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ALPHA ACCOUNTING

RALEIGH, NC

PHONE: 919.217.2515

TOLL FREE: 1.866.890.7227

FAX: 1.888.215.5965

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Alpha

Accounting


We provide installation,
set-up, training, and support
for QuickBooks and other
software for both PC and
Mac and instruct QuickBooks
and accounting classes
throughout the year in
Raleigh and the
surrounding counties.

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The QuickBooks Client newsletter

Helping you grow your business with QuickBooks software
 

March 2012

Is it Time to Upgrade to 2012?

If you can answer YES to any of these questions it's time...

Are you using a 2009 or older version of QuickBooks*?
Is your Pro/Premier file size is too big in turn slowing down the application? (at ~150 megs or above you may see slower performance, data corruption etc.**)
Do you have 5 or more users who need to be in the program at the same time?
Do you need better security levels in QuickBooks for your employees or have had an employee attempt/succeed in theft?
Do you need to consolidate reports from multiple company files?
Do you need to work in 2 company files at the same time?

Contact us about your best choice for upgrades, we have more information and great discounted pricing.
919-217-2515 or email [email protected]


*Intuit does not provide support or updates to 2009 versions past May 2012. After that date many built in features are no longer available ex. payroll, credit cards, online banking, etc.  You cannot run 2009 or older versions on newer Windows 7 ,64 bit computers.
**(We do NOT recommend using the condense (clean up) utility built into QuickBooks to make your file smaller, we have seen too many file errors as a result. We have a more proven alternative, give us a call.)
 

 

Come see 2012 QuickBooks in Action

Join Alpha Accounting's QuickBooks Trainer, Leslie Hamm for a FREE Introduction to QuickBooks 2012 Seminar.
Bring You Lunch and Learn.
Date: Wednesday, March 7, 2012
Location: Morrisville Chamber of Commerce
260 Town Hall Dr. Morrisville
Time: 12:00-1:00 pm
 
Contact [email protected] or call 919-217-2515 #0  to register or for more information. 

Portable Productivity: Smartphones Do Invoices, Expenses, Time Billing

 

These three web-based apps - accessible via your smartphone -- provide mobile access to QuickBooks data.

 

Accounting in the cloud is closer than you might think. In fact, it's here, in some cases. QuickBooks Online, of course, is entirely cloud-based, but itdoes not yet offer all of the features found in Intuit's top-of- the-line products, Premier and Enterprise.

 

In the meantime, Intuit itself, as well as third-party developers, have built online apps that fill in some of the gaps. These add-on solutions exist on websites, but they can collect data and synchronize it with desktop QuickBooks. So can that iPhone or Android that's sitting on your desk right now.

 

Many Mobile Applications

 

To find these apps, go to the IntuitApp Center and click on All Apps. There are dozens of them, arranged by category (Billing and Invoicing, Customer Management, Inventory Management, Apps by Intuit, etc.).

 

Your first stop should be at Intuit's QuickBooks Connect (this is the name of the online application that you'd use on a remote PC or laptop; the name of the smartphone app is QuickBooks Mobile). This app gives you easy access to your customer and sales data when you're away from your office.

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Figure 1: QuickBooks Mobile, shown here on the Android operating system, gives you sales tools when you're away from desktop QuickBooks.

 

Remote Sales Tools

 

Whether you're working in web-based QuickBooks Connect or on a smartphone, your data and transaction options are similar. QuickBooks Connect has a few more features, like an Item List and Customer Center, but both let you:

 

  • Access multiple company files
  • View, add, and edit customers, estimates, invoices, and sales receipts, using QuickBooks' custom templates
  • E-mail these forms to customers

 

QuickBooks Mobile and QuickBooks Connect use the Intuit Sync Manager - located on the desktop where QuickBooks is installed -- to keep data current everywhere. That computer must be running for syncs to work.


Figure 2: You can create and e-mail invoices from QuickBooks Mobile.

 

Prices start at $9.95/month for one user; a 30-day free trial is available.

 

Manage Travel Expenses

 

Concur Breeze grabs the data you need (customers, employees, jobs, etc.) from QuickBooks to record expenses on the road. You can enter charges directly into a form or snap a picture with your phone - it'll be attached to your expense report. These charges are then sent to a report template that thoroughly documents the charge, letting you specify variables like the trip purpose, travel policy type, project and client. The status of your approval and payment are also included here.

 

You can send travel itineraries from your free TripIt Pro account and credit card charges directly to an existing expense report to accelerate the process. And once an expense report is approved, money can be moved automatically from the designated company bank account to an employee's account. $8 per month per user; free 30-day trial.

 

Figure 3: Concur Breeze provides mobile expense management.

 

Mobile Time-Tracking

 

If your company has employees or contractors who work remotely and submit hours for approval, consider eBillity Time Tracker for Intuit QuickBooks. After it pulls in customers, service items, and employees from QuickBooks, you can invite workers to track their time on their smartphones by either entering it manually or using the timer, and then sync it with the online application.

 

Mobile workers can use the application in offline mode; entries are uploaded when they reconnect. Prices start at $10/month for Admin and one user.

 

Figure 4: eBillity Time Tracker for Intuit QuickBooks is a great companion app for remote workers.

 

 The Cloud = Convenience And Accessibility

 

Synchronization - especially across three or more devices - is a simple concept whose implementation can be not-so-simple. We can help you determine which apps make sense for you and get them up and running.

 

Integrated, web-based applications accessed by whatever computing device happens to be nearby are the essence of cloud-based accounting. Intuit and its companion mobile apps offer the convenience and accessibility that the Internet is making possible.

 

If you need help with any of these applications, or questions about "the cloud", please email or call us. We are your partner in building a successful business.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

If you have any question regarding this article or anything else related to QuickBooks, bookkeeping or your business, don't hesitate to call us.

Sincerely,



Leslie Hamm

 

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PHONE: 919.217.2515

TOLL FREE: 1.866.890.7227

FAX: 1.888.215.5965