1. Version selection matters
QuickBooks is no longer just a one size fits all solution. It’s easy to get overwhelmed, as there are now several versions available to fit your business type and growth stage.
When choosing the edition of QuickBooks best suited to your business, consider the following:
•Your industry, e.g. Retail, Construction, Professional Services, Manufacturing or Distribution. QuickBooks tailors their offerings to vertical markets and many come pre-loaded with the accounts, forms and reports you’ll need.
•Do you need to manage inventory? If so, does that inventory need to be tracked at multiple locations? If so, the QuickBooks Enterprise Edition comes with an optional Advanced Inventory module that lets you track inventory through multiple locations down to the bin location level using barcode scanning.
•Do you and your staff need anywhere/anytime access to QuickBooks to enter information or run reports? Consider the Online Edition.
2. Integration with other business applications
Many small businesses use various desktop or cloud based applications to manage critical parts of their business operations such as sales lead management, expense management or a shopping cart application for a web store. What’s more, they want an easy and affordable way to get the data into QuickBooks.
There are now literally hundreds of business critical applications that offer built-in integration with QuickBooks. Check out the QuickBooks App Center or the Intuit Developer Network to find a solution for your business.
3. QuickBooks Mobile App
Downloading this free app will enable your employees to take customer payments at the point of service. Employees can now:
•View and edit customer information
•Send invoices, create estimates, and record sales receipts
•Accept credit card payments from a mobile device
Basically, your employees can do business on the go, while you control how often you want sales and payment information to sync with your QuickBooks file back in the office.
4. Batch Invoicing
Suppose you manage a landscape company and you charge the same monthly maintenance fee to multiple customers. Batch Invoicing, one of QuickBooks’ most underutilized features, gives you an efficient way to:
•Create a single invoice that can be issued to multiple customers
•Create multiple Billing Groups for customers and easily invoice them for the same items and amounts
•Implement a price increase by issuing an updated invoice to everyone at once
5. Local support
Setting up and making the most of your QuickBooks software can be challenging. Let’s face it, managing your company’s finances is not always easy – especially if your accounting needs involve more than simply keeping track of money in and money out.
There’s an extensive nationwide network of Intuit Certified QuickBooks experts available to you. Like myself. Some are accountants or CPAs while others are software consultants – but all have been certified by Intuit on their knowledge of the software. You can find a local expert by visiting the QuickBooks ProAdvisor website.
