Then I told him that they were going to have 3 different workstations from which they could process transactions (they have one of those old grey carbonless ticket dispensers now). Manual summaries of sales for the day are going away. The system will automatically store history. And on and on.

Turns out he thinks QuickBooks POS is a pretty good thing for their business. We wouldn’t have proposed it if we didn’t think so as well.

Here are just a few snippits from the various documents I’ve scanned today:

• Requires a 64-bit server AND 64-bit SQL.
• Classic client is not supported
• Must upgrade to NAV 2009 first (can only upgrade to 2013 from 2009)

I’ll post more as I get time to look at the new Beta.

In our tests on large QuickBooks Enterprise databases, the increase in speed is pretty amazing.

However…if you have to rebuild the QuickBooks database, you’ll find that you need to redo the optimization (rebuild the optimization database). As much as we may not like it, this is a “feature” of QuickBooks ODBC link.

Happy ODBC’ing!

Jet Express is a simple but functional version of the more powerful Jet Reports and Jet Enterprise products. It allows you to build basic reports as well as financial statements. In both modes, it’s a bit like most Excel based report writers. It provides a live link into the accounting database.

If you have Dynamics NAV 2009, you need to check out Jet Express. It’s included in your license.

After a bit of toodling, you’ll figure out that you can set criteria or filters in the top part of this screen, and see the result below. You also have some control over what appears in the columns at the bottom. And–best yet–you can export this display to your favorite spreadsheet.

Check it out! It’s useful.

Wish list: Add the ability to query Inventory Control, Purchase Orders, Payroll, and Order Entry data!

But what do you do when QuickBooks isn’t quite enough? You can purchase another product in the mid-market or use a product like FishBowl, but these alternatives are often quite expensive in relation to what you need. Sometimes, they don’t provide what you need. What do you do, for example, if you need a specific report that isn’t available in QuickBooks and can’t be generated using the “Customize Report” option? If you have QuickBooks Enterprise Solution, you can use a report writer like Crystal Reports and access the data through ODBC. If your needs are complex at all, you’ll discover as other businesses have that Crystal Reports is easy to use for basic reports, but more advance reports require some programming expertise.

We often deal with exactly these issues. The QuickBooks SDK combined with the ODBC link allows us to extract data from QuickBooks and do a host of things with it. Data Guidance Group has developed a set of programming tools that allow us to quickly assemble programs to meet your detailed needs.

If you’ve got an idea that would save you hours of time, or you need to know if something’s possible with QuickBooks, call a developer. We’re glad to answer questions about what’s possible with QuickBooks.

The client is left in the lurch; and my company is trying to figure out how to save some of the client’s investment and get a working system out of a mess. Unfortunately, this is all-too-common in my business. The businessperson almost always gets the short end of the stick.

I have a great deal of sympathy with the businesses that get taken. On the other hand, most of these businesses—if they are pressed—admit that they did have several proposals before they chose the system they have. How did they choose? You guessed it, they bought the lowest price.

Computer professionals are like lawyers, doctors, and CPAs. You won’t find many lawyers that charge under $175 an hour. You won’t find many good CPAs much below $90 an hour. Why, then, do people expect to find computer professionals for $25 an hour?

Business people wouldn’t let their teenage child touch their Federal Income Tax return (which nobody but the IRS will see). Web pages put up by the boss’s son that the whole world will see are common. Does this make sense?

I have a real problem with consultants that leave clients in the lurch. They give all computer professionals a black eye and a bad reputation. But clients can prevent it by dealing only with reputable businesses that charge a fair price. Grandma was right. There’s no such thing as a free lunch. In fact, someone else paid for some of the most expensive lunches that I’ve ever attended.

I think I’ve made my point. But there is another issue here that is just as important. Let me return to the computer professional for now. The fact of the matter is that computer people are good at different things. My sister, for example, is a lawyer. I’m sure she knows a bunch about employment law, since that’s what she does for a living. I wouldn’t sign a will she drafted for love nor money. Unless, of course, I could take the money and go next door to sign another will with an attorney that knew more.

I also think that businesses need to evaluate the type of computer professional they are dealing with. Some are very good at programming. Some are good at hardware setup. Some are good at the “big picture.” Even the best of us aren’t good at everything. The biggest problem today is (a) computer professionals that think they know everything, and (b) business professionals that think anyone that knows more than they do is a computer god. Get real! Most of the time a businessperson’s instinct about their business is a lot better than a computer geek’s.

I may hang on to my doctor after all. Her instinct for what constitutes a heart attack is better than mine. Paying a little money now could save my life later. A word to the wise is enough.

Let me quote for you the words that I dread the most from clients: “I talked this over with my brother-in-law and he says…” “My CPA says that…” “My son is a Senior at (insert high school), and he is going to design our web page…” And my favorite of all times: “The guy at (insert computer store name) said …”

Gentle reader, I do not believe that every piece of software that needs to be installed requires an expert. I don’t even think that installing a new hard drive necessarily requires someone with an A+ Certification (an industry-recognized certification for computer technicians). As I told a friend recently, the instructions in most boxes are pretty good. I recommend that you read them.

I do, however, believe that when you do something that requires an expert, you should use an expert. To do otherwise is to risk your business. Let me show you what I mean.

Installing a hard drive in your home computer is a lot like unpacking a television set. If you break it, you may cry, but it’s not the end of the world. Moving your business from one computer system to another is brain surgery in comparison. If you mess up, you could be in real trouble.

Having a child create a web page for your business is like having the child handle your advertising. Some of the teens I know could handle it. Most would make a glorious mess of your business. And many parents I know are so blinded by pride that they wouldn’t recognize the difference.

Just because your child knows enough to create a basic web page doesn’t mean that she needs to do your business page. Knowing more than Mommy or Daddy does about the Internet is required of every child above 10; that doesn’t make your child an expert. It makes you behind on your homework.

I am all for hiring the kid at the computer store to hook up your modem or load the latest copy of FIFA Soccer 12. Perhaps they could even show you how to put the film in your digital camera. Some would try to find the latch to release the back of the camera. (A joke: digital cameras don’t have film! That’s why they are digital.)

I have decided something very important. From now on, I am going to be my own lawyer, dentist, and medical doctor. I had two courses in business law in school. There are plenty of books in the library. I successfully incorporated my business several years ago. I can save myself $250 or so an hour by doing all my own work.

I’ve also watched my dentist for years. There isn’t much to it. He pokes my teeth with some sharp steel sticks, then brushes them, flosses them, and charges me about $100.  And since my father is a doctor and I have a Physician’s Desk Reference, I don’t need to go to the doctor anymore. My MD only gives me a half-dozen different drugs anyway. I can just call my father and get him to call in the best medicine picked from the PDR. I haven’t figured out how to do a heart balloon yet, but I’m going to check the book out of the library as soon as I get a chance.

Perhaps you detect a note of sarcasm. Perhaps you think you know what’s coming. This is a column about “brother-in-law computer experts.” Lest you think it is all self-serving, read on. I plan to redeem myself before the last post in this series.

Why? Our customers know that we’re different because we’re deep in both business and technology. Being deep in business changes (or should change) the way you think about software and technology in general. Using technology in business is like using a car.

The car is the hardware and infrastructure. The cables and racks and servers and operating systems (for example, Windows Server or Linux). Information Technology (IT) professionals spend a great deal of their time keeping the car working and tuning it up. I was talking to a customer’s IT support a week or so ago. He was lamenting the fact that the previous support person didn’t have individual servers for each piece of software: email on one server, web services on another, and accounting software on yet another. From an infrastructure standpoint, I completely agree with his objective. But polishing and tuning up the car doesn’t get you anywhere. Having the car (or server) running well is a precondition or prerequisite for everything else.

The gas is the application software. I’m not thinking about server software: SQL, email, etc. I’m thinking about Word, Excel, accounting, and business operations software. In order to go anywhere (in business or in a car) you need gas. This is the place many businesses (and IT departments) fall flat. They have new hardware on which they spend thousands of dollars with software that’s 20 years old. Old gas is bad for engines; old software can be equally bad for companies.

The result of old software is that businesses begin to think in terms of the software capability they have. Twenty years ago, we were happy that software worked and was stable. If we started the day with 10 in inventory, invoiced 2, and the computer said we h ad 8 left, we were ecstatic. Today, we expect the features we thought were whiz-bang in 1992. A car with 1992 gas sputters along, wheezing–if it runs at all. A business just creates a huge amount of work and “fights” its software by using Excel, ACCESS, and other tools to do the heavy lifting.

Finally, there’s the driver training. Anyone who’s taught a 15-year-old to drive knows that without training, the best place for the car and the gas is in the garage. Without proper training, you can hurt yourself.

And here’s where the analogy of the car vs. business technology breaks down. If your car doesn’t run, you don’t have gas, or you can’t drive, you find out pretty quickly. You wind up walking, pushing, or having a heart-to-heart conversation with a telephone pole or police officer. If your business technology isn’t optimal, you can run for a long time (harder, with more difficulty) without realizing it.

I’ve seen businesses run into the ground because they didn’t use the right software or didn’t use software right.

There’s more information on business software on the DGG site, and our Profit Tools eBook can provide some ideas.

I think this is also true of electronic marketing based on search engines, Facebook, LinkedIn, etc. Check out Randy’s article and let me (or him) know if you agree!

Ice Cream and Vegetables | Leading Results.

I do know, however, that time was important in public accounting. We lived and died (not literally, but in our careers) by the billable hour. More was better; too few and you’d find yourself in the unemployment line or looking for another job.

For management, it was an easy way to judge our contribution. Clients often didn’t receive it very well, particularly when the invoice was more than the “estimate.”

As of March 1, 2012, the only billable hours at DGG will be those we have to track because of existing contracts. Those contracts will end sometime in the next 8 or 10 months, and we will offer fixed prices to all of those customers.

Net results? (a) We can focus on delivering quality rather than billable hours. (b) We will manage delivery of a high quality product on time and on budget rather than managing the number of hours. (c) Customers will know exactly what the invoice will be at the end of the work. No surprises.

So, the billable hour is dead at DGG. Time sheets are dead. Hourly rates are no more.

From now on, we’ll use the time we save to help customers get more profit out of their existing systems. That was how I got into this business in the first place, and it’s what DGG is best at.

Executive Summary: On February 18, 2012, the Senate passed a bill that extends the tax break on the employee portion of the Social Security Old-Age, Survivor and Disability Insurance tax (OASDI) through the end of 2012. The House of Representatives had passed the bill earlier in the week, and it is now awaiting signature by President Obama.

Last week, the House of Representatives and the Senate passed The Middle Class Tax Relief and Job Creation Act of 2012, which extends, for the remainder of 2012, the 2% payroll tax cut that is otherwise scheduled to expire at the end of February. The bill has not yet been signed by President Obama, but he has said that he will sign it.

Thanks for the info, F&H. Very timely! I was concerned about doing another round of Payroll Tax updates to prepare for the end of the Social Security reduction only to go back in a week after they passed the bill and undo what we’d done.

As to Congress, maybe they are getting the idea that we’re tired of their shenanigans and posturing!

The email body was gobbledygook about section this and subsection that. It indicated that I owed a $10,000 penalty which I could avoid by visiting the website.

If you get one of these, don’t fall for it.

IRS does not send notices via email. You get them in the mail.

And irs.gov is the official website. Anything else is suspect.

Tax fraud is on the rise. Don’t be a victim!

“Could I ask you a few questions?” I asked.

“Sure,” he said.

“How many employees do you have?” Nineteen.

“What are your business goals for the next year or so?” I asked. Better service. More efficiency. Better ability to use our resources.

“So you’re trying to make your system more efficient in order to re-purpose staff to do more customer service and customer contact?”

“Yes,” he said.

“Tell me a little bit about the issues you’ve been having with your system,” I said.

He referred me to another employee who, “had a long list of things that were going wrong.” He said that the list was mostly little irritations. Things that went wrong over and over.

“Suppose that you did all of these suggestions. Spent all of the money. And suppose that spending the money solved all of the issues that you’re having. Would this move you closer to your goals? Would it automatically let you give better customer service?” I asked.

He was quiet.

Hardware and infrastructure are like a car (automobile). Software is the gas. A drivers license means you have the training you need to operate the car. Without gas and a driver’s license, the car does you little good.

Too many IT folk forget that the reason for technology in the first place is to make businesses more profitable. At Data Guidance Group, we specialize in business technology and business software. We know enough about business to make sure that you invest in technology that drives your business goals.

The general concept is using the key word (say “accounting software”) on a web page or blog article. Some of the companies that sell SEO services generate pages that make no sense. Here’s an example: http://virtualblackswanmarketing.com/?p=7077. If you can figure this gobbledygook out, let me know.

Quarterly? Monthly? Weekly? Daily?

There’s no hard and fast answer, except for “It depends.”

“On what?” you might ask. Here’s my answer: It depends on whether your email (primarily) provides information or is (primarily) self-serving. If your email newsletter (or tweet or Facebook post) provides information your customer might be interested in, you can send them more frequently. How frequently depends on the information and the list. Here are some examples:

• I subscribed years ago to the CERT (Computer Emergency Response Team) alert newsletter. They issue it as needed, but sometimes several times during a week. I don’t always read it, but I’m glad to see it in my inbox.
• I subscribed (so they say) to several email newsletters that have turned into vehicles for promoting white papers. When the white papers are requested, very aggressive salespeople start ringing my phone. Multiple times a week. Here’s my answer: right click, Junk, Block sender. Unsubscribe? Why? It would just tell them they hacked me off. I want them to lose more subscribers before they figure it out.
• I subscribed to a couple of tax newsletters from friends. They seem to send them infrequently. I notice particularly that they DON’T arrive around tax deadlines. Imagine that! I’d like to have these more frequently. They have great information.
• And now to the reason for this post. I am on the email list of a consultant who is promoting a seminar. I assume the registration must not be going as well as hoped. I received invitations on 1/9, 1/16, 1/20, and today 1/23. The seminar is Thursday 1/26, so I wonder if I’ll get an email every day this week. I really would unsubscribe, but one of these days I might want to attend one of his events. Keep emailing me every day, though, and I’m going to hit the unsubscribe link.

Oh, and by the way. I once unsubscribed without realizing it from a newsletter I really wanted to attend. The organization was using a service like Constant Contact, Emma, or Mail Chimp to send the newsletter. It was like pulling teeth to get back on the email list. Lesson: You don’t want to lose subscribers.

Until all your software is up to date, and all your printers are new, we still recommend that you order 32 bit. Yep, it’ll be older, but it might just work with your software and printer drivers.

Here’s the pattern I see:

Windows Vista was a major change in operating system for Microsoft and many Windows users. It was also a disaster from a PR standpoint. I never had many problems, but some people did. As a result, many skipped this version. Software publishers didn’t have the mass of customers moving to the new version, so many software bugs weren’t worked out.

Windows 2008 Server, Microsoft SQL Server 2008, and Windows 7 used many of the same technologies as Vista. The recession hit just as many of these products were coming out. Businesses (and users) have updated to these technologies as they had to. Many businesses are still updating from Windows XP to Windows 7.

The software products that didn’t get a full test under Vista (because relatively few businesses implemented it) are now getting tested under Windows 2008 Server and Windows 7.

Bingo! Problem!

Solution: Clients that keep ERP software (and other software, for that matter) up to date are generally more satisfied in the long run.

Now we’ve got GoDaddy (the master of implying in SuperBowl ads that they’ve got something akin to porn if you’ll only visit their site: Danica Patrick and all) using their “create your own website” feature to place links back to their site. Check out this blog post on Yoast.

Join us.

Most businesses say it is the latter (a stairway to their goals). Think with me for a minute about that, though. Some of the very same businesses that would agree with the idea that ERP and operational software is a strategic asset would also admit that their software is 10, 15, or perhaps 20 years old. Some companies we’ve worked with have software that still forms a critical core of their business processes that is older than this.

Twenty years ago, overnight delivery was in its infancy. The internet was not yet widely known. In fact, many small and mid-sized businesses still kept books manually.

A car that is 20 years old (say 1992 model) might or might not have air bags. Until 10 years ago, most low-end vehicles didn’t have airbags as a standard feature. Ten years ago, most cars sold did have airbags, but second-generation airbags (the kind that don’t break bones and cause internal injuries) weren’t mandated on cars until 1998.

Here’s the bottom line: a computer system that’s even 10 years old is out of date. A business that believes it is taking advantage of the newest and the best that has a computer system that old is kidding itself.

It’s interesting that most businesses we work with that have old ERP, accounting, or operational software systems also want to revise their processes. They recognize that their business software is holding them back. Perhaps they’re worried about the Gladys Principle. Or maybe there is another reason.

So I ask you: Why do businesses do this to themselves? One reason is cost. Ok. I understand that. But as someone said about education, “If you think education costs a lot, you should try ignorance.”

Another reason is simpler than most businesses will admit: inertia — “A body in motion tends to stay in motion in a straight line until acted upon by an outside force.” Change is hard. Sorry. It is in our DNA.

Using computer software technology to improve business success isn’t without pain, but few worthwhile things are without pain. Every time I’ve decided to improve my physical fitness, whether it was walking, jogging, lifting weights, or swimming, there were times in the next few months that I just knew I’d made the wrong decision. When my muscles ached in the morning, asking me, “Why did you do that to us again?” I knew that pain makes gain.

So I truly believe that every business can be more successful. Define success as you will: more profit, fewer hours, more customers, more satisfied customers, etc.

Now here’s the big thing: Even though every business can be more successful, what I personally do can’t necessarily make your particular business more successful. As much as I like doctors, I don’t need an OB/GYN. I just don’t have the right parts. My wife, on the other hand, got much benefit from the help they provide (we also got a few kids in the bargain).

The one thing I’ve believed all along is that when I can’t help someone, I tell them. We’re going to expand that into a more significant statement in the new year. Until now, think about how you might make your business more successful.

I believe every business can be more successful…with less work.

People I talk to can’t believe that Peachtree software used to be a full-fledged modular accounting software package. We recommended it to clients at $495 per module, with a single user. You can buy Peachtree 2012 from CDW (www.cdw.com) for $1104.99 for 5 users. It includes everything you’d need to run a small, simple business.

In the days when Peachtree General Ledger sold for $495, accounting software was just for accounting. Accounting software today is usually called ERP software. Today, the emphasis is on using the software to improve margin, increase efficiency, serve customers better, and grow sales.

To get the most out of ERP software, software today is being implemented with a view to the ROI of the system. Metrics are used to guarantee that the system improves the bottom line.

Software today implements business processes and provides many opportunities for improving the bottom line.

Our specialty is helping clients save money and grow sales by using their ERP and accounting software better. More information about ERP software and accounting software is available on our web site.

Other developments in NAV 2012 include an improved report writer (haven’t been able to see it yet, but any improvements to reporting will help our clients), and “forms” are eliminated. This basically means that the new interface (Role Tailored) will be the only interface. That’s not a bad thing. The more I work with it, the better I like it.

Here’s an example screen shot of the new Role Tailored Client. This is the sales role:

Our website has more information about Sage ERP ACCPAC implementation and support.

A quick YouTube Demo of the new look and feel was in a prior post.

Why Your Brand Should Use Google+.

Confused yet?

My question for Sage: Will this branding exercise provide clients and partners any more value? Or is it just another way to make the products seem “generic” so you can kill the products that you don’t want to continue supporting (like Sage ERP Pro or Sage PFW)?

Since I’ve worked with ACCPAC off and on for 25 years, I know it pretty well. The current changes in plumbing and user interface are impressive and important steps forward for the product. This branding? Perhaps I should just stay over here on my side trying to help our clients use whatever software they have to make more money. Basically, I could care less what you call the stuff as long as it works!

“Is it compatible?” they want to know.

Generally, if they’re on a top 20 software product like Microsoft Dynamics, Sage, etc., the answer is “Yes,” as long as they’re on a recent version. Lately, however, we’re running into another issue: databases. Sometimes the accounting or ERP software is compatible, but the database isn’t.

To make things more complex, many vendors don’t support products more than one version old. So if the current version is 11 and you have version 9, there may not be any information at all (except for rumor on the web) to tell us whether the products are compatible. Rumor on the web isn’t something that we can rely on, particularly when it means that if something goes wrong, we’re on our own.

Bottom line: call someone who can research compatibility for you before you buy that new machine. You’ll be glad you did.

Oh, and while you’re at it, be sure they check the compatibility of your printers as well. Some old printers don’t have drivers for Windows 7 32bit or 64bit.

DGG has an old Okidata Color Laser Printer (C5150N). It’s a great printer, particularly since I think I paid something like $700 for it, a duplex unit, and an extra tray.

It’s been having some problems lately. Actually, I’ve been having some problems lately. It needed a new drum unit. I thought I’d save some money and do an internet search for a cheaper drum unit. I saved 50%, but the drum I ordered didn’t work. So I ordered another one from a discount dealer. That one didn’t fix the problem either. So now I’ve ordered at twice the price from a vendor that I know will come through for me. Guess that’s a lesson for me on trying to go cheap.

Anyway, all of this caused me to take a look at the cost of a new laser printer. You can buy new color lasers with duplex and a network connection starting around $300. I decided to check out the cost of toner.

The toner cartridges for my Oki are rated at 5,000 pages of output. No one gets that because that rating is at 5% coverage. Why have a color laser if you’re going to print 5% color? My documents are more like 15% to 25% (or more) color. So I get around 2000 pages. The toner cartridges are $25 each. Not bad.

So I looked at a new OKI. Toner cartridges: $48, rated for 1500 pages. Yep, that’s right 1/3 the toner for double the price. Then I started really looking closely. ALL the low priced color printers ($500 – $1000) seemed to follow this pattern. Some of them had toner cartridges that cost OVER $100 with ratings of around 2000 pages. Geez.

Morale of this story: Watch the cost of the toner. Laser printers are like razors. They lose money on the printer and stick it to you on the toner!

Instantly, an inquiry that had been getting an error started running all the way through…like cold molasses. For those of you that have no clue what molasses is, let’s just say it was excruciatingly slow. I’m impatient. If my computer takes 2-3 seconds to do something, I’m doing the three-finger salute (Ctrl+Alt+Del). This was taking a good 45 seconds. And the diagnostic utilities from the accounting vendor seemed to be in a loop. One day I let them run for 8 hours…the process still didn’t finish.

I got the bright idea to try loading the data on another database vendor’s product (the accounting software gave me a choice of 3). Low and behold, it was instant. I tried the query on the first database vendor’s SQL query utility. Bang! Instant result.

So–let’s see–the problem is not corrupt data (that problem has gone away). The problem isn’t in the data itself (it works on another database). The problem must be in the software.

Monday I got the result from the vendor: The hotfix will be available on Wed. We’ll see if that fixes the problem.

Note: It was available Tuesday. It fixed the problem!

The last month or two, though, a couple of the big dogs in the market, Sage and Microsoft, have released some really significant savings. Microsoft is currently running a 5 users for $3,000 promotion. Sage is offering users of products soon to be discontinued (Sage Pro [formerly SBT and Pro Series]  and PFW [Platinum for Windows]) the opportunity to trade their legacy products in return for new licenses of ACCPAC. Even Intuit has been running some nice promotions.

I think this is an indication that these vendors see a pick up in the market, but that customers are still nervous about committing to large capital expenditures. They all seem directed at helping decision makers to do something before the end of the year.

If you think your company might need new business, ERP or accounting software in the next few months, now is a good time to test the market. Give me a ring and I’ll tell you what I know.

I’ll see you there.

More information and registration at: ima2011.eventbrite.com.

Doing this effectively means using data from your accounting or ERP software to determine (a) which items to hold in inventory, (b) how much to hold, (c) when to reorder, (d) how much to reorder, and (e) when to change the answers to these items. A three-part webcast will teach you how to do this. The first part was posted in an earlier entry. You can watch the second part here.

The second item in the list is learning curve. I guess I buy the idea that you shouldn’t buy software that’s too hard to learn to use.

The third item is “input efficiency.” I’m assuming he means how fast you can key the data into the system in comparison to other systems.

I’m not sure how you react to Chris’ ideas, but my first thought was that he really hasn’t done much with software selection. The number one complaint I hear from businesses that want new accounting software is, “It doesn’t do what I need it to do.” Second in the list is, “I can’t get the data I need to grow my business.” I don’t know that I’ve ever had a client say, “I paid too much,” particularly if the software was working. I’ve rarely heard, “It’s too hard to use.” When I have heard that, it’s been on software ranging from QuickBooks (which requires very little training for most users) to SAP (which IS hard to use, but does things the businesses that buy it need for it to do). All in all, you can strike these two items from the list.

Here’s my list (in no particular order) of the things you should evaluate in accounting software:

• Does it do what I need for it to do?
• Is there a game plan for continuing to develop the product?
• Are the last few releases of the product forward-looking? (In other words, are they adding the things that I’m going to need in a few years.)
• Do others in my same general business (retail, wholesale, service, medical, etc.) use the product?
• Will it streamline my business processes?
• Will it save me money?
• Will it give me information that I can turn into new sales?

Once you narrow down the products and have a short list, then is the time to start asking the cost, training, reporting, etc. questions that Chris is talking about. My $0.02

More information on ERP software and accounting software is available on the DGG site.

Google On Spelling Mistakes On Community Sites.

I’ve been involved in enterprise software projects for just a little shy of 30 years now. Most of my experience has been in small and mid-sized business, where this type of software is sometimes referred to simply as “accounting software.” This article points out that most mid-level managers are either unconcerned about software or feel that they are not listened to.

As a consultant, I can tell you that detailed information is the key to selecting and properly implementing software. Without the mid-manager’s perspective, it is easy to miss important details that later affect the implementation.

Bill Ives’ article gives the details of the survey.

We’ve been fortunate to get middle managers involved in our implementations. Sometimes it’s just a matter of asking the detailed questions that middle managers know the answers to. Our process assures that when we are involved in an accounting software implementation, we get as much information as possible.

Sage ERP Accpac 6.0 Overview – YouTube.

Even when an organization produces financial statements just a few days after month end, the data that makes up the statement is related to something that happened last week, last month, or last quarter. Financial statements say nothing about what is happening now (present looking) or what will happen in the future (forward looking).

What Information Do You Need From Your Accounting Software?

It doesn’t have to be that way. It is possible to figure out (through a process of interviewing) what information a manager really needs to do her job. The technique was developed over 20 years ago at Harvard, and it always surprises the people who go through the process: information that is critical to the operation of their company isn’t available.

Your accounting system can tell you what went well and what went wrong. This is important information. But you need to supplement this information with additional information that looks to the present and the future.

Today’s accounting software does more than produce financial statements. It collects the information needed to look to past, present, and future. For more information, take a look at Profit Tools.

“Do you think your copy machine will do things you don’t know about?” I get lots of hands.

Some of those things probably don’t make any difference to your business profitability. Some of them might. Here’s the catch: if you don’t know they’re there, you can’t take advantage of them.

Next to most accounting / practice management / operational / ERP software, copy machines are pretty simple. So if you don’t know about features on your copier that could save you money or make you money, how likely is it that your software could make you more productive or help you close more sales?

And…as a matter of fact…most copy machines have similar features. If you know Xerox, you probably have a good idea about what Lanier copiers will do.

That’s where software consultants can help your company: we know the features of the software you have, and how other businesses are using those features to make and save money. Call us. We usually find significant savings or profit in your existing system. And if you need new accounting software or ERP software, we can help with that as well. You might also be interested in our research on the Top 10 Accounting Software packages.

STATICS ™ Business Growth System is ideal for implementing and profiting from these features.

ERP systems are including pre-formed dashboards, usually centering around financial measures and financial data (for example, accounts payable and accounts receivable agings).

The biggest issue with these pre-formed KPI (Key Performance Indicator) dashboards is that for any given business KPIs need to be related to CSFs. CSF stands for Critical Success Factors. Every business has at least 3 and no more than 6 CSFs. They are the critical elements that drive the business to success. Without success in these areas, the business will not prosper or grow.

Does this imply that pre-built KPI dashboards aren’t useful? Or that pre-constructed business intelligence can’t help a business? No. But it implies that at least somewhere among the measures, each business should be sure to include key performance indicators that measure effectiveness in each CSF area.

Hopefully, I’ll find a way to include some of the content here as well.