|
Frequently Asked Questions |
Here we try to provide the
answers to many initial questions you may have as well as the important benefits to using
Simple Accounting. |
| Table Of Contents |
General Stuff | Data Import/Export | Forms Management |
| Getting Started | Forms & Reports | Security | |
| Technical Stuff | Accounting | What's Next? | |
| Remote Access | Order Entry & Billing | Year 2000? |
Our customers range from those selling primarily custom forms, to commercial printing brokers, franchisers, office products companies and those providing strictly fulfillment services.You need SAFE if you require:
A system that will grow with you to include:
Bar coding
Faxing
E-mail of transactions such purchase orders and requisitions
Remote access for your salespeople and customers
Real time e-commerce
As far as SAFE goes, size does not matter! Now SAFE may not fit your business, either because you don't require our features (usually because you are quite small), or at the other extreme, because you are simply too humungous for any stock program (in which case you probably aren't reading this anyway.)
But if you process orders the way most distributors do or will do in the future, SAFE is a great fit regardless of size. This is because SAFE was specifically over-engineered to be able to process large large amounts of transactions quickly and accurately, with disaster recovery.
For example, the standard database engine included with SAFE works very well for businesses processing up to 2,500 orders per month. For larger operations, using our optional SQL Server database engine SAFE can easily handle 20,000 orders per month!
How does your Evaluation Kit differ from the live
version?
It doesn't! The evaluation software is the full package, with complete
documentation. However, a software lock prevents users from adding more than 200 records
to any data file. This means you can enter 200 customers, 200 vendors, 200 forms, and
generate 200 invoices. After that point, the system will not lock up, however you will
be prevented from entering new records. You can still run all your reports, and use other
features of the system. We have found that the 200 record limit is generally adequate for
evaluation purposes.
What's the best way to test the Evaluation Kit?
We suggest that you set up SAFE by entering some of your existing orders and run it
parallel with your current system. This is the best way to evaluate the system and get a
feel for how it fits your business needs.
Why does Simple Accounting cost so much less than competing
packages?
Well, let's turn that around: Why are other packages so expensive? The plain fact is, we
don't have to charge tens of thousands of dollars to make a decent profit. We're
professional software designers. We know how to generate professional code at a reasonable
cost. We don't set prices just to maintain parity with our competitors (much to their
chagrin). Distributors have told us over and over that most other systems are just plain
overkill, only making their life more complicated. From our point of view we haven't
skimped with SAFE at all; we've simply given you what you really need.
Also, we're just plain frugal. We don't put money into a lot of flashy things, other than software development and knowledgeable customer support. For example:
What we do is simply put out a good product at a fair price, let you try it before you buy it, support it with qualified people , and hope that our customers will say enough good things about us in order to garner more business. It's worked for thirteen years so we must be doing something right!
So what's missing compared with more expensive packages?
Features which are usually important to only the largest distributors. And the
great news is that this list is shrinking all the time! For example:
Is the software really integrated?
Yes! yes! yes! Once you type in an RFQ or a sales order, there is minimal re-keying. You
can convert an RFQ into a customer quote one keystroke. You can convert that quote into a
sales order with one keystroke. You can convert the sales order to a Purchase Order with
one keystroke. You can invoice the sales order with one keystroke. When you post the
invoice to sales history, the A/P entries are automatically made for you for all expenses
(including art work and freight.)
What is the total cost of Simple
Accounting software?
Current price is $5,995.00 for multi-user. Web Extensions are an additional $5,995.00.
For complete pricing information, including information on leasing, click here.
How do I know you guys are going to be around next year? The
industry is changing so fast!
A: We have been in business since 1985 and have been selling
Simple Accounting since 1987. Unlike some of our competitors, we are programmers
and business analysts first and foremost. We design professional software for
several different vertical markets so we are not strictly tied to the fortunes of one
industry.
Our Forms Distributor software has been in use since 1988 and our Windows software has been out since 1995. Our current user base (as of January 2007) numbers well over 12,000, of which over 330 are forms distributors. And each year our business has grown by at least 15%. So we're not going anywhere. Check out Company History for more information about us.
You use the term Query quite a bit in your literature?
A query is a question. Most accounting programs limit you to a fixed list of reporting
options; in essence limiting the types of business questions you can ask. What a waste of
valuable information! With these programs you must export your data to a spreadsheet, or
master a complex report writer in order to get the answers you want.SIMPLE ACCOUNTING has
a better system that allows you to create and save your own custom queries when running
reports. Every time you print you can select from a wide variety of options to easily
customize your report, including the order in which data is presented, and the types of
records to be printed. Here are some examples:
How long will it take me to get this system up and running?
Is on site training available?
Yes. About 50% of our customers opt to have a trainer visit their site, or come to
beautiful Seattle for a two day training session. We don't recommend (or require it) for
all customers, because frankly many of you can get started quite well on your own,
thank you! (It is called Simple Accounting, after all!).
Interestingly, about 40% of our training sessions are for customers who have been using the software for at least six months. They get started with the basics on their own just fine, but then reach a point where they want to learn more about SAFE's advanced features. This is the kind of training we specialize in; helping you to tap into the full power of Simple Accounting.
To get complete details on our training services, go to our Training Services page.
What about technical support?
One of our primary goals is to avoid technical support calls if at all possible.
Because many, if not most, support calls shouldn't happen in the first place. Either the
program is too hard to use, does not function properly, or is not documented accurately.
So we take a pro-active approach by making our documentation complete and our programs
very reliable.
That said, when you need help, you need help. So our people know what they are talking about and are eager to assist. After all, the forms business is complicated and you aren't being paid to be a computer expert.
Check out Technical Support page for complete information on all our support options, including our RSS subscription. $599.00 per 12 hours. This includes software updates 4x's annually.
What kind of hardware do you recommend?
On networks, you may install Simple Accounting on most any network server, including Novell Netware® and Windows Server®.
How much disk space is required?
Simple Accounting only requires about 10 MB of disk space to install and. You can
generally estimate the data storage requirements based on the number of orders you process
per month with each order requiring approximately 10k bytes of disk space. So if you
process 1,000 orders per month, count on using 10 MB of disk space every month.
Will networking be difficult?
No! No! No! First of all, Simple Accounting is compatible with all
major network operating systems, including Novell Netware® and Microsoft Windows Server®.
You may also use Windows XP Professional's built-in file sharing. We will not support this for connecting more than three computers in this manner and you must ensure that whichever machine is acting as 'server' has sufficient memory to act as a database server---the minimum for this machine should be 1GB RAM.
Also, our multi-user licensing scheme provides for unlimited users per single server.
Finally, there is no complicated conversion from single-user to multi-user operation. Just copy your Simple Accounting directory onto your server, type in a single access code to activate the multi-user features, and you're ready to go.
What types of printers are recommended to use with your
program (lasers/impact)
It does not matter. Any Windows supported printers are OK.
We've heard a lot about the Year 2000. Is that a problem for Simple
Accounting?
No! Simple Accounting was developed by the same programmers who created one of the largest
life insurance billing systems in the world. Since the insurance business requires dealing
with dates far into the future, our designers were well aware of the problem right from
the beginning. Every copy of Simple Accounting has been Year 2000 ready since
1987.
View Suntower Systems' official Year 2000 Statement Now.
Can I copy the program to other computers in my office (or to
my home computer?)
No. Our license gives you permission to run the program on one machine (your office
server) at a time. If you wish to have the program physically installed on more than one
machine you must purchase a separate copy of the software for each additional system. Each
additional machine license is $495.00 per user.
In what language is SIMPLE ACCOUNTING written?
ANSI C++ and
and Clarion for Windows® from Soft
Velocity Corp. These are the fastest executing languages available, which means your Simple
Accounting software runs as fast as possible on all machines.
Is source code available?
No. This policy is for your protection as well as ours! We write professional code. SAFE
could not be easily maintained or modified by third parties without lots of costly
specialized training. Past experience has taught us that the risks and costs in
third-party modifications are not worth the potential problems for all parties concerned.
However, it is reasonable to expect that you are protected in the event that Suntower
Systems can no longer maintain the software. In the event that Suntower Systems were
to become insolvent, the source code to SAFE is kept in escrow at the law offices of
Miller, Canfield, Paddock and Stone in Detroit, MI.
What if I absolutely need changes?
Most requested modifications are actually custom reports, or a different data entry
screen, which we can provide at a very small fee without changing the program. Also, we
update the program four times yearly with new ideas from our customers, so many customer
requests are satisfied at no charge with only a few months wait. If you do have a special
requirement, please call for a formal quotation. Our work is guaranteed to meet your
satisfaction.
Is there any provision for remote access
Yes! We are currently shipping three ways to offer customers and salespeople remote access:
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First is ThinSAFE™. ThinSAFE is SAFE run automatically over the
Internet. You can have up to fifty remoteusers as you like
accessing SAFE on their PCs. The process is fast,
and secure, and provides a practical solution for a number of business needs such as:
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Second is Ollie!, a smaller version of WebSAFE,
geared strictly for your end-users. Ollie makes it simple for your customers to order and
release your products over the Internet.
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Last but not least, is Remote Office Extensions™ which lets users of SAFE at branch offices automatically synchronize their work with your main office on a daily basis. This allows remote offices, and home users who do not need real-time access to stay connected. It also provides even more security since remote machines can only manage their own data; not orders and inventory information which did not originate at their site. Very useful for larger customers and remote offices (such as semi-independent franchisees!) |
Can you convert my existing data into Simple Accounting?
We can convert your main data files (customers, contacts, vendors, products, chart of
accounts) from most competing packages as well as most popular general-purpose accounting
programs. In many cases, we can also convert order history from other forms industry
packages. This service is billed based on the amount of data to be converted and there is
$200.00 minimum charge. See our Data Conversion page for
details.
In many cases we can also convert transaction history. For more details, seeThe logic and structure of G/L transactions, sales invoices, etc., differ too greatly from one program to another. We would need to have an intimate knowledge of our competitors code and data structures; something they are not generally inclined to provide.
What about accessing our data from other programs?
We can provide you with an ODBC driver for our data that
will allow you to access Simple Accounting files from most popular spreadsheets, word
processors and database programs, such as Lotus Approach® and Microsoft Access®. Many of
our customers use this technique.
Note: Accessing Simple Accounting data from an external
source is done completely at your own risk. We cannot provide support for external
applications. We also must warn you that any alteration of Simple Accounting data by an
external program can have dire consequences for the proper functioning of SAFE.
I understand that your program has a contact management
program, but our company has standardized on a dedicated package (Act/Goldmine/Outlook et
al.) Does your program link to any of these, eliminating the need to rekey or have
duplicate types of customer records?
Our Contact Manager is nowhere near as sophisticated as these, but it ain't half bad! It
has very strong links between customers/contacts/sales history/requests for quotes and
forms management which is very important for many of our customers, so we suggest you give
it a fair shot on that basis alone! On the other hand, it is easy to export data using our
optional ODBC driver. We can also offer an optional custom import program if you so
desire. Although you can use the ODBC driver to import data with most any
database programs, we discourage ad hoc imports, since SAFE data files have so many
interconnections and doing so may have all kinds of unpleasant consequences!
How do we go about getting forms customized for us?
Send us specimens of the forms you would like to use (Purchase Orders, Invoices,
Statements, Checks, Forms Management Reports, etc.), copies of your proposed art boards,
or allow us to suggest some standard layouts. Every data field stored with each order can
be displayed on invoices, packing slips, quotes, etc... We set up your forms by creating a
file with the data, its type, and its print positions. With this approach we can tailor
the system to fit almost any forms.
To get complete details on customized forms, go to our Forms Design Service page.
Can I write my own reports?
Yes. You can purchase the Clarion Report Writer® from Soft Velocity Corp. This program uses Wizards to
walk you through the process of creating your own reports accessing Simple Accounting
data. Reports can be password protected for privacy. The Clarion Report Writer is great
for those ad hoc reports that we all need from time to time. To give you an idea of what
you can do: most Simple Accounting standard reports and forms are prototyped on Report
Writer.
However: to create complex reports, involving many different tables such as sales history summaries and such, it is probably best to have us provide you with a custom report, since complex reports require a fairly strong knowledge of our data file structures. We're not trying to discourage anyone from trying (some of our customers have created quite elaborate reports, in fact!).
When reviewing a form spec, how many orders (if any) are
displayed at a time?
You can review all prior orders for any product in reverse chronological order (most
recent order first) at any time.
Will system generate carton labels? If so, may they include
graphics (client logos and bar codes for item numbers and quantities)
Yes. We can custom design labels to your taste.
Is your system ‘real-time’ accounting?
Yes! Our system uses a modified real time method for over 95% of data. All sales orders,
inventory and A/P and check books are updated instantly. Only customer payments are batch
posted (to reflect a single bank deposit for a batch of checks.) This procedure takes
about one minute for fifty invoices on a Pentium 133 computer.
Your brochure says that you support sales tax systems
for all 50 states. Will it handle changes between areas within the same state?
Yes! We make it easy to set up an unlimited number of taxes per jurisdiction you sell
into. Then, at the end of the month, we make it Simple to print one report that provides
you a total and detail for Unlimited # of sales taxes can be assigned to a sales order.
And our 'Sales Tax Entity Report' groups all taxes together on one easy to read report. No
other program comes close if you are sell in states like Texas, Louisiana,etc.
How is value of inventory reported? Is it by the actual
price/cost of each order being inventoried. How many orders can be inventoried and
reported on. How many different units of measure can be captured and reported (pick and
pack and multiple box and or carton quantities)
LIFO, FIFO, Average. Unlimited number of orders can be inventoried and reported on.
Unlimited number of U/M---user definable.
Can you merge the G/L of multiple companies?
Yes, with our optional Consolidator SAFExtension. We
support multiple offices or departments within the same company which can be consolidated
on a single sheet. We support multiple independent companies, but there is no
consolidation. You can easily export financial reports (and all reports) to a spreadsheet
(such as Microsoft Excel) in order to do this.
Do you support true cash
as well as accrual based accounting?
Yes!
I need to be able to look up orders fast!
We understand that you need to find things fast; the whole point of the software is to
save time! We allow you to search sales history for any customer order instantly by either
invoice number, job number, purchase order number, product code, or customer name.
Searches can locate partial matches (if you only remember the first few numbers of a P.O.
for example.)
Do you support summary billing?
We have several large accounts that only pay bills once a month and
prefer to pay from a single invoice.
Yes. Since Simple Accounting is a real-time program, you should invoice customers
for every sale, even if they aren't going to see the bill right away. This keeps sales
data up to date. However, for summary bills you have the capability to print a special
summary bill for the customer which includes sales detail for each invoice within a range
of dates and also allows you to include special processing/handle charges for providing
this service.
We often need to enter and pay for products before
the customer is invoiced. Can we do this?
Yes! Every A/P transaction can be linked to a sales order. So you can make A/P entries
before or after you enter a sales order and the costs for the job will be
automatically applied to the proper sales order. You can also enter additional costs on a
job at any time after the customer is billed. And, any costs you enter before the job is
billed or after, automatically update the correct G/L periods---no need to worry
about skewed financials because the costs went into one month and the sales into another!
With Simple Accounting, your profitability reports and G/L are always correct!
Does a quote turn into a proposal, then a sales order, then a
P.O.?
Yes! SAFE is completely integrated. Start with a request for quote, then automatically
convert that to a sales order. Then press one button to bill your customer and update the
general ledger, accounts payable, accounts receivable, forms management, and inventory.
How far back may we view order history?
There is no limit to the amount of sales history you can keep on-line, provided you have
available disk space. See the question in the Technical section for how specifics on disk
space is requirements.
Is there an easy way to manage open orders? (such as a queue
showing which orders to follow up on each day based on the scheduled ship date)
Yes! SAFE has a feature called 'Business Reminders' which displays all orders scheduled to
ship today. This can automatically run each time you start SAFE. Business Reminders can
also tell you which A/P checks are due and which items are to reorder, and which contact
manager to-dos you have automatically.
Does SAFE allow for customer budgets to be entered for forms
management?
Yes. And if you like, SAFE will alert you to reorder when usage approaches the budgeted
amount.
Is there cost center reporting? If so, how many digits are we allowed for both cost center and location
I.D.'s.
Every ship to is considered a 'cost center'. Each ship to can be assigned an eight digit
ID (such as for a bank branch). Additionally, there is also an eight digit Location ID
field to indicate the storage location of the product within each customer site.
How is inventory controlled in your system?
All items to be sold, including custom forms, stock forms, ad specialties, and services,
are stored in a central products and services data file. Each 'form' is defined by a
number of attributes: Is it a product or a service? Stock or custom? Warehoused item? What
type of product is it? Is it strictly used by a single customer? Location? And so forth.
You can attach a printer specification to the item which is printed along with purchase
orders and RFQs to the vendor.
Does that mean I need to enter a separate form for every item
I sell?
No! Enter a separate form for every type of product that needs to be tracked individually.
This means forms where you want to track inventory, and forms management items, to track
usage. Most of our customers enter only a handful of generic forms for their custom work.
For example, they keep a form on file called 'THREE PART INVOICE' and another called
'CONTINUOUS TWO PART CHECK'. Items on every order can then be altered with a few
keystrokes to adjust vendor, quantity, cost, pricing, and customer notes. This saves
typing, and maintains an overall sales history by type of item without forcing you to key
in a new form for each order.
How is Forms Management
implemented?
Simple. Run count sheets for forms sorted by the employee assigned to each customer, then
take counts. Enter the counts and post along with the rest of the day's business. During
posting, the program updates average usage by month, quarter, and year for each form, so
you can run an analysis at any time and get up to the day results.
A big advantage of SAFE is that counts may be taken at any time. There are no cut-off dates, or special periods into which counts must be entered. However, the more often, and the more regular you are about taking counts, the more accurate your average usage figures will be. A complete log is kept of each form's activity: sales, releases, and counts.
We manage forms for several large customer with several
locations. Can SAFE handle this?
Yes! SAFE lets you set up what we call corporations. Each corporation may be
assigned as many customers as are needed. Billing can be done independently for
each customer, but Forms Management can be implemented for the entire corporation.
So for example, you might have a corporation called 'Acme Sporting Goods' with ten locations. Each location can be billed separately for their orders, but inventory control, reorder notices and usage analysis can be tracked by product for all locations together as a single entity. This saves the customer money, improves product availability, and leads to more profits for you!
Also, within each customer, you can assign an unlimited number of Ship To locations and track usage and sales information for each Ship To for each customer or get a global view of usage by product for each form across all Ship Tos and customers within the corporation.
Does your program offer thumbnails of form images as part of
your product catalog.
It can. You can link any graphic to a product. If you create GIF or JPEGs of your
products, you can right click on them and view the product thumbnail.
Is my data secure?
Yes! SAFE can utilize several industrial strength databases, including Microsoft
SQL Server 2005®. All of these offer powerful data
rollback and recovery features.
Speaking of security...
Some of you don't want to be bothered with passwords, while others need comprehensive
protection of your information. So Simple Accounting offers a variety of security
functions to handle a wide range of applications which we call Simple Accounting
Security Extensions™
(SASE for short.)
Simple Accounting comes standard with the ability to either:
But for comprehensive access control, use
SASE to configure custom menus for each user. Each user can be
granted or denied access to every part of Simple Accounting on a menu by menu basis.
Denied menus and windows are not just disabled (or 'grayed out', they are totally hidden
so that the user is not even aware that they exist.
Further, SASE allows you to apply advanced data
encryption to Simple Accounting files at the server so that information is
unreadable to anyone without explicit permission.
And best of all? SASE is included at no extra charge in SAFE!
Glad you asked! We're not prone to discussing 'vaporware', but we do know which features are coming with the next minor update. So click here for all the details: What's Next For SAFE!
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