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November 2006

This edition of our newsletter is the first of a new more serious format where we will be providing more content that is current, relevant and informative to our Clients.

AM-Win Tips has been renamed AM-Win Support Solutions.  The information published will provide solutions to questions asked by AM-Win users of our National Support Team during the month prior to publication. This will ensure that the information provided is current and relevant to user issues. The published information will now be archived in our library for those users with SUAs and Support Contracts.

Business Tips has been renamed to Business Information and will now contain hard information relevant to AM-Win clients. For example in this edition we  have published information to make all readers aware of the new legislation that hopefully will make life a little easier for small business owners and provide tax cuts to small business of $150 million, according to the government.

Client Survey

Thanks to those who participated in our first survey.  Although the total number of votes was disappointing there was enough information to get a good idea of who's using what with 59% of respondents use outlook express and 27% use outlook. The balance use other mail programs. We will adjust our Windows Tips accordingly based on the results.

This month's survey is about broadband. We would like to know how many of our users have access to broadband so that we can determine whether or not to include multi media content on our web site. Please take part in the survey so that we get a good idea of your needs. 

Reminder - New National Support Phone Number

The following is a repeat of a national e-mail broadcast sent out to clients in early October regarding the change to the National Hotline Support Number. If you are a National Support Client please update your records if you haven't done so..

The new number for National Support is 07 3114 2799. 

South Australia's Profix Franchise chooses AM-Win

South Australia's largest automotive repair franchise,  Profix, has selected AM-Win to manage the day to day operations in it's 12 stores. Pictured [left] are Ray  Newman Director of Profix [left] and AM-Win South Australian distributor Geoff Pike. Geoff Reports  In December 2005 discussions started the possible purchase of AMWIN by the PROFIX Group.   The group is a franchise operation with 15 service centres in South Australia.  These centres are located at Adelaide , Blair Athol, Christies Beach, Elizabeth , Flinders Park , Glenelg, Hilton , Kent Town, Klemzig, Modbury, Mount Barker , Norwood , Pooraka, Port Adelaide, and still growing.   One of the directors, Mr Ray Newman, tested our software for several weeks, before a decision was made to change to AMWIN.

The old software system had been custom made for the group, but was now out-dated.  The advantages that changing to AMWIN offer include; a wide range of necessary functions, simple use, general ledger included, windows based system, good marketing functions (eg. Service Reminder  Letters) and ease of connectivity to Head Office.  

The franchisees will use either AMWIN LITE or AMWIN LEVEL 2.  Following the extensive trials AMWIN has now been installed at the Adelaide , Glenelg, Hilton, and Mount Barker service centres.  The remainder of the roll-out should take place before the end of the financial year.  

Early indications are that the franchisees now running AMWIN are making excellent progress with their systems and finding that AMWIN has much to offer their business. 

AM-Win Tips

Bank Reconciliation Version 7.5

When you first open the bank reconciliation screen, you have 2 main menu options. Bank Maintenance and Bank Reconciliation. Bank Maintenance allows you to set-up the bank account details including the BSB and account numbers as well as the bank reconciliation start date which is required by the system before you start reconciling the data. The start date requires a month and year in the format of mm/yyyy or 07/2005 as an example. The system then reconciles your bank account from that date onwards. 

Bank Maintenance.

The Bank Maintenance menu option allows you to create or modify your bank account details. The bank account number, ledger code the account is linked to and name of the account as well as the BSB No is recorded here. You also need in this area to select a “Start Period” for the bank Reconciliation to start from. This start period reflects the first day of the month that is selected and is used by the system to pickup the opening bank balance from the nominated period for reconciliation. You can wish to change this date several months later if the bank rec slows down due to the large number of records being process. However, this should not be an issue. 

Bank Reconciliation.

When entering the Bank Reconciliation screen from the Bank menu you must first elect the bank account to be reconciled at the top left of the screen. 

When the bank account is selected, the un-reconciled records appear on the left of the screen and the reconciled records between the From and Until dates appear on the right hand side of the screen. To start a new bank rec process, you can enter the Page No / reference at the top left of the screen. This is either a bank statement page number or internet reference. You can leave it blank if you wish. You should then select the From and Until dates that you wish to reconcile the account between. This will be from the first day of the bank statement or internet record until the last date on the statement. The system defaults to yesterdays date for those who reconcile daily from the internet but can be changed back to any date after the Start Period. You then need to select the Presented date which signifies the date that a entry on the bank rec was presented on. You will need to change this date every time the presented date on your bank statement changes. For example you may have several entries presented on the 1st of the month. Leave the presented date on the first and then change it to the 2nd prior to presenting the records dated the 2nd on the statement. 

Once the appropriate dates have been set, you can then begin reconciling the bank account. The debit (cheques) shown in Red and credits (deposits) shown in Blue are totalled below each column. Under that is the un-reconciled total which is the Credits less the debits which are currently un-reconciled. 

The AMWIN Balance at the Until date is equal to the bank account balance in you AM-Win ledger up until the until date which is selected. This value will change if you change the Until date and records exist dated later than the until date. If the until date is changed then the records in the un-reconciled list on the left will also change to only show records date on or before the Until date. 

The opening balance on the top right of the reconciled list (right side of the screen) is based on the opening balance of the ledger account as at the start period, adjust to allow for transactions that have been reconciled up until the From date which has been selected. If you change the from date, this balance will be changed and the reconciled list will only show records that are between the From and Until dates in the reconciled list. 

Now you understand how the system works (or will soon anyway) you can start reconciling the accounts. To present the record you can either use the mouse to drag and drop the record onto the right hand side of the screen or you can highlight the record and press the enter key to present it. Once presented the record moves to the right side of the screen in the reconciled list. The record should appear in the same order as on your bank statement and the balance should match the statement balance. The reconciliation process is live and immediate without needing to tag and process a batch of records. 

If you make a mistake you can un-present the record by selecting it in the reconciled list and either dragging in back to the un-reconciled list or pressing the enter key to un-present it. If you find that the order of the records in the reconciled list does not match the statement then you can use the ctrl-up and ctrl-down keys to move the record up and down in the list. However, you cannot move the record outside the date range the record was presented at. For example, if a record was presented on the 2nd of the month you cannot move it before a record on the 1st or after a record on the 3rd. To change the presented date you must first un-present the record, change the presented date at the top of the screen and then present the record again. 

Auto Reconcile Button.

The auto reconcile button allows you to automatically reconcile your account using a file downloaded from your online banking service. Download the file from your banks website and save it to your computer. You then click on the Auto Reconcile button and find the required file. Once the file is found, you can then select it and the bank reconciliation program will automatically reconcile your account based on the downloaded file. Any records that the system cannot locate will be reported on as will any errors that are found so that you can manually reconcile or adjust the bank reconciliation as required. 

Unrec Trans Button.

The un-reconciled Transaction button will display the transactions associated with the un-reconciled bank record. This includes the source, ledger codes, description, reference/chq no, amount and the customer/supplier code as well as the date of the transaction and the transaction number. 

Report Button.  

The report button provides an option to print 2 different reports. When the report button is pressed you then get the option to print either a un-reconciled or a reconciled report. The un-reconciled report prints a list of un-reconciled records and totals the debit and credit columns. The reconciled report prints the reconciled entries within a selected date range. 

Rec Trans Button.

The reconciled Transaction button will display the transactions associated with the reconciled bank record. This includes the source, ledger codes, description, reference/chq no, amount and the customer/supplier code as well as the date of the transaction and the transaction number. 

History Button.

The history button shows all reconciled records either in Presented date, transaction date, Reference or Amount order. The bank date tab allows you to view the balance of the account after each transaction. You can view the Transaction date entries within a date range, Search for a cheque number or reference in the Tran ref tab and also search for a dollar amount in the Amount tab. You must put a negative (-) in front of the amount to find a debit entry. 

Insert Button.

The insert button calls the cheque entry screen and allows you to process an entry on the fly for items such as bank charges. These entries are automatically made presented on the date used in the entry. A negative cheque entry can be done for credit entries. 

Change Button.

The change button allows you to change the Presented date, Reference, Description, Drawer and page/reference details. You are not able to change the transaction date or value of a record here. 

Windows Tips

Is someone constantly sending you huge attachments that clog up your mail box.  Have you subscribed to a site that sends you reams of unwanted e-mail and ignores you when you want to unsubscribe or are do you keep getting spam from the same e-mail address. 

You don't have to put up with this if you use either outlook or outlook express. Just use the "block sender" function. Here's how:

Open the e-mail [make sure that it doesn't contain a virus first - your virus scanner will let you know if it does]

Now open the message menu at top and select block sender

Now every message received from this sender will automatically be sent directly to your deleted folder as soon as it arrives

If you know the web address don't open it using a search engine 

Had a couple of interesting encounters with this one while out in the field over the last couple of weeks.

Here's what happens

One user had his home page set to Google search and the other one to MSN.  When they needed to open a web site they typed the www address in the search box and waited for the search engine to find the address for them.  They then clicked on the search result and were taken to the web site in question. 

OK - what's wrong with that - the search engine generally finds what they want so who cares

True but what a waste of time. Set your home page to your own site or a site that's relavent to you and when you want to go to a particular website type it into the address bar in your browser.

There are two advantages to doing this

The first is that instead of two steps there is only one

The second is that your browser will remember that you have typed the address and will keep the address in it's memory so that when you type it again it will pop up the address for you so that you don't have to type it all again.

But here's the main reason.

Let's say that for some reason the site is NOT yet listed in the search engines for whatever reason [it's a new site, the site is out of date with the search engines etc] . When you use a search engine to open the address the search engine won't find it. The only way to find it is by typing the actual address. So why not type in the address in the address bar first up and be done with it.

Let's get you away from the home page that came with your computer and open something more relevant to your needs. Let's look at setting a web site to be your home page ie the page that opens when first opening your web browser [Internet Explorer only]

Click on tools at the top of your browser and then click on options

You'll see the following when you click on options

Now if you want the web page that is opened [in this case AM-Win] click "use current" or if you want another page type in the address in full.

Save the change and when next you open explorer it will open immediately to the page that you have set as your home page.

Tip in a tip
There's a little house icon at the top of Windows Explorer  This is the home page icon. If you're off browsing the web and you want to go back to your home page simply click the icon and your there.

Business Tips

Empowering Employees: Bringing Out the Magic in Your Staff

"Empowerment" is one of the hottest buzzwords in business these days. You hear the term everywhere. Virtually any business leader would agree that empowerment is a good thing, but when you get right down to it, what does empowerment really mean? And more importantly, how does a leader or manager actually empower people on a day-to-day basis?

Here are a few traits of empowering leaders. Display these qualities and help the employees in your small business become more effective, productive and, ultimately, empowered:

• Encourage ideas. While your leadership role might involve the exercise of authority, remember this: Authority has its limits. When you create an environment that celebrates new ideas, you stimulate innovation and high performance. How can you make this happen? Draw out the hidden thoughts of your people. Ask for help. Ask for suggestions.
• Get out of the way. Often, employees find themselves stuck in a morass of paperwork, bureaucracy or rules that inhibit them from doing their best work. Good employees bring expertise and wisdom to the table. Help them use those gifts by removing procedural trappings that prevent sound action.
• Enlist opinions. One of the most common complaints among employees is not being listened to. When you're planning a new course of action––something as significant as a new product line or as seemingly trivial as a rearrangement of the office layout––ask what your people think. The more they feel they have a say in the decision, the more they'll feel a sense of ownership about it. And ultimately, they'll feel more empowered to act productively on your behalf.
• Grant authority. There's an old maxim in business––and it's been proven time and time again––that decisions should be made at the "lowest" level possible. If you don't have to make a decision on something, then don't; let the people around you, those closest to the action, do it.
• Invite goals. Don't just set goals yourself. Ask others to set them. How? You can do it through a planning retreat. Or with the help of an outside facilitator. Or through informal discussion and debate. However you do it, involve your people in the process as much as possible.
• Redefine supervision. Supervision need not––and should not––simply mean "checking in" or "controlling" projects and tasks. When you're supervising employees, let them set the agenda for your weekly or bi-weekly supervision conferences. And then, instead of offering direction or instruction, offer suggestions and guidance.
• Celebrate mistakes. Well, no, you're never going to be happy about mistakes! But when they happen––and they will––you have an opportunity to reaffirm the intrinsic worth of your people and, with them, learn from the mistakes they make. Replace fear and recriminations with evaluation and new determination, and you'll create empowered people.
• Reward initiative. When the people around you see that you value inventiveness and ingenuity, they'll slowly but surely respond. You'll begin to notice fertile new ideas, a willingness to tackle thorny problems without being asked, a positive, upbeat spirit about the issues you face. Offer praise, recognition and tangible rewards when you see initiative abound. You'll be rewarded, in turn, with even more resourcefulness on the part of your people.

Empowerment doesn't happen by itself. First and foremost, your own attitude and actions help foster an empowering atmosphere. But you can create empowerment in other ways as well:

• Hire motivated, entrepreneurial people
• Be sure your policies explicitly value initiative and involvement
• Train the people around you in decision making, planning and creative action
• Encourage open, honest communication at every turn

Have a great month