Frequently Asked Questions

How do our staff get training when you are remote?

We hold interactive training sessions using the phone and the internet. This works really well as staff can see what we are doing / showing them on the screen. This also means that if one of them can’t work something out or are having a problem they can call us and we can go onto their screen almost instantly which is a major time saver and also makes it much easier for the staff member as they get there question answered while they are on the subject rather than having to come back to it later.

How do we get support if it is after support hours?

In the first instance you should lodge a ticket on or email our helpdesk system which is checked regularly around the clock. We will respond to the support request within the parameters set out in our Service Level Agreement.

How does security work on your software?

We have the ability to have up to 99 different security levels which means that we can allow users to a certain screen, a group of screens or the whole system.

How many stock points / branches can we have?

As many as you need to, there are no limits within the system.

What does a “Free-format” ledger mean?

It means we can structure our Chart of Accounts, (i.e. the ledger codes you use) in any way you like. It also means our General Ledger Report Writer is not constrained to the exact structure of your Chart of Accounts, i.e. you may want to define a Trading Account, which is individual for your “five” branches but you may also wish to see a consolidated Trading Account incorporating all “five” branches in one. This is something that we can do that easily within our General Ledger.

Does your Ledger meet any criteria or world-wide specifications?

Our Total Business Solution [ERP] Software is fully IFRS [International Financial Reporting Standards] and GAAP [Generally Accepted Accounting Principles] compliant.

How does your system run, how secure is our data and what about backups?

This is something we prefer to discuss over the phone or by email as everyone has their network setup differently and the configuration for one client maybe quite different for another one. Security of data is critical for every business and it is one area we take extremely seriously. This also needs to be discussed because the configuration settings will impact on how security is implemented including how the backups are done.

Can we have our own Logo on documentation?

Yes, you certainly can. The logo does need to match our size specifications but this is something that can be quickly and easily resolved with very little cost.

What about form layouts, can we use our existing ones?

Our Total Business Solution [ERP] Software comes with a standard set of forms which about 98% of our clients use. If you have special requirements please let our sales team know and they will be sure to come up with something for you.

What format does the data have to be supplied in?

We prefer a .csv [comma delimited] file although we can look at almost any format.

What happens at the end of the financial year?

Our General Ledger has 18 periods in it instead of the normal 13 periods. This means you have six months after the end of the financial year in which you can go on producing Profit and Loss, Balance Sheet and other reports as though you had completed the previous financial year. When your accountant finalizes your end of year accounts adjustments can be entered and these will automatically flow through into the new year. Another point to take account of here is that no data is ever deleted out of the system which means that you can lookup data / information from any date or time.

Can we automatically send documents out by email or fax?

Yes, you definitely can. We use a program called Active Fax which is built in to our software and this works exceptionally well.

Is there any limit to the amount of data that the system can hold?

The limit is the amount of disk space that is available. Nowadays disk space is very in-expensive so it’s not an issue.

Can we print our own messages on documents?

Almost every document which goes out to clients has the ability for a message on the form which you can specify what you would like to appear.

Will your software work with any Operating System?

This is a Microsoft based system and the program will work on all versions of Windows from Windows 98 upwards, including XP, Vista or Windows 7.

Is your software based on Balance Forward or Open Item accounting?

Our systems are based on Open Item, but we do have a few features in the software which allow you to use some of the “useful” features that people found so helpful in Balance Forward. One of the key points here goes back to how easy the end user can read the statements. The statements from our software are Open Item, but follow a similar structure to Balance Forward. They are really a combination of both which is a major plus for your clients as they have the best of both “worlds” and this makes them very easy to read.

What is the size of stock codes in your system?

We allow 20 characters which can be letters or numbers. However we do recommend that all stock codes are entered as capitals as this makes searching a lot easier and this also gives consistency. One major advantage with having them all in capitals is staff always know what format the code will be in making finding stock codes much faster.

Do you have a facility for handling stock supersession’s?

Yes, we do. This function allows you to enter as many supersession codes as you like to one stock code. This also allows staff to find a particular stock code by a master code or by a supersession code which means that if a customer or prospect emails or rings with a code your staff can just type it in and providing it has been entered the system will find it.

What about the minor differences in tax between systems?

As all systems calculate Tax differently there will be very minor differences in the amount of Tax calculated. Most countries have an allowance of some nature for this type of thing. For example, in New Zealand it is legal to have a difference of around .98 cents and our system can cope with this.

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