SouthWare showcases their new AP / Receivings Interface and gives a sneak peak of a new portal which should be out shortly.

Review the video.

Service Management can now interface to Job Cost

SouthWare has recently added the capability of having the Service Management module interface to the Job Cost module.

Review the video.

Record Steps on Windows 7 workstations

If there’s one thing I would be excited about seeing, it would be an improvement in user access on mobile devices without the obstacle of having to manually adjust screen size. Right now, reports are either REALLY SMALL or they have to be customized to their simplest, most necessary datasets. The mobile integration enabled by NetLink is excellent, however —NetLink is an industry leader in out-of-the-box internet capabilities. The only thing that would make it better would be if it could automatically detect which device users are utilizing to access their data. Here’s to the future!

From time to time, our tech support agents speak with frustrated users. Perhaps you too have grown irritated when a technical error or your own uncertainty of how to proceed stops you dead in your tracks. You call tech support but sometimes you feel like you can’t make yourself understood. On such occasions, even though the technician is eager to assist you, the struggle is more about clearly understanding the issue than it is about working through next steps.

Before you experience a crisis of communication, I advise this quick fix: Take a screen shot. If you’re not sure how to clearly describe the error you’re facing or the roadblock you’ve run into, a picture can tell a thousand words. Then, do what you can to document the error or issue. You can paste the screen shot and your commentary into a Word document in preparation to send or just paste everything directly into an email. This tip can help you to quickly get your tech support agent on the same page so that you can focus on issue resolution.

The first day of our last series of SouthWare User Group meetings of the year!

These always exciting, always fun and a little bit productive events will start at 10am on Wednesdays over the next three weeks starting today in Tampa! We are very excited about today’s SouthWare user group meeting in Tampa, not only because it’s right around the corner from us, but because it’s the first of 3 all around the state!

We designed these meetings with users in mind—we want you to get the most out of your Southware tool by introducing you to other users to trade tips and tricks, network and enjoy a structured training session on a special topic.

The training topics for this series of user group meetings include: FYI (ReportMate) and Month End/GL Reconciliation—Do you want to know more about best practices within these topics? Of course! Take advantage of this upcoming User Group Meeting to ask questions, share experience, and network with peers.

The September User Group Meetings are the last series of the year! We will be in three cities across Florida to give you convenient options:

• Tampa on September 14, 2011
• Jacksonville on September 21, 2011
• Panama City on September 28, 2011

If you’re a SouthWare user, don’t miss —make plans to participate today! You can register for any of these three events on our website at:

http://www.flbss.com/events/user-group-events

Today I was gabbing with Rachel, our new tech support person, and I asked her to tell me her favorite SouthWare feature. It turns out that she really likes the new portals because they provide easy access to data. As we talked, she brought up another feature that I agree is useful—the Service Manager tab. Any SouthWare user that sends techs out into the field can benefit from the utilities found on the Service manager tab. The Service Manager tab shows open service orders by number, as well as outstanding quotes and even upcoming service orders for the next 30 days. Users can see who has been assigned to an order and where they are supposed to go. The Dispatch screen assists in scheduling tech time because users can review a graphical timeframe calendar of what’s scheduled. This easy to use tool will improve tech productivity and optimize job scheduling because dispatch schedulers can visualize where techs are and where they have to be.

There are a lot of truisms about growth. “Money doesn’t grow on trees.” “Absence makes the heart grow fonder.” “A fish will only grow as big as its tank.” (Well, actually this one is false. We looked it. Who knew?) Truisms, goldfish aside, are generally useful—they make statements that are so obvious that they’re practically self-evident and are therefore excellent teaching tools. But what happens when business growth can’t be summarized in a handy cliché? For instance, how can you be sure that your current accounting software can no longer accommodate your business? Do you want to “Follow the money” and make sure the “Buck stops here”? Then read on—here are 5 signs your current software can no longer handle your business:

1.  Customers are complaining about your ability to handle their requests (Yet, "the customer is always right" but what do complaints cost you in lost revenue?)

2. The system crashes more than once a year ("Love the one you're with" until you defenestrate your monitor ... yes, that means throw it out of the window)

3.  You are spending too much time repairing the system (Sure, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it" but consistent performance just hasn't been your experience)

4.  The list of what your system doesn't do exceeds what it does do ("It is what it is" doesn't mean that's how it has to be)

5.  You are hiring employees to make up for system inefficiencies ("Many hands make light work" but they may unnecessarily inflate your overhead)

You’ve just hired a new employee. Obviously what this employee does on day one will be different from what they can do on day 30, or 90 or 300. As that employee gets more familiar with your business and is able to do more within SouthWare, you’ll have to evaluate a critical component of their SouthWare experience: their permission level. It’s important to keep security and permission profiles up to date based on what employees are actually doing. In some cases, users may not have enough access; for other users, perhaps they have too much! When the SouthWare administrator sets user permissions, there are three factors to consider: trust, job level and the everyday responsibilities of the role.

Leverage the security code definitions in SouthWare as a helpful guide to determine the appropriate permissions level, which ranges from 0 (no access) to 9 (unlimited access). In general terms, levels 1 and 2 are very limited access, 3 enables inquiry and on-screen reports, and 4 allows users to print reports. If users enter data, they would have a level 5. Posting transactions, receivables, sales, and the like would require level 6 access. Limited data maintenance and on-going data quality review are a 7 and 8 respectively. Level 9 is unlimited access. Tying user permissions to job functions and access requirements will ensure the right staff have the right permissions—this is good for productivity and for your business’ data security.