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September 2016

DentaLab NewsSeptember 2016
from Mainstreet Systems & Software

FAQ  DentaLab News

 

QuickBooks 2017 will be released September 19

We have been told that the 2017 version of QuickBooks will be released on September 19 and that it will be focused on making things even easier for their small business customers.   There will be:

  • greater search and filtering capabilities
  • the ability to schedule automatic generation and email delivery of reports on a daily, weekly, monthly or quarterly basis
  • visual reminders regarding bank deposits
  • more customization features
  • heightened security and multi-user improvements

We recommend that you review the full list by visiting Intuit's website, doing an internet search or, if already on Intuit's notifications lists, checking your email.  Some of you who having recently updated to 2016 version may be entitled to download the 2017 version at no charge.  It is always best to keep your software up-to-date to assure the best compatibility with technology and current security measures.

Two things that used to be expensive

These two things now considered more and more essential are:

  1. Having an online presence to let the world know of your services and how to contact you
  2. Providing a web portal for your dental offices to easily submit and lookup their cases

If you would like to have your own website with a web portal for your dental offices, consider our new offering to setup a modern mobile-friendly website with your individual text and photos.    This would feature:

  • Home Page with your main message, photos and navigation to the other pages
  • About Us with your background, expertise, experience
  • Services and Products to list and discuss your offerings, along with a web portal to submit and lookup cases as well as other communications
  • Contact Us for how to contact you including a way to send an email directly.

This basic website is now priced at $320 for the initial setup and a minimum commitment of one year at $70/month for the web site and portal.

For when you are closed or on a reduced schedule

From the support calls we receive, we have taken note that more and more labs are steering away from the traditional Monday-Friday 8 hours a day schedules.   Some work longer on the first four days of the work week so that they can close on Fridays, giving themselves and their employees a long weekend every week.   Others close early on certain days of the week.  Some give part-timers an opportunity to reduce the lab's workloads over the weekend. 

There are two features in DentaLab for QuickBooks that can help you to control your schedule easily:

  • Master Schedule in the Cases Menu
  • Holiday Schedule in the Options/Settings Menu

The Master Schedule provides for recording for each calendar day in each work center the daily unit limit, the number of units scheduled and then completed.  This links to the case items that comprise each schedule.   You can specify whether to have scheduling on Saturday and Sunday and a standard daily unit limit.   Then, from each day in the graphic schedule, you can right-click to edit the daily limit as needed.  

The Holiday Schedule was originally designed to bypass holidays such as Christmas and New Years Day when scheduling cases.   You can, however, also use it to specify that you do not want scheduling on Fridays or for a week-long period when the lab will be closed or any other dates when you do not want to schedule work.

 

    Easy, versatile software for the modern dental laboratory.

To answer your questions...

Q:  We want to use the cloud to provide for remote access to DQB for a few of our employees but definitely not everyone.  What is the best way to do this?

A:  This is a scenario where a service such as MyQuickCloud (MQC) is ideal and much more versatile than an application that is entirely web-based.   With the combination of the security levels in QuickBooks and DentaLab for QuickBooks and the ability in MQC to choose which users and which applications can have remote access, you have a much higher level of control.   As the administrator, you also have the flexibility of easily changing and/or removing these access points whenever needed.   

Q:  We accidentally created two QuickBooks records for the same customer.   We were able to delete one of these in QuickBooks but could not figure out how to delete the extra one in DQB.  Can you give us guidance?

A:  Yes, you can go to the Customer Center, then enter criteria to Find the Customer.  From the grid, select the one to be deleted, right click and chose Delete.   If, however, both of the QuickBooks records were identical, you will need to distinguish the one to remain from the one to delete.   This can be accomplished in QuickBooks by adding a digit to the customer name, then re-synchronizing with DQB so that you can be certain you are not deleting the one that should remain in DQB. 

Keep in mind two basic rules:  1) each QuickBooks records has a unique behind-the-scenes identifier that is used to assure its individuality and to maintain correct links between records 2) QuickBooks requires that once a record is used in a transaction, it can be set to inactive but cannot be deleted.

Q:  We need guidance on how to apply credits to specific invoices.  Can you help with this?

A:  Yes,  we would recommend that you first click Open Balances on the customer's transaction screen or go to Reports/Customers and Receivables to request a list of the customer's unpaid  (open) invoices to determine which invoice(s) should have the credit applied.  Then go to customer's transaction list, select the unpaid invoice to bring up its detailed screen.   In the top bar will be a button marked Apply Credits.   This will bring up a list of the credit(s).  Select the credit to be applied to the invoice. If there is a remaining credit to be applied, you can continue choosing unpaid invoices to be paid by the credit.

      With the same look and feel of QuickBooks.

The beauty of lab notes

We find that some labs use these all the time and some hardly ever.   Some people are natural note takers, others put up great resistance.   We know that one of the keys to having great customer relationships is in remembering the details, some that lend a personal touch, some to fulfill promises, others to assure accuracy in specifications.

DentaLab for QuickBooks provides many opportunities to records notes on customers, their preferences, their activity and on cases for special instructions, technical details, issues and communications.  To aid in this endeavor, one of the Basic Lists is called Lab Notes.  When you make an entry into these records, you are essentially creating a dictionary of frequently used terminology and specifications.   Some of the advantages of having these are:

  • Assures accurate spelling/specification
  • Saves time
  • Makes it easy to read and understand
  • Multiple languages can be entered whenever needed

You can also add to these lab notes whenever you are making an entry for a case memo, an invoice message to the dental office, designing a case plan, coordinating with the doctor on preferences, adding marketing notes and reminders....and many other places in the system.


The ability to customize

One of the reasons so many labs choose DentaLab for QuickBooks is the ability to customize rather than having to deal with one-approach-fits-all. These customizations can be viewed at three levels:      

  • Built-In Features
  • Forms and Reports
  • Larger Customizations

Built-In Features

This level of customization is achieved through choices already built into the system.  These are part of the design and there is no additional charge for these.

Basic Lists:   In Basic Lists you have the opportunity to enter your unique setups for customers, items and work centers, as well as a number of case-related tables such as case stages, lab notes, standard procedures, price levels, shades, tooth charts. 

Custom Fields:  You can create custom fields for the customers, items and cases tables.  For each of these tables, you have up to 10 custom fields. You give each field a unique name and then can enter up 50 characters for each field.

Options/Settings:  In this menu there are many choices divided into categories for your company, synchronization, cases, invoices, purchase orders.  For some of these, there are further categories such as work tickets and dashboards. 

Forms and Reports

The structure of the system has been designed to accommodate custom versions of your forms and reports.  For these, we work with you to design the specifications and then use a reporting tool to develop the format..

Labs often use the monthly no-charge time designated in their support agreement to achieve this level of customization. Supplemental time and its billing are typically very nominal in cost. DentaLab for QuickBooks has hundreds of forms and reports. The most commonly customized reports are the following:   

  • Work Tickets
  • Invoices
  • Packing Lists / Slips
  • Quality Control/Feedback Forms
  • Labels
  • Sales/Production Analysis

Larger Customizations

Beyond this, we will try to accommodate special requirements within the framework of the standard system. If a lab's needs are so unique that they cannot fit into the standard format, then we create a custom version that is separate from the standard user-group version. This is a far more expensive route and typically has been chosen only by corporate groups and very large independent labs.

Requesting Customizations

If you have a good idea or find you have a special requirement that will involve software support, just open up the discussion with us.

If you wish to be removed, reply to this email with the subject "unsubscribe".

     

Customization is available for all products.

Contact us at 1-800-257-4535 or www.mainstreet-systems.com.

"I think that it (DentaLab for QuickBooks) is an awesome application."

Angela Thalassinos
Giorgio Dental Laboratory Pty Ltd
Victoria, Australia


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