5 Tech Tools for QuickBooks Users

These tech tools can really simplify the daily life of your business:

1. Mozy Online Backup - this tech tool will help you avoid becoming a statistic. What statistic is that you ask? The one that tracks how many businesses have suffered a loss of critical data (including the all-important QuickBooks company file) because their data backup plans were either non-existent or significantly flawed.
   
   In fact, at a workshop I presented last week, one of the participants was rather depressed because she was the victim of this very problem. Their server had crashed and they had no usable backup. Those are days you just want to crawl in a closet and hide.
   
   Mozy Online Backup can help you avoid this problem by automating your backup process AND getting your data stored securely offsite. I use it in my business - for less than $99 a year, I have a 10 gigabyte secure data vault to protect my critical digital files. What's your backup plan?


2. SmartVault - how many times have you said it would be nice to attach the customers' purchase order to their invoice in QuickBooks? Or attach photos and drawings to a customer estimate in QuickBooks? SmartVault can make this happen - easily.
   
   SmartVault is add-on software for QuickBooks that allows you to quickly attach any type of digital file to a transaction (think invoice, estimate or vendor bill), list entry (think customer), or employee record (think W-4 and other employment paperwork).
   
   You simply scan in the documents directly to the appropriate area within QuickBooks or use the centralized inbox for scanning and attaching later. In addition, all of your documents are accessible via the internet at any time. Pricing plans for SmartVault start at $19 per month, and this link can save you 10% off your monthly charges.


3. GoToMyPC - Unfortunately, I have seen it too many times. A business owner or their bookkeeper makes a copy of their QuickBooks data file to take home. They work on it at home, but forget to bring it back to the office. Then work continues in the QuickBooks file at the office and now the files are completely out of whack, as there is no way to synchronize the QuickBooks data at that point. GoToMyPC helps a business avoid this disaster.
   
   It is a tool that allows you to connect to your office computer from ANY other computer that has an internet connection. The set up is just a couple of minutes - once that is done, you have total access to each and every program, document, e-mail or other file on your office computer, even though you may be hundreds of miles away (or just around the corner at home). In this scenario, you don't have to have QuickBooks installed on the computer you are sitting at nor transfer any data files. Everything you do is happening on the desktop of your office computer, just as though you were sitting right in front of it.
   
   There is absolutely no need to have an IT department to get going with GoToMyPC. They offer a monthly subscription fee and also provide a discount if you purchase multiple months of service at a time. Use this link to get a free test drive of GoToMyPC.


4. Results CRM (Customer Relationship Management) - my guess is that your business would love to have more than the two contact fields provided in QuickBooks to track customer and prospect information. I would also guess that your business would like the ability to have some easy-to-use tools to do some targeted marketing beyond the ability to just print labels in QuickBooks.
   
   If your business has been looking for ways to enhance their CRM capabilities while not busting the budget, you'll want to take a closer look at the Results CRM add-on for QuickBooks. Since it is an add-on, you still keep your core QuickBooks accounting system in place. In addition, you then take your customer relationships and marketing activities to an entirely new level using the Results CRM tools and the data syncs seamlessly between the two programs.
   
   Results CRM also has some advanced functionality relating to contact management, scheduling and calendar management, and product and pricing management.
   
   This link provides you with a direct contact to Results CRM so you can get a first hand look at the software.


5. Xpanded Reports for QuickBooks - as I have mentioned in earlier posts, the reporting features within QuickBooks are getting old and tired. They are in need of an overhaul.
   
   If your business has been looking for ways to generate reports directly out of QuickBooks without having to be an Excel whiz, Xpanded Reports may be just what you need.
   
   Built using the familiar QuickBooks interface, Xpanded Reports can unlock your QuickBooks data in ways that the built-in QuickBooks reports can't. They provide a free 30 day trial and free e-mail support for the product as well.

I hope you find these tech tools a great addition to your office and QuickBooks.

Have a tool that you can't live without? Please post a comment below so everyone can benefit!

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Need help with QuickBooks?

Scott Gregory is a specialist with QuickBooks Pro, Premier, and Enterprise accounting software. Connect with Scott @ Bottom Line Accounting Solutions today.