Wednesday, November 5, 2008

Just a Quick Question? Try QB on Call!


QB On Call

Stuck on what should be a simple problem?

Tired of calling tech-support for hours of the "run around?"

Looking for an affordable way to simply "fix it?"


Then call us!

Our knowledgeable experts can assist you with many common QuickBooks "quick questions."

We speak YOUR language and can guide you through most solutions with simple, easy to understand assistance.

We are QuickBooks Users and Consultants....We use QuickBooks Everyday!

If you are tired of call centers and can't find expert help in your area, give us a call...we now offer $49 single incident, 30 minutes or less, support.

We've been doing this for many years locally and now we're going world-wide. Call us between 10 am -9 pm PST with your credit card & your issue.

We'll take an incident report, run your credit card for a flat fee of $49.00 and either call you back or, if you would like to wait while we process your credit card payment, we'll stay on the line and start your "support clock" once payment has been made.

We limit our calls to One Incident - One Topic; limited to 30 minutes. You can't call asking how to create an invoice, then move on to payroll issues. But you can call if you need operational support from real bookkeepers, users & hands-on consultants.

This is QuickBooks User support...architectural or software issues that require engineering support are not included. If your questions are not within our field of expertise, we'll tell you and we won't ask for your credit card.

If you are having installation issues, don't forget that you may have free installation support from Intuit, so use that first!

So, if you are looking for real support from real QuickBooks users Call the Pros at QB On Call!


775-348-9225 - or - 775-348-9200

jayne@qbgal.com


QB On Call
A Division of Custom Business Solutions
"The QuickBooks Gal"
1755 E Plumb Lane, Ste 101
Reno, NV 89502

Wednesday, September 24, 2008

New! QuickBooks Point of Sale Website!

We are pleased to announce the launch of our new website focussing primarily on our Point of Sale and Retail Solutions clients. http://www.qbdoc.com/ is the place to get more information on Point of Sale hardware, software, and services. We are proud to have been chosen by intuit to be the only Retail Solutions Providers in Northern Nevada and look forward to offering expert point of sale service to retailers in Reno, Lake Tahoe, the Sierras and nearby California communities.


To celebrate the new offerings from Intuit - including the revolutionary new Cash Register Plus - we have listed some special offers on our website.


Here are the details of our Cash Register Plus bundle deal:
Time to update that old, slow cash register? Don't need to track inventory?


Call us about the NEW Cash Register PLUS!


Get a NEW HP Computer, Monitor, the Cash Register Plus software and all the POS Hardware you need from us for $1,499.00 when you use Innovative Merchant Solutions for credit card processing


Simplify everyday retail tasks by organizing them all in one place.


Ring up sales and accept credit card payments** Track customer information to provide better service. Run reports that give you key insights into your businessBalance your cash drawer quickly and accurately with a simple wizard. Save time on bookkeeping by transferring data right to QuickBooks*** Simple screens that look just like a cash register make it easy to learn and use. Cash Register Plus, lets you do all of this right on your own PC*. You’ll spend less time running around and more time running your business.


*See system requirements for PC. Cash drawer, receipt printer and credit card swipe sold separately.

**Service is optional. Requires a merchant account through Intuit Merchant Services for Intuit Cash Register Plus. Application approval, fees and additional terms and conditions apply. Internet access required.

***Works with QuickBooks Simple Start, Pro and Premier editions (2006-2009) and QuickBooks Enterprise Edition (Versions 6.0-9.0). Sold separately.

Monday, August 25, 2008

Here Comes Quicken 2009!

We just received the official email from Intuit - QuickBooks 2009 is now available for sale. They have also given us a link to allow our visitors to save up to 36% and get free shipping. Quite a deal!

We look forward to getting our copy in the next few days and kicking the tires, but Quicken just seems to get better every year and this year should be no exception. They say there is no major redesign - which means no large learning curve - just minor improvements and upgrades, such as including more banks in their online banking feature.


Friday, August 22, 2008

How to Unapply Credits

Recently, one of our Reno QuickBooks customers asked about "unapplying" credits in QuickBooks. While there are nicely labelled apply credits buttons, there are none marked unapply. This is the case for both customers (invoicing) and vendors (paying bills).


So here is how it is done:


For customers, it is a fairly easy process. Go to the invoice to which the credit was applied. Then click on the "Apply Credits" button. In the lower half of the new window that pops up is a list of Previously Applied Credits. Simply find the one, or ones you wish to unapply and click on the check mark next to it to make the check mark disappear. The credit will no longer be applied or tied to that invoice.




For Vendors, i.e. bill payments, it is not as clean and simple. The only way to unapply a credit in such a case is to Delete the credit. You can then re-enter the credit for future use and it will no longer be applied to that specific bill.

To delete the credit, go to your Vendor Center, click on the name of the Vendor, make sure the "Show" drop down menu says All Transactions, then find the Credit in the list and double click it. Once it is open you should write down or print any of the information you'll need to re-enter it later, then click on the Edit menu and click on "Delete Credit."

Friday, June 27, 2008

Need a copy of sent emails?

Until the most recent version of QuickBooks, which finally let us integrate the QuickBooks email function with Microsoft Outlook, one of the biggest frustrations of QuickBooks users who use the email function in Quickbooks was that once something was sent it was essentially gone. There was no way to go back to a "sent" folder and take a look at the notes that had been typed in messages to clients or vendors. Sure, you could look up the original invoice, p.o., etc. But you couldn't find the content of your message.

Of course, if you are like some of our clients who don't like using Microsoft Outlook for email - then you still have this frustration as well.

Unless, you use this great tip:

In your Preferences, go to the "send forms" section. Click on "Company Preferences," and then add your email address to the "Bcc" field. This will send a copy of every email you send out of QuickBooks to you, blindly, so that your customers & vendors aren't even aware that you are doing this. You may want to even set up a specific email address that you use only as your virtual "sent" box if you send a high volume of forms from QuickBooks.




As always, we hope this tip has been helpful. If you need more in-depth QuickBooks assistance, don't hesitate to contact our QuickBooks ProAdvisors in Reno at 775-348 9225 or our QuickBooks ProAdvisors in Sacramento at 916-216-4949.

Tuesday, May 27, 2008

Peachtree 2009 is available now!


While we focus much more on QuickBooks than Peachtree here in this blog, it is worth pointing out that the new version of Peachtree has just been released and is now available for purchase. We have only had a few days with it, but so far, the 2009 release is a significant improvement over prior versions of Peachtree.


Below are some of the new feautures Peachtree touts on their website. We look forward to using the product and giving a more thorough reviewe in the weeks to come.


New Features of Peachtree Complete Accounting 2009


Multi-Year Reporting*
Compare budgets and financial results across multiple years within your General Ledger reports and Financial Statements. As your business grows over the years, you will be able to use this functionality to get improved trending analysis, better research, and more accurate forecasts based on prior year activity.


Flexible Payroll Management
Access to a flexible payroll management tool for your business is available. Peachtree 2009 makes managing your payroll easier with set-up improvements and expanded offerings for benefits and deductions. These expanded feature improvements offer you a better way to account for items that you need to effectively manage your business.


Real-Time Error Alerts
Having data accuracy is critical to any small business. Within Peachtree, you will be alerted when using non standard AP and AR accounts upon saving the transaction or when using a non-cash account in the cash account field on receipts and payments.


Cash Flow Management
Easily analyze and forecast your cash flow with the use of the cash flow management tool. You will have the ability to know whether or not you will have enough cash to meet current and upcoming financial obligations by managing your cash flow from one location. Additionally, you will be able to export cash flow forecasts into Microsoft Excel.


Time and Expense Tracking
Peachtree 2009 allows you to locate your time and expense tickets through a quick list view, utilize a new invoice form specific for your industry, as well as customize the first day of your business week depending on how your company tracks time.

Wednesday, May 21, 2008

Final Reminder: Upgrade QuickBooks Now!



Those of you still using QuickBooks 2005 (pro or Premier) or QuickBooks Enterprise Solutions 5.0 AND processing your own payroll. Please, upgrade to the newest version of QuickBooks before May 31st. We have made this point before, but it is incredibly important to do this. If you don't, you will find that when you go to pay your employees in the first week of June, you'll be in trouble.

Please don't hesitate to call us if you need expert assistance in upgrading to the 2008 edition. And don't miss out on the opportunity to save 15-20% on your software by using our webstore. Don't be the person who calls on June 6th and says "my payroll isn't working!" (though, we'll still help even if you are that person).

Wednesday, May 14, 2008

Time to Update Point-of-Sale!


This post is just a quickie to let you know that there is a new update for QuickBooks Point of Sale Version 7. Release 3 includes a number of fixes which anyone running Point of Sale will want right away. Either update fom within Point of Sale, or go to the QuickBooks site and manually download this important update.

Monday, April 28, 2008

A little more about One-Write Plus



Now that tax time is over (for most people and small businesses), we've started getting an increase in requests to convert old One-Write Plus files into new QuickBooks files. We're always happy to help, as One-Write Plus is no longer supported by Sage Software, and really - it's about time to get out of that truly outdated software and start enjoying the benefits of a modern program with cleaner interfaces, more functionality, better reporting, etc.

In beginning this process, one of the first questions people ask is "What will come across and what won't?"

Well, assuming you have a One-Write Plus for windows file (as One Write Plus DOS files can be a little more challenging), the conversion is pretty straightforward from OWP to Peachtree to QuickBooks. In that process, all of your lists and balances will carry across, as well as historical Profit & Loss and Balance Sheet data. You will be able to see that you had $100 of Telephone Expense in 2007, that you currently owe AT&T $20, what your Sales Income was for January, that "Smith" owes you $100 - But you WON'T have the bill for AT&T or the Invoice for Smith that caused those balances to exist. (This is due to the conversion process summarizing all of that data in month-by-month journal entries).

We appreciate all of the people who have sought us out to help with this conversion process and are happy to answer any questions you might have. Please don't hesitate to call our QuickBooks experts in Reno or Sacramento to assist in your file conversion.

Friday, April 18, 2008

We Are Now QuickBooks Retail Solution Providers!

Thanks to the wonderful people at Intuit, and the ongoing support of our growing client base, Custom Business Solutions is now part of the Retail Solution Provider program. This means that we'll be brining our point of sale expertise to more small and medium sized business in Sacramento, Tahoe, the Sierras, and Reno. We will not only be able to provide service, but sell our clients the appropriate hardware and software for their retail point of sale needs.

As always with this blog, we're here to provide tips and help to QuickBooks users as well. A recent development that everyone should be aware of revolves around the release of a Microsoft Update affecting the ".NET" framework. In some cases this can cause QuickBooks to begin to launch - show the "splash screen" and then stop loading. Fortunately Intuit has detailed instructions to fix this problem posted at their website.

Wednesday, April 9, 2008

QuickBooks Program Releases - Updates

With each QuickBooks product, there are occasional maintenance releases or patches as Intuit adds new features or fixes some bugs that have been reported. You can download updates for your QuickBooks products at support.quickbooks.intuit.com/support/productupdates.aspx .

To check which release you currently have installed, start QuickBooks and then press the F2 key on the top row of the keyboard (or press the control key and the number 1 at the same time - CTRL+1). This will show you a great deal of information about QuickBooks and the current file you have open (if you have a file open) - including the release number at the very top of the window:

In the example here, I can see that I'm running QuickBooks 2008 with release 5 (the most current release as of the time of this post).

Friday, April 4, 2008

QuickBooks Point of Sale Revolution!



We recently assisted a merchant in Elk Grove in transitioning from an old, manual cash register to a full QuickBooks Point of Sale interface. What a difference this makes for the day-to-day operations of a business!

In the past, they rang up all of their sales on a register, and then entered the transactions manually into QuickBooks Pro at the end of the day - unable to track detail, items sold, inventory quantities, etc. Now they can print barcodes for all of their items, scan those items at the register (reducing the odds of mistakes on prices), record the sales as they happen, print professional looking receipts, track inventory in real time, and transfer all of this information directly to QuickBooks financial at the push of a button!
If your business is looking for QuickBooks Point of Sale help in Sacramento or QuickBooks Point of Sale help in Reno or Tahoe - please let us assist you in moving into the modern era. The difference in productivity, accuracy, and peace of mind that comes from making the jump to POS is the best investment any small business can make today.

Friday, March 14, 2008

"Can you upgrade One-Write Plus to QuickBooks?"



We get this question surprisingly often. One-Write plus was the junior version of Peachtree, sort of like Simple Start is to QuickBooks. Unfortunately, Intuit never created a conversion tool to go directly from One-Write Plus to QuickBooks. However, we've had success upgrading old One-Write Plus files to a recent version of Peachtree (the ability to do that is built into Peachtree), and then using Intuit's conversion tool to convert from Peachtree to QuickBooks.
A number of people who have thought their old data was gone because they no longer have access to OWP and can't find a copy of such an old program have been very pleased to find out that this is in fact possible.

Wednesday, February 20, 2008

Which QuickBooks is Right for Me? Simple Start


Though it lacks some of the advanced features of other versions of QuickBooks, QuickBooks Simple Start is a great program for those very small businesses who are looking to get their "feet wet" in the world of accounting programs. It is far better than a simple checkbooks program like Quicken or Microsoft Money, in that it allows you to do invoicing, create a fairly robust chart of accounts (though no sub-catagories), manage and pay bills, write and print checks, and generate financial reports such as a Profit and Loss or a Balance Sheet.
The very best thing about Simple Start - You can get it for FREE! Go download a free copy of QuickBooks Simple Start now if you have any interest in QuickBooks at all.
You can transfer your data in from Quicken or Excel - start learning the major functions of QuickBooks - and if you need to upgrade later, you can transfer your Simple Start data right into Pro, Premier, or Enterprise.

Tuesday, February 19, 2008

Which QuickBooks is Right for Me? Introduction

So you've decided to track your company's finances in a software program, and EVERYBODY is talking about QuickBooks.  You can't turn on a radio, a television, go into an office, or read a "Help wanted" section of the newspaper without seeing the name QuickBooks - so there must be something to it.
Maybe you've been using a simple paper reguster, or a series of Excel spreadsheets and Word Documents.  Maybe this is your first business and you want to do it right, form the start.  Or - maybe you've been using another program like Peachtree or Cougar Mountain or Timberline - and you just want something easier, more intuitive to work with.
Whatever the reason, it's time to think about which QuickBooks is right for you and your organization.  QuickBooks Simple Start?  QuickBooks Online?  QuickBooks Pro?  QuickBooks Premier?  QuickBooks Enterprise?  QuickBooks Point of Sale?  Or no QuickBooks at all?
In the next few blog entries, we'll describe each of these to help you select which might be right for you.  There is nothing worse than spending $500 on the wrong QuickBooks when the right one would have been $150 - or buying the $150 version and discovering that you really need the features in the $500 version!

Friday, February 15, 2008

The Three Year Upgrade Cycle: Who?



Finally, when getting ready to upgrade, think about who should be performing this task. Given the proper knowledge and safeguards anyone can do it. However we have seen many disasters that have arisen from companies that should know better letting their "tech guy" or the secretary's teenager who is "good with computers" attempt the upgrade.
Upgrading QuickBooks is not just like installing the new verion of Office or applying an add-on pack for your favorite video game. Without a cautious approach, it is possible to lose hundreds or thousands of hours of data entry and financial records that may never be replaced. If you are going it alone or your "tech guy" is sure they can handle it: PLEASE be sure to BACK UP before you get started.
Of course, a better option is to call professionals who do this all the time and know exactly how to do your upgrade smoothly and seemlessly. We provide these services both in the Sacramento Area and the Reno/Tahoe area. You can also find certified QuickBooks Pro Advisors through Intuit's website.

Wednesday, February 13, 2008

The Three Year Upgrade Cycle: How?



Now you're ready to upgrade.  You've purchased the software, set aside some time to do it, and you want to get going with your new QuickBooks 2008.  So how do you proceed?
The first, most important step :  BACK UP YOUR CURRENT FILE!  This point can't be stressed enough.   As long as you have a good back-up, there is nothing you can't recover from down the road.  Attempting an upgrade without a back-up is a recipe for disaster.
If you are only running QuickBooks on a single computer (no network) you will now run the setup program from the CD and follow the on-screen instruction.  One point to watch: when it asks you if you want to upgrade your previous version or do a new installation in another directory, choose the new directory.  You've paid for both full versions (2005 and 2008 in this case) so you should retain both.  This will also allow you to freeze your old file in time for reference should you need to go back to it.
If you are upgrading a multi-user, networked environment.  Follow the procedure above, however, be sure you install the program on your server first, then each client station.
Finally, open QuickBooks 2008 and rather than upgrading your file that is on your computer (thus making it incompatible with your old 2005 program) instead restore the backup you have made.  QuickBooks 2008 will upgrade that file for you and save it in the proper directory.  This way you now have your "going forward" file accessible in QuickBooks 2008 and your archive, frozen in time file accessible in QuickBooks 2005.

Tuesday, February 12, 2008

The Three Year Upgrade Cycle: When?



So you know you have to upgrade, but when, exactly is the right time to engage this process?  Well, obviously before the sunset date of May 31st, and after the day the new product (2008 in this case) was released - which was in fall of 2007.  But within that window, there are some specific concerns.
We don't generally recommend starting the upgrade until after end of year payroll and tax forms are processed.  Finish your w-2s, your w-3s, 1099, 1096, and so on first.  You do not want to accidentally lose a full year's worth of good data right before you cross the "finish line!"
So, we've narrowed the window down to sometime between February and May - but beyond that, "When?"  We recommend that you do it on a day with the least scheduled activity in your business.  If you have a complex operation with multiple workstations and a a server and you generally need 5 people logged in at once - you want to minimize their downtime.  Many such clients opt to upgrade on a Saturday when nobody will be on the clock waiting around to get back into their compter.  Additionally, it is a good idea to do it after the "big" days in your payroll, A/P, and A/R cycle rather than right before.
Need software for your upgrade?  You can get 15-20% off via our website.

Monday, February 11, 2008

The Three Year Upgrade Cycle: Why?


It's about that time again.  Time when those who are using a version of QuickBooks 3 years old or older (QuickBooks 2005 users, this means you!) need to think about upgrading.

Intuit's sunset policy means that if you use payroll, process credit cards in QuickBooks, or care about getting techincal support directly from Intuit, you must upgrade by May 31, 2008.

If you don't use these features and don't care - you can continue to use QuickBooks 2005 as long as you like.  (Unless of course you hope to upgrade to Windows Vista).  In the next few blog entries we'll talk about the upgrade process.

Thursday, February 7, 2008

Customizing QuickBooks: Part Seven Forms

Create your own distinctive and professional-looking forms, by choosing from over 100 pre-designed templates. Add your logo, your company colors, and essential information to your estimates, purchase orders, invoices, and packing slip.


1. Go to the Lists menu >> Templates





2. There are many different forms to choose from. Select the one you would like to customize by
double clicking on it. This will launch the Basic Customization window.




3. Now, you can easily add your logo, change your fonts and add important company information to your form.

For further assistance seting up, customizing, configuring or installing QuickBooks, don't hesitate to contact us in Sacramento or Reno/Tahoe.

Wednesday, February 6, 2008

Customizing QuickBooks: Part Six Reports

Set up your own custom reports, and see only the information important to your business.

You can create customized income statements which show the profitability of some aspect of your business, by choosing the columns and rows to display.


Go to the Reports menu >> Custom Summary Report


For even more QuickBooks tips, visit the QuickBooks Gal podcast. If you are using Microsoft Office Accounting, be sure to check out the handy tips at Micropods.custmbiz.com

Tuesday, February 5, 2008

Customizing QuickBooks: Part Five Report Formats

Change the formatting on reports to better reflect your unique business needs. You can easily change your fonts and add a header or footer to your reports. For instance, if your report has multiple pages, you may want to add page numbers. Or, if you are sharing a confidential report, you may want to mark it as such in the footer.
1 Open your report >> click Modify Report (upper left hand corner)
2 The Modify Report window will open, where you can select which columns to display, set filters on the kind of information you wish to see, add important company information, and change your fonts.

It’s also easy to resize the width of your Report columns, so you can limit or expand the amount of text you see. Click on the diamond between column headers and drag to the appropriate column width.  You can easily change the width of any column by clicking on the diamond and dragging your mouse to the left or right.

Sunday, February 3, 2008

Customizing QuickBooks: Part Four Data Centers

See the data you only want to see in the Customer, Vendor and Employee Centers. You can add or remove columns to display the information you are interested in, such as job status or email address. Save time up front by customizing your data columns so you can quickly access this information at any time.

1. Go to the View menu >> Customize Columns (Note: You must already be in the Customer, Vendor or Employee Center when you go to the View menu to add or remove your column(s).


2. Select which columns you would like to add by selecting an item under Available Columns and clicking Add. You can also remove columns by selecting an item under Chosen Columns and clicking Remove.

Saturday, February 2, 2008

Customizing QuickBooks: Part Three The Home Page

Set up your Home Page to show only the tasks relevant to your business. You can choose to hide or display select icons on the Home Page. If you don’t have employees, for example, you may wish to remove the Payroll Center from your Home Page.

You can easily do so by setting this preference in Company Preferences.

Go to the Edit menu >> Preferences >> Desktop View >> Company Preferences Tab (Note: Home page icons, such as invoices, cannot be removed from the Home Page if related references are enabled. For example, Invoices cannot be removed from the Home Page if either Estimates or Progress Invoicing is enabled.)

QuickBooks Bargain Alert! We noticed at Office Max today that they are currently offering QuickBooks Premier for $299 after a $100 mail in rebate. If you've been thinking about jumping into the 2008 edition of Premier, this seems like a great deal.

Friday, February 1, 2008

Customizing QuickBooks: Part Two The Icon Bar

Save time by customizing the icon bar to add shortcuts for quick access to the
tasks you frequently perform—and remove shortcut icons you don’t use.

Go to the View Menu and Select "Customize Icon Bar"


Thursday, January 31, 2008

Customizing QuickBooks: Part One The QuickBooks Desktop

Start working in QuickBooks faster!

You can program certain windows to automatically open when you open up your company
file, by selecting the “Save when closing company” or “Save current desktop” preference.
Save when closing company means that the windows you have open before you close
your company file will be re-opened the next time you open your company file. This will
allow you to immediately begin working on the tasks you had been working on the last
time you opened up QuickBooks.

Save current desktop means that QuickBooks will remember the windows you have open
so that the next time you open up QuickBooks, you will see the same exact windows.
For example, if you spend most of your time creating invoices and paying employees,
keep your customer and employee centers open and save current desktop so that these
centers will open immediately upon start up.

Saturday, January 12, 2008

Custom Business Solutions - Now serving Sacramento!

Pardon the self-promotion, but we are so pleased to announce that Custom Business Solutions, which has served Northern Nevada and it's QuickBooks needs for over a decade now has a full-time commitment to serve the Sacramento and Northern California region as well.
We have expertise in QuickBooks Enterprise Solutions, Point of Sale (including working with thrid party point of sale products such as Aloha and Microsoft Retail Dynamics), QuickBooks Pro, Premier, and Simple Start, as well as various other add-on software like Velocity Inventory and Fishbowl Inventory.
We can set-up, configure, upgrade, install, train, or provide support for all levels of QuickBooks, Peachtree, and Microsoft Office Accounting needs. If you need custom, expert assistance in the Sacramento area, please call us today: Our Sacramento/Elk Grove/Davis/Roseville/Citrus Heights/Northern California number is (916) 216-4949.
We look forward to serving you!

Friday, January 11, 2008

Welcome!

We're pleased to introduce our brand new Sacramento QuickBooks blog. Custom Business Solutions now provides QuickBooks support, training, set-up, and clean-up in the Sacramento region, so it's only fitting that we create a site to provide tips and tricks to Sacramento QuickBooks users.
Look for regular posts about QuickBooks, as well as response to your questions and comments. Thank you for visiting.