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Support :: Newsletters

May 2016

DentaLab NewsMay 2016
from Mainstreet Systems & Software

FAQ  DentaLab News

 

In the month of May

We have begun work on the July release with a way to make no longer used standard procedures inactive instead of deleting them.  Having an inactive indicator will mean that the procedure is no longer available for selection in case entry but still available when reviewing case histories.   Other tables that have an active/indicator work the same way:

  • Customers
  • Employees/Technicians
  • Items
  • Vendors
  • Work Centers

We have also been working on a more affordable offering for those labs that would like to have their own website with a portal for their customers to submit and lookup case information.   See the article below for more details on this topic.   Let us know if you want to explore this possibility.

To celebrate the USA Memorial Day, our offices will be closed on Monday, May 30.

The voices of experience

Here from our tech support staff are some of the critical things you need to take care of if you are responsible for your lab's information systems.

  1. First and foremost, make sure your program and data backup systems have been set up and are working correctly.   We recommend multiple backups, one for each day of the work week, and that you have both local and remote backups to cover all contingencies.  If you tend to be forgetful, you can set up for automatic backups at specific times of the day.   Think about the possibilities that would require restoration of your backups such as severe weather, natural disasters, theft, equipment failure, water damage, internet data breach, ransomware, etc. and develop a disaster recovery plan.   
  2. Keep your system relatively up-to-date so that it can be supported should you experience a disaster, operational error, or the need to update or replace equipment.
  3. Have your resources such as our contact information, equipment warranties, service agreements, installation and backup media, user guides, etc. well documented and your staff trained on how to access these.
  4. Both QuickBooks and DQB provide for detailed user access controls and security.  Take the time to review these and assign your controls appropriately.   For names, logins and passwords, document these and place in a secure location.  Make this location known to at least one other trusted person.  
  5. If you are not top management, from time to time review with your management the capabilities of your existing system, the potential expansion of capabilities for your lab. Our website and monthly newsletters are good resources to keep up to date. 

If you need guidance with any of these, be sure to contact our support team.  

 

  Easy, versatile software for the modern dental laboratory.

To answer your questions...

Q:  At what level should we consider a terminal server?

A:  A terminal server can be a very beneficial addition to a computer system as it provides for easy maintenance and updates for a number of workstations.  For those using DQB, this means just one update for the quarterly releases no matter how many workstations you have.   It will be up to you to determine at what level a terminal server is worthwhile for your lab.  We would recommend considering this when you reach 5 or more workstations.  To give you a ballpark figure, the Microsoft Terminal Server 5- Client Users license is currently about $500.  You may incur an additional expense if you have a local IT professional set it up.    

Q:  How do we know which settings are for all of our workstations vs. just the one specifying the setting?

A:  From user requests and advances in technology, the number of settings under Options in the menu has grown over the years.   The best place to check this is in the Users Guide available from the Help button.   Go to the Table of Contents near the front of the manual and click on Settings for All Users vs. One User to see more details.

Q:  Do most labs in the DentaLab user group have a website?

A:  We do not have any official statistics on this, but from reviewing our own database, we would say no.   If we are told the name of a lab's website, we look it up.  We see that some labs have great websites but a significant number do not.  Some have secured a site name but have not yet developed it.  Some have an old site that has not been updated to modern standards.

Whenever we are considering doing business with someone, one of the first things we do is look up their website.  This has become true for many others as well and it has come to be that having a good website is critical for businesses and other organizations. 


      With the same look and feel of QuickBooks.

Your own affordable website with a portal for online prescriptions

To date Mainstreet has offered DentalRx to those labs using DentaLab for QuickBooks (DQB) who also want to provide a web portal from their own website.  The web portal could be used by the dental offices to submit prescriptions, send digital documents, lookup their cases, submit and edit preferences, request pickups and other communications.  Most labs that have chosen DentalRx have also chosen to customize it.

The next advance in DentalRx has been to provide more options for the labs to customize it themselves for colors, submittal requirements, case search results, which features to include or exclude.

For those labs that do not have a website or would like a separate website focused on providing a web portal for their customers, we have created a standard website template that will provide a built-in web portal for DentalRx.   It is planned that upon completion and approval, a link to the Henry Schein DDX (Digital Dental Exchange) service will also be included.  This standard website includes the fundamental features needed for a modern website and  provides an affordable way for many labs to not only have a professional website and also offer a web portal for the dental offices they serve.  The fundamental features are:

  • Home Page with main message and photos and navigation to other pages
  • About Us for background information on the lab
  • Our Services to list lab's offerings and capabilities with online portal to submit and lookup case information
  • Contact Information including Google map/directions, ability to send message

The upfront cost will be $360 to cover the costs to setup each lab's individual site.  A monthly fee of $70 will cover the cost of licensing of the web portals and the hosting of the website.

Each lab will provide their initial information in a standard form.  Graphics and photos will be named appropriately and sent via email.  Mainstreet will review the submittal for clarity and completeness.  Upon acceptance by both parties, Mainstreet will transfer the contents of the submittal to the website and provide the link and security measures for DentalRx.  Subsequent editing of text, photos or links in the standard template can be covered by the lab's DQB service agreement.

If you would like to review a copy of the submittal form, please contact us.  As you are developing your submittal, you will be able to refer to the standard template online.  You may, if you wish, adapt the samples for your own use.  We ask that you take care not to submit photographs or other materials that are copyrighted by others. 

If a lab wishes to go beyond the standard template to add more pages, customization or dynamic features such as events and blogs, Mainstreet would be open to providing these expansions for additional fees.

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 really love working with QuickBooks. Won't you consider adding lab production to this?

Ed Riccobono
NuLife/Brooklyn
New York, USA


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