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February 2019

DentaLab NewsFebruary 2019
from Mainstreet Systems & Software

FAQ  DentaLab News

 

Thinking about spring

Although we are very well prepared for winter and its challenges, this is the time of year when we become weary of it and look forward to whatever signs of spring come our way.  One of these has been requests for lab personnel to travel to Pennsylvania for additional training.   We want you to know that we welcome these visits and the opportunity to get to know you in person.  

Learning more about permissions

With more and more remote and web-based capabilities, it is very important that that you learn about permissions to provide authorization for access.   You need to consider those for Windows users, those for installing new and updated software, those for access to application areas for QuickBooks, and the user roles in DQB. 

If you are offering the DentalRx web portal to your customers,  you also need to manage the authorizations for your dental offices to submit prescriptions and lookup their cases.  If you are using MyQuickCloud or the desktop authorizations by rep or work center in DQB, you will need to setup specific permissions. 

Establishing logins and passwords to limit access is not a difficult task.  If you would like to safeguard who has access to both your information and that of your customers, it is a very good idea to tune into what is possible.  If you would like our guidance on this, give us a call.  

If you would like to sell or transfer your lab someday

We have been offering dental lab software for many years and have had longtime customers who are planning to either slow down their schedules or retire and some who already have.  Some of these have successfully sold their business or gradually transferred it to others, while others just had to close their doors.  

Those who have been successful in this transition have told us that having our software has made a difference.  Some of the reasons cited have been complete and accurate case and financial records, lots of notes on customer preferences and communications, a history of responsive and excellent service supported by the information in those records.

As you review your business in its current status, it is wise to be mindful that someday you may want to cut back on your responsibilities or transfer them to someone else.  Having up-to-date software with great records and documentation will be a big plus toward ensuring your success. 

 

    Easy, versatile software for the modern dental laboratory.

To answer your questions...

Q: We have been using the DQB starter version and are ready to move up to the standard so we can take on storing digital documents with cases.   Will we be charged the full license fee or the difference between the starter and the standard?

A: Just the difference.   This is one of the most frequent questions that come our way.   We also have available several bundles of upgrades that include the Images supplement that covers digital files and documents and the Advanced Backup Protocol that provides for more secure transfers with options for multiple locations.  The bundles offer a 20% discount.   Call if you are interested in exploring these options.  

Q: Can we have the new DentalRx web portal with our starter version of DQB  ?

A: Yes, the new web portal that is included with your service agreement is available for all versions of DQB.   There is a small installation fee to cover the costs of the technical and security setups that are required, but the on-going service for the portal is covered by your service agreement. 

Q: What are the differences between the backup feature that has been included with DQB and the new Advanced Backup Protocol?

A: The built-in backup that has always been a part of DQB provides for naming and dating each backup file.  This file can be transferred to other media such as a portal backup drive or a web-based service.   

The Advanced Backup Protocol provides for automatic backups on a schedule you choose, higher levels of encryption and security, and the capability for backing up to multiple locations and media and at multiple times. Because this requires more guidance and setups, there is a fee of $200. 

      With the same look and feel of QuickBooks.

Your local IT consultants

We are very much in favor of your having local IT consultants for your hardware, network and internet services.  Although we can help you take care of a lot of issues surrounding the use of our dental lab software via remote access, there are times when having someone local who knows your configuration and setups is highly useful.   They can provide the hands-on expert service to coordinate with us.

We caution you, however, to be mindful of some of the practices we have seen that are not so desirable:

  • Consultants have been known to create logins and passwords but not document or share them with the customer.
  • Some try to impose their own method or one from one of their other customers rather than following the protocols needed for QuickBooks and DQB.
  • Some do not document their work or share any of the technical specifications for the computer system. 
  • And then, worst of all, sometimes they disappear and are nowhere to be found!

It is very worthwhile to establish a good working relationship with a local IT provider who is trustworthy, reliable and who can come to your lab in a short amount of time.   Be sure to coordinate with them and insist on good documentation and education from them.   Let them know that we provide the case management software for your lab and may need to coordinate with them from time to time to assure high levels of performance and security.

Promises kept!

Looking back to our promises last February, we are pleased to report that all of these have been kept and are now in action in a number of labs.  We had been pleased to see the strong emerging trend for organizations to maintain control and privacy for their core information while providing web services for a variety of purposes.   Here's the list of the new services added this past year to the DentaLab software:

Advanced Backup Protocol 

This has also been called the "everything" backup with lots of automatics and options, including web-based backups.  You can request our white paper with all the details or view this in the Products section of our website:  www.mainstreetsystems.net

DentalRx Direct  

This is a third way to offer online prescription submittals and case coordination to your customers and is now included in our service agreements.  Previously, this service was available to those labs who already had a website or wanted to develop a new modern website with a portal for their customers.  

Special Desktop Authorizations  

This concept was inspired by the special desktops offered via MyQuickCloud remote services.   It differs in that each authorization will be specific to just one rep or one work center. The special desktops can be used remotely or in-house.  

This means that a rep (or sales/business development person) will have access only to those customers and their associated case information that have been assigned to the rep.  

The authorization by work center has been designed for outsource points that have been assigned to a work center so that their specific case lists and schedules can be accessed with completions entered remotely.

Automatic Email Notifications to Lab Management

This was an expansion of the Notifications supplement for customers to provide for sending automatic reports via email to lab management.   To start there are three case-related reports, but we can add more or create custom reports for this.    The reports can be accessed on your smart phone, tablet or computer. 

Here are some of the web service options that have been available for quite a while:  

From Intuit/QuickBooks: payment processing; shipping manager; sending invoices/reports via email; payroll processing, online banking, online backup

From Mainstreet/DQB:  customer/case emails; email notifications of cases received/shipped; DentalRx submittal of prescriptions and digital files, case coordination via your website; associating digital documents and files sent via email with case; online shipment tracking for delivery services such as UPS, Fedex, USPS; creation of PDF forms/reports for transmission via email; tech support and interactive educational webinars via the internet

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Customization is available for all products.

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

"I have never found a glitch in all the years I?ve had it and really love this software"

Rickey Kornegay
Twin Rivers, North Carolina


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