Update 94: Revamped Purchase Orders, Job Exceptions, Report Templates

On April 15th, 2016 by

Released on April 15, 2016, Update 94 brings over a dozen great new features to Smart Service and iFleet.

Peruse the list of exciting additions below.

Revamped Purchase Orders – We’ve overhauled purchase orders! Open the job items tab, and Smart Service will display purchase orders, letting the user review pending and received items. Several new shortcuts encourage simpler creation of purchase orders.

Updating Information En Masse – Perform bulk updates to job/customer information with the new “Copy Data” function. This utility updates specific information (like an email address) on every location and job for a customer at once.

Job Exceptions – iFleet users can now mark jobs with a job exception when they have to leave that job unfinished. This sends a signal to office staff that additional work/attention (an additional trip, for instance) is needed before the job can be closed out.

Smart Routes – The optional Smart Service routing add-on Smart Routes now features an interactive map and the ability to reorder, add, and delete stops.

Smart Pane Improvement – The Smart Pane now displays relevant information for recurring jobs, including the date, time, and employee associated with the previous visit.

New Reporting Fields – New equipment quantity/rate reporting fields help track customer equipment.

Google Calendar Name Omission – When an address gets sent to Google Calendar, name information is removed to better facilitate accurate navigation.

Group Service Agreement Mail Merge – Mail merge functionality has been added to the Service Agreement module. This allows a subscription reminder to be sent to all customers whose service agreements expire in a certain month.

iFleet Override Confirmation – If a Smart Service user attempts to resend a job to iFleet, a new notice warns the user that doing so will override any changes made to that job in iFleet.

Inactive Users – Inactive users are now hidden by default.

Google Calendar Phone Numbers – When a phone call is scheduled, the phone number associated with that phone call is now added to Google Calendar.

If you have questions about utilizing any of these new features, call (888-518-0818) or order additional training!

Click to view the complete 10.94 release notes.

Click to update Smart Service!

What do the new Intuit Sync Manager changes mean?

On April 11th, 2016 by

Business software can get pretty complex. In fact, most users call it quits after learning what it takes to simply use a program. Few have enough time or patience to learn how their software works. In some cases though, knowing the basics comes in handy. Case in point: Intuit Sync Manager.

What is Intuit Sync Manager? Intuit Sync Manager is a utility that runs in the background on Windows machines to facilitate integration between desktop versions of QuickBooks and various third party software applications. Starting May 31, Intuit will officially discontinue Sync Manager. This means that for most intents and purposes, a great many software suites that boast of QuickBooks integration will no longer function as advertised.

If your company currently relies on a third party program to conduct business, you’ll want to get in touch with your software provider. Find out what will happen to your system once Sync Manager becomes a thing of the past. (For a list of impacted programs, click here.)

Many third party software companies are forcing their customers to migrate to QuickBooks Online to get around the change. Several failings make this solution less than ideal. Firstly, a lot of data gets left behind in such a migration. Second, QuickBooks Online simply cannot compare to the desktop versions of QuickBooks in terms of features and functionality. When running a company, one needs access to the best, and in the case of accounting software, QuickBooks desktop trumps QuickBooks Online, plain and simple.

Is Smart Service affected by this change? Nope! Not every program that works with desktop versions of QuickBooks relies on Sync Manager. Smart Service’s QuickBooks integration uses QuickBooks Foundation Class to interact with QuickBooks in real time. This integration is more complete and thorough than Intuit Sync Manager’s offerings and will be unaffected come May 31.