• It is the “green” thing to do.  Why waste more trees when documents can be run through the scanner instead of the copier.
• Why waste the time to have a file clerk misfile papers instead of attaching the documents to the place where the documents should be: with the accounting transaction.
• It is easier to train a staff member to scan a document than to teach them how to file.
• God forbid the documents are really needed and they don’t have to be pulled from storage, or are “in the boss’ garage”.
• And one other “God forbid”……….that the Company gets a government audit.  When the auditor finds out that all docs are scanned and attached, the scope, time and effort to get through the audit will drop dramatically.

So here is what you get: a simple “aim and shoot” document management system.  As a transaction is completed, then an “attach” icon is on the screen, which can be clicked.  The document or documents are scanned.  The storage is “in the cloud”, hosted by Intuit.  The first 10Mb are free, then there is a charge.

What you don’t get: a comprehensive, corporate-wide document control system.

So is what QuickBooks offers worth anything? This is a great tool to the company moving into the electronic document management age.  It is simple to use, easy to retrieve and secure.  When I look at what goes on in a corporation, the big thing is the security of accounting records.  To have the accounting records detached from all other parts of the corporate workflows and documents is a good thing.  This is a branded, integrated Intuit QuickBooks product, so it will always work with QuickBooks.  If any questions arise, then QuickBooks tech support can answer any and all of the questions that may arise.

Can electronic document management work with every company? The simple answer is “yes”.   I did a job for a business with an elderly patriarch that held the “power of the pen” to sign all checks.  We tried a variety of ways to use a document management system.  In the end, check signer was presented a computer-prepared check for signature with all the assorted support papers attached.  AFTER the check was signed, the support papers were all scanned into QuickBooks and then schredded.  What was presented to the check signer had not changed in fifty years.  AFTER the check was signed, then new technology was applied.

What can make document management fail? A series of things can work against a Company.

• Poor planning of the use of document management (”DM”).  There are a bunch of areas where DM can be used; have all been contemplated?
• Shallow use of DM.  It may seem like support for bills and invoices may work, but that is only the start.
• Lack of documentation of the system.  Each person puts their own flavor into the system rather than having the whole system defined.
• No person in charge to manage and oversee.  Just think, this is potentially replacing all the old file cabinets.  Shouldn’t someone be responsible?

If this sounds like a great addition for your Company, but you need some help, contact us at info@btact.com or call 818.222.1743 x 204.

Tags: QuickBooks document, management enterprise

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This year QuickBooks has done three things with its customized fields:

1. It has added more fields: now thirty spread across customers/vendors/employees, and fifteen fields for items,
2. The custom fields now can be a specific type, such as a date field,  phone field, number field or a multiple choice field, and,
3. Require that the field be filled in.

These subtle enhancements are huge changes for the company using this software.

For customer and vendor relationships, now the wide variety of phone numbers and contacts can all be recorded with QuickBooks.  If a position field were to be setup, it could be with a pull-down menu of acceptable titles.

For transactions where more date fields are needed, there is a solution.  This can assist with workflow processing when a series of steps must be worked through.  This could be applied to everything from engineering and interior design to product assembly and construction.

Inventory items will be greatly improved with the use of custom fields.  On estimates through invoices, custom fields can assist with clarifying and distinguishing what is being ordered and sold.

Intuit is being to separate out the product line of Enterprise.  Custom fields is an example of how a mid-market company should be able to customize its software.

Please contact us at info@btact.com, or give us a call at 818-222.1743, extension 204, to learn more about how we can tailor your software for your best use.

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BTA Consulting has a new client that is moving to the WMS ES suite package to expand their business.  This is a multilocation, serial/lot control, and bar coding function addition to their already existing QBES v9.0.  It is a 3rd party program that bolts into and syncs with QBES on a automatic (or manual force) transfer of data.  The setup of the system software is quite simple, and just takes some patience while the databases sync.

WMS ES, for those of you who don’t know what it is, is a more current version of what was once called Velocity Inventory.  Now its been renamed as WMS ES, and is a division of Accucode Inc.

WMS ES is a web based application, which is great for companies with locations spread out over a geographical area.  So for those who work with QBES v9.0, and want to expand the functionality of their system, look at WMS as a possible solution.  It is billed on a monthly subscription, also known in the industry as “SaaS” - Software as a Service.

This is a great option for those that need to scale the number of licenses up and down based on company needs.  Details can be discussed via email, should anyone have any further questions.

Please contact me, Tom, at toma@btact.com for questions.

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We can also place the orders for you email you a downloaded link for the complete software package to your location, should you desire to purchase from us.  We have incentive programs for those that place orders through us, as an Intuit Solutions Provider, that phone/email orders direct though Intuit do not have.

The product has expanded Client Data Review, an Intuit Statement writer, as well as a few other new features out-of-the-box. For updated product features/information, see the link: download.intuit.com/http.intuit/CMO/proadvisor/downloads/whats_new_2010/QB-Family-New-Features-By-Product-2010.pdf for information in a PDF format.

If you are interested in a non-PDF format, please email Tom Andersen at the below listed email addresses.  I can submit a non-PDF format product/feature page to you.

If interested in downloading a trial copy of any of the Intuit QuickBooks product line, please email toma@btact.com, or info@btact.com, for a download link to a trial.  If you have any questions at all, please email me at the above listed email addresses as well.

-Thomas Andersen

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Well, its that time of the year again, and we are off to the annual Intuit Solutions Provider Summit - 2009.  It will be held in Chicago, Illinois, @ The Fairmont Hotel, from October 5th-8th, 2009.

At this summit there will be a mixture of Intuit employees and managers, Intuit Solutions Providers (thats us), third-party software providers (software/products that work with QuickBooks), and end-users of QuickBooks products.  (Note:  This year Intuit is not including end-users in this conference, and is increasing their staff at this summit). This spectrum of people, all in one place at one time, will congregate in seminars to learn about new product coming out, as well as attend workshops to help make current product better, and see all of the  third party software provider’s products and how they work with QuickBooks.

There are townhall style meetings to discuss room for improvement, as well as seminars to learn “work-around” techniques to accomplish your objectives when working with QuickBooks.  I like to attend the townhall meetings, to see what problems people around the country have experienced, and how they resolved them.  Similarly, I enjoy the “work-around” sessions, for the same reason I attend the townhalls.  I get to sit in the back where no one pays me any mind, and listen to people work through and around problems/issues they are encountering.

Reply to / post your problems here!  I will take them with me to Chicago, and voice your concerns for you.

If you have any problems with QuickBooks functionality, QuickBooks Processing becoming tedious or inefficient, or whatever the issue is at all, please reply to my post with your questions/concerns, and/or contact me in the office, and I would be more than happy to help get these questions/concerns addressed.

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Well, we are in bad times now and we all need to get back to basics.  Take a look at your business and see what has been making your money.  Then take a look at what has not been making you money.

This will generally require more than just reading a financial statement from your accountant.  It will probably mean digging into that next level down.

• Which customers did the best for you, not in just sales, but gross profit margin.
• Which vendors provided you the best service with the best terms.
• Which employees worked the smartest for you and the company

This is generally not a one-time request.  After you sort through this information, then you may think about when you should be asking for it again and have your accounting/management information system set up to give this to you.

So now that you know which customers, vendor and employees are the best, what do you do about it?

• Customers - work hard to keep this type of customer and work to develop other customers into this type of “best” customer.  If you find some customers don’t make the required Gross Profit, then you need to get them up to your requirement or terminate them.
• Vendors - now that you have developed your standard for a good supplier/vendor, you need to get the other vendors up to your level or find new ones.
• Employees - keep the good ones and find replacements for anyone not making the mark.  Unfortunately, businesses are going to have to make hard decisions in these times.

Back to basics: customers, vendors, employees.

If you need some help with this for your business, give us a call.  We have been helping clients over hurdles for years.

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Now basic accounting systems, like QuickBooks Pro costs under $200 and financial statements (canned out the accounting software) are instantaneous.

Today, accounting information can be kept up-to-date daily and reporting can be as quick.  For even the smallest of businesses, a daily flash report can be as easy as clicking on a “memorized report” icon.

• Cash as of today
• Open Accounts Receivable as of today, what customers owe you.
• Open Accounts Payable as of today, what you owe suppliers.
• P&L (profit or loss) statement on a month-to-date basis (and/or other time slices).

This is available if you put the discipline into your business so you have this information available.

Give us a call if you need help getting this set up.   (Setup once, use many, many times!)

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So what do you do for your business?  How is the “blood pressure” of your business today? Is there a chance for a premature heart attack in these times?

These are cautious times that we are in.  Any “physical” for your business should be from a perspective of you think your business had a mild stroke last month and maybe a full physical is in order.  This is not a time to wait to see if your business gets another stroke.

This may come across as some heavy thinking, but let me go on…..so you have your business on an “HMO” so you haven’t seen a doctor for a long while, let alone a specialist who may be able to diagnose what may be ailing your business.

Do you want your business to die, or do you want to do something to get it back on it’s feet?  Take a look at your current care providers.  They may be fine, even if you never asked them for this kind of help before.  Or you may have to go “outside the network”, which is  a health care term for you need someone more than who you have.

“What and/or who do I need?” is the typical business owner’s response.

Let me give you a check list for a starter.  After this is done, you may need a specialist to “read the x-ray or the MRI”. Try using your current health care providers; otherwise take a look for specialist to augment your team.

Checklist:

1. Get your accounting records up-to-date, including monthly bank reconciliations?
2. Review your Accounts Receivable to be sure it is accurate (like all credits are applied and customers know their balances).
3. Also look at average days outstanding for customers.
4. Review your Accounts Payable to be sure it is accurate (like no double booking of vendor bills, or returns that are still hanging).
5. Compare a 12 month P&L last year to this year, with columns for change in dollars and percent.
6. Compare a 12 month Sales by Customer, last year to this year, with columns for change in dollars and percent.
7. Compare a 12 month P&L by month, looking for trends.
8. Compare a 12 month Sales by Customer, looking for trends.
9. With customer reports, also see if you can classify customers, which will then give you a higher vantage point for your analysis.
10. Review payroll for last four quarters, with headcount and dollars per department.
11. If you have inventory, then take a look at the inventory turns as well as days of sales on hand per item stocked.
12. Perform ratio analysis based upon standard ratios for your industry.

When you have accumulated all of the above, or that which you can, then work with your “Business Health Care Providers” to review and analyze the information.  Develop a plan for improving the health of your business and be sure book a follow-up appointment to be sure you stay on track.

If you need help. give us a call.  We are Business Health Care Specialists.

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