QuickBooks Financial

877-467-0451 | 858-467-0400

Will English’s Reveal of QuickBooks Point of Sale (QBPOS) powered by Revel

Having worked with Revel more closely as well as attending additional training, I am ready to write this article to give insight into more of the product benefits and features.  We can see from QuickBooks Online, any cloud product is a moving target and QuickBooks Point of Sale powered by Revel is no different.  Intuit has worked with Revel extensively. Revel has opened up the Quick Service Restaurant (QSR) as well as Table Service vertical markets to the resellers who have been trained.  This was a huge win as the Revel product excels in these verticals.

Revel is the real deal in hospitality.  For the QSR market, the product out of the box supports modifiers, meaning that you can add or subtract items on the order.  Think, add mustard, and hold the mayo.  You can also set up standard modifiers for each item. For example, a sandwich always comes with lettuce and tomatoes.  You can also set up combo’s meaning that the burger combo has the choice of types of sides and drinks.  I think you get the idea.  Revel also supports kitchen displays/printers meaning that each station can see what they need to cook or prepare to finish their part of the order. Additionally, Revel supports dynamic menu boards as well as customer facing displays showing when the customer’s order is ready.  Online ordering and delivery management can be added to round out the QSR offering.

For the Full Service Restaurant, all of this is available as well as table management and the ability to hold a receipt, print a copy to add a tip and then close out the ticket with tip included.  I recently had the opportunity to follow a Revel installer to an Italian Restaurant when in the course of a day, replaced 4 registers, 4 kitchen displays and a hostess workstation and got the customer up and running for their dinner service.

This also matters to you if you are the company accountant or if you hire one.  The reason it matters is that like in the accounting software world, customers are looking to move to the cloud for hospitality. Think Square, BreadCrumb and the like. It is already happening.  I spoke to a friend who has over 20 years in the hospitality industry and they see the power of cloud based POS’s systems.  The manager can be watching sales, speed of service, etc. in real time from anywhere in the world by logging into a web browser.  Same with meeting with vendors and placing orders.  Lastly, there is no expensive servers to maintain, bulky workstations to install nor software maintenance contracts. 

As Accountants, we are often trusted advisors to our customers and one of the reasons that QuickBooks Point of Sale Desktop has been so widely adopted is its connectivity to QuickBooks Desktop financial software.  Now we have a Cloud based POS system well suited for the hospitality industry that is Intuit branded and connects seamlessly to either QuickBooks Online or with the release of the desktop connector, the QuickBooks Desktop Financial software. Imagine if your POS system made sales and cost of goods sold (COGS) entries automatically.  In the firm of the future, zero data entry is the goal.

Lastly, how do you engage with Intuit to start the conversation?  I recommend engaging with an Intuit Reseller who has been certified by Intuit and understands the industry. Of course, we hope that would be us, but there are over 100 resellers who are qualified to help.   

Author: English, William S., President of English Management Solutions, Inc. October 2015

It's not too late to save on taxes! Buy QuickBooks 2016 by December 31st, and you may be able to deduct the cost from your 2015 business income! Call us to learn more about how you or your client can save the most money on QuickBooks!

Christmas is here! The shopping frenzy has begun. Consumers are looking for deals and speedy service especially at the check-out. There are a couple of things we’d like to point out:

 

You don't want to upset customers! Do everything that you can to make it an enjoyable shopping experience!

1. We say this every year but it’s a message that retailers need to hear: Stock up on your Point of Sale supplies! Don’t wait until the last minute and have to pay for expedited shipping or worst, run out before your shipment arrives! Imagine the nightmare of running out of receipt paper while ringing up sales? Or your shipment of items arrives and you’re excited to get everything onto the sales floor but you run out of pricing labels or clothing hang tags?  You can still ring up sales but it will be much more inefficient and time consuming. Contact Us or you may contact our Preferred Supply Vendor directly.

2. Make sure your gift card program is in place before you get swamped. Gift cards are always a popular gift item. And make sure you don’t run out of those either. Contact your Merchant Service Provider to place an order.

3. Is your store ready for the new EMV credit and debit cards? Will wrote a great article explaining what EMV is and what it means to be compliant. Read it here.
For the Intuit Merchant Service/Payments customers: Intuit is extending the EMV liability shift by six months for its QuickBooks Payments customers. This means that Intuit will assume liability for the fraud until March 31, 2016 if you’re not EMV compliant. This “grace period” will allow you more time to upgrade your desktop software and purchase new card swipes/pin pads. Being a QuickBooks Payments customer, if you unknowingly accept a counterfeit EMV card using your magnetic stripe reader, Intuit will assume your liability for the fraud until March 31, 2016.  Intuit payments customers may contact us to purchase the EMV compliant Pin Pad Card Reader. If you are with another merchant provider, you need to contact them for a compliant device.

4. Maybe you’ve decided it's time to change the way you ring up sales today, or maybe you're a new retailer looking to select a system for the first time.  We’ve helped hundreds of companies select the appropriate QuickBooks software and services for their business needs. QuickBooks Point of Sale and QuickBooks Accounting software. In a recent blog article, William English outlines some key points to consider when selecting a Point of Sale (POS) system. Read it here.  It’s important to know ahead of time what to look for and what to expect when shopping around. You want to work with a trusted advisor and a reputable company.

How to select a POS system:
So you have decided it is time to change the way you ring up sales today, or maybe you are a new retailer looking to select a system for the first time.  We have helped hundreds of retailers select systems throughout the years and wanted to help point you in the right direction. Of course, we represent various systems and would be thrilled to make a sale, but at the end of the day, this is a large investment both in time and money and the system you choose has to fit your business and your budget.

The most important thing is to focus on your specific needs.  To do this, the sales consultant should ask questions about your business and your sales process.  If they want to skip to the demo without gaining an understanding of your business, be careful.  Anyone can make their software shine during a demo, but unless they understand what you truly need, you could end up disappointed in the outcome.

Examples of questions a consultant should ask you:
• Walk me thru the process of how are you ring up sale today
• Do you have orders or special orders in your business
• What do you like best about your current system
• What do you like the least (this is an important question)
• How do you want to track your inventory
• Are you selling off the web?  How do you get these orders into your current system?
• Are you using a loyalty program?

These questions are designed to help you think about your business.  Keep in mind that choosing off the shelf software is a balance between what you need, would like, can afford and what the software can do. Once you understand your needs then you can make an informed decision.

At the heart of any good POS system is inventory management, so fair amount of time should be spent on your inventory needs.  A lot of systems in the marketplace today fail to provide the inventory tracking required.  Whether you sell apparel with sizes or shoes with sizes and color and widths, make sure you understands your specific needs and if the system that you are looking at can handle it.  Of course, you may decide to choose software that is not as fully featured – just make sure you understand what you are giving up.

Next thing to consider is the POS hardware.   Whatever software under consideration will have its specific hardware requirements. Tablet and iDevice based solutions are becoming mainstream and there is a lot to be said for the clean look of those solutions.  It can present a very modern looking system that appeals to younger sales clerks who have grown up on smart phones.  But a slick look will not make up for a system that cannot process sales or track inventory the way you need.  It has been many a retailers’ experience that bad inventory information is worst that no information at all as it may cause you to overbuy or buy the wrong mix of product.

Of course, Windows machines are still the #1 choice for retail POS.  Make sure you understands the minimum requirements for the software that is being presented and ask a quote for hardware that exceeds that. Depending on your environment you may want to consider investing in Retail Grade Equipment.  This is hardware that is designed to work in a more “hostile” environment.  There is a big difference between getting hardware that will run in a woman’s high end boutique and equipment that will operate in an outdoor retail space or warehouse.  Sun, dirt, dust, and water in a retail environment will affect the system.  Ruggedized hardware is more expensive, but generally comes with better warranties and support.  If you can’t ring up sales because the system you bought at a big box retailer failed, you will be hand writing tickets and losing sales, so don’t skimp on the hardware.

Lastly, but probably the most important and over looked component is who will be implementing the software.  Are you going to do it yourself?  What experience do you have?  Does the vendor have online videos that you can view?  Even if there is lots of on line training available, consider getting a POS expert to help you implement the system.  Avoid the mindset that says you can do it yourself.  Also be careful of the general purpose IT company that thinks that since it just software, they can install and train you.  Without a deep understanding of the software you are buying, you or an inexperienced consultant will setup the system up incorrectly, miss key features of the software and make decisions that have unintended consequences.  Consider your health care provider.  Do you really want your general practitioner doing your heart surgery or someone who does the procedure all of the time?  We have done our share of cleanup’s from the do it yourselfers or consultants who don’t have a retail focus.  This is a huge decision for your business, be sure to get it done right!!

Author: English, William S., President of English Management Solutions, Inc. September 2015

Will English co-authored a QuickBooks Point of Sale (POS) Store Operations Handbook, which is a step-by-step guide with screenshot tips for QuickBooks POS. Bookkeepers, retailers, accountants and consultants find it very helpful in performing many of the daily POS tasks.

A consumer who runs a stone and landscaping yard stated that their inventory was never properly set-up in QBPOS. She had the following questions after reading through the handbook.

Client wrote:
Mr. English,
I run a stone and landscaping yard and we use the POS and QBF software. Inventory was never set up correctly and I have purchased your book in assisting me in many areas which need attention. However, I have two issues I couldn’t find discussed in the book.
1. Tax Exempt sales leaving a penny or two in the QBFS to be deposited
2. Our Inventory consist of stone and soil and we have multiple units of measure’s in which we use. I use a 5 gallon bucket as the base unit for the soils (there are 34.8 – 5 gallon buckets to a cubic yard) and pounds for all stone sales. (Two thousand pounds per ton). Would you recommend assemblies for the blends and if so what would you recommend for waste? Also, do you think POS is the software in which I should be using or recommend?

Will’s reply: First of all, thanks for buying our book and glad you have found it a help. There is a problem with using the exempt category built in to the program and for this reason, we recommend creating a Sale Tax Location for each of your exempt categories and use those. That should correct that problem.

As for the assemblies, you can do assemblies but in this case a better solution would be to do a zero dollar receiving voucher. To do that, minus (-) each of the buckets that make up a blend and then plus (+) the blend item. In this way, you can handle the waste issue and as long as the dollar value of the voucher is zero, you have properly costed the blend. If you have any more questions, call the office and we can set an appointment to step you through it.

877-467-0451 or contact Anita, our Marketing and Sales Coordinator at achilton@englishmgmt.com

Will English was invited to the Cultivate conference again! This is a U.S. premier convention and marketplace where those who work in horticulture, those interested in a career in horticulture, looking to buy horticultural products or services for their business, and business owners looking to sell to horticulture companies connect in one place for education and networking.

With Will being an exhibitor, it allows us to represent the QuickBooks (QB) product and our support services to potential and existing QB customers. At our booth, we were excited to raffle off copies of the QuickBooks Point of Sale and QuickBooks Financial Pro desktop software. Many conference attendees spoke with Will about the products, our services, and they entered to win with great expectancy. We appreciate everyone who stopped by and look forward to assisting them!

From the Cultivate website “At Cultivate'15, you'll find educational sessions to give you the tools and strategies you need to tackle your challenges triumphantly. You'll find the latest innovations and technologies to keep you competitive and your skills razor sharp. You'll find your cohorts, colleagues, and business partners from across the industry and within the supply chain, ready to get to work, strategize resources, and create win-win situations so that the industry as a whole can come out ahead... At Cultivate, we offer more than 120 sessions full of innovative ideas and easy-to-implement solutions guaranteed to help you stay competitive. From classroom sessions to hands-on learning, idea exchanges to rapid-fire Q&A, we enable you to learn in the ways that suit you best.

For more information on the education program visit Cultivate: Knowledge or one of the segment-specific pages listed under the "I am a..." section on the right side of the page.” Read more http://cultivate15.org/

Contact Us if you are looking to implement a POS and Accounting software system or if you already have one in place but need assistance!

Certified QuickBooks ProAdvisor’s have expertise in accounting and bookkeeping services for small-to-medium sized businesses. Another one of our team members, Sofia Avendano, is now a certified consultant who has been tested and certified by Intuit to help businesses learn and use QuickBooks Financial desktop software.

Sofia has been on staff at EM$ since 2009 as a Bookkeeper. She uses the QuickBooks (QB) software on a daily basis to perform her work tasks, and she manages a lot of client’s books. As we know, there will occasionally be issues with any system. Nothing is perfect. Plus we have to factor in human error. Sofia found herself working with Will English and the Intuit support department to assist clients with their QB issues, so it was a natural progression to gain her certification. We can now assist more clients in less time.

It is our mission to empower small business owners with the financial information they need to be successful. We use QuickBooks Point of Sale (POS) and QuickBooks Financial software to help accomplish our mission. We provide software support and training to companies nationwide by meeting with our client’s onsite or remotely. We use QuickBooks as a tool to teach them business processes, internal controls and proper cash flow management.

As you know, Will is a member of a QuickBooks forum where member’s posts issues and questions. The colleagues provide information and solutions to help the consultant properly support their client. They explore and share ideas and advice.

Question from a colleague to the group: Client has spun off another wholesale company and would like to keep it completely separate from their existing retail store. Are there any problems with creating another company file in POS and having it synchronize with another QB Financial database?

Colleague: QuickBooks Point of Sale (POS) works a little differently than QuickBooks Financial Desktop (QBF). The POS database cannot be renamed like the Desktop *.qbw files. They are all called qbpos.db so the way they are differentiated is that each database is created and put into folders using your Company Name using the default installation directory. So the [company one] folder will contain its qbpos.db file and [company two] folder will contain its qbpos.db file. You can switch back and forth within the software.

Will's reply: The other thing to consider is whether you have more than one workstation connecting to the POS file. If you do, all of the workstations need to be in the same file. For example, if I have 2 workstations, POS will not let me change to the other company unless all of the workstations are logged out and then once I change companies, the client workstations will have to scan the network and reconnect, therefore I really don't recommend it in a multi-user setting. What we can help with is to keep the wholesale inventory in QBF and have them manage it there, unless there is a walk up retail component to that business.

QuickBooks Financial V2015 and QuickBooks Enterprise Solutions V2015 have been released. Contact us to learn more about the improvements and new features. You can try out the software for 30 days at no charge! We will be happy to provide a product demonstration to explain many of the features and the user interface to help you determine the right solution for your needs.