The BillMaster Compass

January 2014 www.dwcorp.com

Welcome to 2014! A new year holds the promise of experiencing new adventures, making new friends, enjoying unknown surprises and achieving our goals. May this be a productive and profitable year for everyone!

As One Door Closes

Data West Corporation began as a service bureau in 1974. Richard Brown had moved to Durango with his wife, Gayle, driving all their worldly possessions stuffed into two little Toyota Corollas. Gayle had employment lined up, but Richard was having a difficult time finding opportunities matching his Computer Science degree. He partnered with Roger Ptolemy and they began offering service work for companies that did not own computers. This was at the beginning of the microcomputer industry and at that time there were only four computers in the Durango area.

Nearly forty years later Richard has decided to retire. He has guided us through many changes in hardware, software and personnel; his vision has brought us to where we are today. Even though Richard will continue to influence the direction of Data West as a member of our Board of Directors, we will miss seeing him on a daily basis. We hope you will join us in wishing Richard well as he embarks on new adventures.

Another Door Opens

Our search for a new General Manager provided a wealth of available talent. We are excited to share the selection of the candidate we believe provides the best fit for the corporation, staff and clients.

Please join us in welcoming in Timothy Maurer to Data West. Tim moved to Durango in 2012 following many years in California as a senior manager in the entertainment industry. He brings with him a strong background in strategic planning, finance, IT development & implementation, management and leadership.

Our April Newsletter will provide you with more insight about Tim and the exciting opportunities that are coming to Data West.

New Data West Website

To celebrate the New Year, Data West unveiled our new website: www.dwcorp.com. Featuring access to sign up for current and future webinars, new Compass Blog Articles, News, Events and much more to keep you informed and engaged! We are also adding new content to our Social Media - Follow Us, Like Us and move into the future with us. It's an exciting time to be a part of Data West and BillMaster!

Webshare Going Mobile!

Keep your eyes and ears open for the launch of Webshare mobile. This new application will allow your customers to make payments and view statements from mobile devices. The platforms we will be supporting include Android, iphone, ipad, Windows phone and more.

For a limited time customers who already have Webshare, and are on system-care, will be able to add Webshare mobile at no additional charge. We will be contacting you when it is available. Don't have Webshare? You may want to add it to your wish list.

Tech Tip

ATTEND A BILLMASTER WEBINAR

Twice each month we offer free webinars on a specific facet of BillMaster. In order to accommodate users in multiple time zones and differing work schedules we vary the times of these webinars. On the first Thursday of each month, the webinar is conducted at 9:30 AM (MST). The webinar on the third Thursday of each month is conducted at 12:30 PM (MST).

The webinars last no longer than one hour. They are an opportunity to:

enhance your knowledge of BillMaster
learn about new BillMaster features
train new employees

Below is a schedule of webinars for the first quarter of 2014. If you have participated in the past, we hope you will continue to do so. If you have not attended, we hope 2014 will be the year in which you choose to join us.

If you have questions about registering for a webinar, or would like to suggest a topic for one, please contact Technical Support at 970.259.2369 ext. 132.

Data West Calendar

February

Problem Solving Processes

Have you ever made a mistake that you thought would take you a long time to correct? Do you have changes coming that affect a number of your accounts? Let us share some processes we have developed to aid in these situations. Most of these are available in your database.

Correct meter reading end dates

Update meter average consumption

Remove or re-activate an account

Reset charge start and end dates

Transfer a Deposit from one account to another

Update forwarding addresses

Delete meter reads that were imported multiple times

Reverse a batch that was posted in error

Join us on February 6th at 9:30 am MST or February 20th at 12:30 pm MST.

March

How to Use the Modification Log

This is one of the most useful troubleshooting tools for BillMaster Users and our Technical Consultants alike. The Modification Log can be used to:

Identify changes made to a specific account
View modifications to multiple accounts over a range of dates
Confirm additions, deletions and modifications to BillMaster tables
Isolate training issues

The Modification Log includes both the old and new data along with user identity, dates and how the changes were made.

Join us on March 6th at 9:30 am MST or March 20th at 12:30 pm MST.

February and March

Geospatial Dashboard!

Data West has developed a Geospatial Dashboard (Web-based map viewer) that visually displays your existing GIS and map data.

This dynamic viewer presents information from BillMaster, giving the end-user a visual experience of customer location and statistics. The viewer is based on the latest ESRI technology and can utilize your existing ArcGIS Server or our Cloud-based solution.

Attend this webinar to learn how our new product can give you a better 'picture' of your data.

Join us on February 12, or March 12 at 9:30 am MST.

2014 BillMaster User Conference

The 2014 BillMaster User Conference will be held August 13 -14 at the Doubletree Hotel in Durango. The pre-Conference Workshop will be conducted on August 12. Watch your email for details and registration information.

Issue: 1:14

In This Issue

As One Door Closes

Another Door Opens

New Data West Website

Webshare Going Mobile!

Tech Tip

Data West Calendar

Sales Corner