data synchronised
Account and contact details and products are synchronised between Zoho Books and Exact Online.
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Booked instantly
Invoices are in Exact straight away, without waiting for a scheduled synchronisation.
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Errors fixed quickly
Errors are reported to CAST and Mobile XL immediately and are usually resolved within minutes.
What this means for CAST's operations
The biggest gain is time. Staff record an order once and the rest happens by itself. The finance team has shifted from entering data to checking it. That brings calm at the end of the month and leaves room for work that does need attention.
The quality of the data has also gone up. Because Zoho CRM leads, there is one version of the truth about customers, products and orders. What is in the CRM is also in Zoho Books and in Exact. Errors from retyping no longer occur.
Finally, CAST is ready for growth. The split into three legal entities was a big organisational step. Thanks to the adapted Zoho integration, staff noticed little of it in their daily work. If another entity is added later, we simply extend the platform with an extra Exact environment.
Want to connect Zoho Books to Exact Online too?
Do you work with Zoho while your accountant or finance department does everything in Exact Online? Then you don't have to choose. With a good accounting integration, each system does what it is good at. Mobile XL helps you from analysis to go-live, from Zoho implementation to full process automation.
Frequently asked questions about the Zoho Books Exact Online integration
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Yes. Mobile XL connects Zoho Books to Exact Online through its own integration platform on Zoho Catalyst. That platform uses the official Exact Online REST API to transfer relations, products and invoices.
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At CAST, invoices go to Exact Online together with the account and contact details. The products are synchronised as well, so every invoice line in Exact is built correctly. Which data you include is agreed per project.
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Every new invoice goes to Exact Online straight away. No scheduled synchronisation outside office hours is needed. What you see in Zoho Books is in Exact shortly afterwards.
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Zoho CRM and Zoho Books are strong in sales, orders and invoicing. Exact Online is often the trusted environment of the finance department or accountant. With an integration you don't have to choose, and everyone works in the system that suits their role.
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During configuration we record which VAT codes and general ledger accounts in Zoho Books correspond to which codes in Exact Online. The integration platform uses that mapping for every invoice. That way every entry ends up in the right place.
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Yes. Exact Online remains the financial administration. Your accountant works there as usual, only now the invoices arrive automatically.
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Then you and Mobile XL are notified straight away. We analyse immediately what went wrong. In most cases a fix is available within a few minutes.
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That depends on the number of processes, administrations and specific requirements. An integration with one Exact environment is quicker to set up than a solution with several legal entities, as at CAST. In a first conversation we give you a realistic planning.
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The integration platform runs on Zoho Catalyst. As a result, hosting, security and GDPR safeguards fall within Zoho's infrastructure. The connection with Exact runs through the secure, official API.
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Yes, that is exactly what we built for CAST. With every sales order in Zoho CRM you choose the legal entity. The integration then puts the invoice in the right Exact administration, even if the customer appears in several entities.