November 2009

November-With Year-End and Holidays Ahead

A number of labs have told us they would like to start the new year with either a brand new system or expand their current system with more users or more supplements.  Please do not wait until the very last weeks of the year....November is the time to get started so that when January 1 rolls around, you are prepared and ready for the next big step.   Call us now to make your plans.

We have scheduled one more group training session this year after all due to special requests.   It will be on Monday November 23 here at our offices in Pennsylvania.  Four spots are booked so far...let us know if you would like to be included too.

Our special thanks to all of you who in one way or another help to keep the DentaLab user group strong, through your participation, your suggestions, your willingness to beta-test and for your wonderful comments and referrals to other labs.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Can you find a way to have the DQB lab notes available for the QB invoices?

A:  Yes, this is in the works and will be available for the January release.  This suggestion came from some of our Texas labs to comply with their state requirement to place one of four notes on each invoice indicating whether all or part of the work was done at another location.   We will be able to have the lab notes feature that has been used very successfully for doctor preferences, case memos and case planning also available for the QuickBooks invoice. 

Q: Will you be offering DQB group training in other countries?

A:  Although some have actually traveled to our offices from other countries,  what we have in mind for training those in other countries is interactive online training, aka webinars.   We timed our last training session here and found that basic training covering the four quadrants of the Home Page (Basic Lists, Options, Cases, and Reports) can be accomplished in about five hours.   We have the basic infrastructure setup and will next move on to specifics.   We are thinking it would be best to break basic training into segments that would each last 1 to 1.5 hours and to develop separate specialized topics such as standard procedures, barcoded case tracking and technician productivity, creating custom forms and reports, etc.  Let us know your thoughts on the possibilities.  We will, of course, allow access to those in the USA too.

Q: How do I know where I saved my file?

A:  When you choose to save a file you’re working with, or save a file from the internet you are usually presented with a save file dialog. This little window will show you, usually at the top what folder the file will be saved to. It may say something like My Downloads, or My Documents. If you’re not sure where this folder is you can use the little button immediately to the right of the name of the folder to get a drop down list that will show the path or hierarchy of where that folder is on your computer.

Not Exactly Malware

But having some of the same effects of slowing down your system and creating bottlenecks are the plethora of extra software programs automatically installed on your system when you purchase a program or service from some of the major companies such as Comcast, Verizon, Dell, HP, McAfee and others.  These are not programs with dishonorable intentions such as the spyware, worms, viruses and trojans of malware.  In fact, each one by itself is typically for good intentions, each with their own version of security, of online stores and other services.  But all together, not so good.  In fact, they have been pegged as "crapware" by one of the major tech writers.  

Take a look at your taskbar, your task manager and your desktop to see if there are programs you do not really need or want cluttering up your system.   See if several of them serve the same purpose.   Those on your taskbar and in your task manager list are typically loaded all the time, those on your desktop are readily available for launching but need to be redisplayed everytime your desktop refreshes.  

If you are certain you wish to delete one of these programs, you can do simply highlight it, right-click and choose delete.  If you are not so sure, you can move the programs to a folder you have created specifically for this purpose so they remain on your disk but do not interfere with daily use of your computer.   If you need clarification on the purpose of any of these programs, contact the provider.   

Hey, Wait a Minute!

Recently on the Internet Dental Forum (IDF), we offered some of the statistics we gathered from our own database in response to a topic concerning the future of labs in the USA.  We had found that in the past five years, there was only one lab that went out of business and this was because of Hurricane Katrina, not due to the recession or competition from overseas.

Some of the others on the forum questioned whether this could be true.  But indeed it was and this starting us thinking.  Our aha moment said "Hey, wait a minute...could this be because our database is filled with labs using QuickBooks and DentaLab for QuickBooks?"   Both of these, through their easy intuitive approach gently guide folks into running their businesses in a more organized efficient way, giving fast statistics whenever needed on how workflow, sales, receivables and other transactions are performing, allowing for more rapid adjustments.

They also provide for better customer service and communication in many ways such as case and invoice histories, doctor  preferences, customer alerts and activity logs, email forms and case status notifications, online payments, pickup/delivery control and tracking...and many more.  

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