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May 2017

DentaLab NewsMay 2017
from Mainstreet Systems & Software

FAQ  DentaLab News

 

DQB 1.50 has been posted

The spring release DQB 1.50 has been posted on our website www.mainstreetsystems.net in the Support/Quarterly Releases section.   This release focuses on a collection of date-related conveniences for your cases and adds a new feature for advance bills and estimates. For those who have built long lists in Basic Lists-Lab Notes, we have added a selection window with up/down arrows for scrolling.

The official list is posted on the website.  The highlights are in the topic below.   If you have an up-to-date service agreement, call just before you are ready to download to get the current authorization codes.

There were quite a few labs that submitted the suggestions for this release.  We heartily thank them on behalf of everyone in the user group.  

In the month of  May

To observe the USA Memorial Day on Monday, May 29, our offices will be closed.   For our customers in other countries, we will check for emails and voicemails. Be sure to  leave your contact information so that we can respond to your message.

Also underway by our programmers this month are these projects:

  • An improved set of production analysis reports, already developed and in beta testing
  • Moving the web-based portions of the DentaLab systems such as DentalRx up to the latest security standards to maintain privacy and prevent theft of information.
  • An improved set of technician productivity reports with accommodation for the multiple ways case items can be marked completed.
  • As the use of tablets and our DQBT workflow app increases every month, we will be responding to more of the requests to add features to this app.
  • Changing the connector that transfers information to and from QuickBooks to a service, rather than an executable program that needs to be loaded. 
 

  Easy, versatile software for the modern dental laboratory.

To answer your questions....

Q: We have received notice from Intuit that we should upgrade our QuickBooks before the end of May.  Do we need to do this?

A:  If you use any of the web-based features of QuickBooks that use the Intuit servers, such as payment processing, document storage, customer lookup of account transactions, the answer is yes.  One of the important reasons for this are the new security measures needed to keep your information private and more secure.   To the best of our knowledge if you use only the desktop features, it is not mandatory to update to keep your program running. 

Also very important, primarily because of the need for higher internet security, is to have your operating system kept up-to-date with the latest version.

Q: Should we setup separate items to handle our remakes?

A: If you want to track lost revenue due to remakes, the best way is to simply check the Remake indicator in case entry.  Then the difference between the standard pricing for the customer and the actual amount charged will be stored in the remake column of your analysis reports to let you know what the remakes cost you in terms of lost revenue.

We have seen some labs setup remake items for their invoices.  Using these will tell you how much you charged, but not how much you did not charge.  Another method has been to setup discount items related to remakes.   Using these will tell you the total amount you did not charge, but the figures will  not be associated with specific items. 

Q: We are considering using tablets in the lab to track the progress of cases and the productivity of our technicians.  What is the best way to proceed?

A: We would recommend that you talk to us about your goals and issues, request a flyer on the capabilities of the tablet workflow app and/or view these on our website.  If this looks worthwhile for you, we would recommend that you begin with one tablet and the DQBT workflow app, work with it yourself and then show it to more of your staff members and let them work with it.   Then, when ready to proceed with licensing of the app for more tablets, talk to us about volume pricing.

If you are interested in improving the workflow and production in your lab to reduce costs and assure timely delivery, using the tablet app provides the most accurate information in terms of timings by technician and case item, as well as the status and location of the case.

   With the same look and feel of QuickBooks.

Highlights of DQB Release 1.50

Advance Bill/Estimate for Case

This new feature provides for doing creating advance bills and estimates in DQB with these advantages:

  1. The price levels established in DQB will be used when assigned to the specific customer rather than the default prices in QuickBooks.
  2. You can save the case as a pre-booked or on-hold so that it ready if the case proceeds.
  3. The pricing can be saved as an advance bill for easy transfer to the live bill in single or batch invoicing.  This assures that the pricing offered to the customer is honored.
  4. You can also generate an Estimate form that can be printed or saved to one of the industry-standard formats such as PDF for issuance to the customer.
  5. You can choose to use the standard Estimate format or request customization for features such as color, logo, marketing messages.

Memo Fields:  Scrolling to Select from Standard Notes

There are a number of areas in the system where text can be entered with the option to insert from the standard notes you have set up in Basic Lists-Lab Notes.  Right click and then Select from Standard Notes to display the selection list that is scrollable with up/down arrows.

New Date Settings for Cases and Invoices

In Options/Case Settings, we have added more date options and consolidated all the date features into one tab titled Dates.  In invoices Settings, these are now in one frame.   These settings provide a convenient way for each lab to further customize how they handle the dates related to their cases and invoices.

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.

"Thank you AGAIN!!!!! YOU are the BEST!"

Carol
Hennessy Dental Laboratory Inc.
Florida


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