Wish you had more control over your Sage 100 ERP Chart of Accounts?

You do.  As the person in charge of your company’s chart of accounts (COA’s), you can control new accounts and changes to existing accounts.  Always make a backup before making changes.

• Restrict the Sage 100 ERP Chart of Account (COA):  Account numbers can consist of the main number + segment(s).  To restrict how new accounts come into existence, turn the option for “on the fly additions” off in your general ledger options.  Now to create a new account, we would use the general ledger utility to “generate new accounts” based on valid main and valid segment combinations.  Further, restrict who has access to account maintenance.
•  Fix existing Sage 100 ERP accounts:  two utilities are available to assist you in either renumbering accounts or merging accounts.  Go to general ledger, utilities, and chose either Delete Accounts or Change Accounts.
• Correct account descriptions:  Some businesses like proper case while others prefer all upper case descriptions.    You can correct this in account maintenance.  Also, you may wish to correct segment descriptions in your descriptions for uniformity.
• Restructuring your COA:  you may find that you did not allow enough range of account numbers in any particular segment of your COA (for example, current assets).  You can modify this in setup, account group maintenance to expand or contract an account group.

If you need assistance, contact us!

Does your business consume valuable employee resources keying in orders? 

If so, consider two alternatives to this practice. 

One:  Set-up a Sage 100 ERP integrated e-commerce website that integrates the orders back into Sage 100 ERP.  Not only will you save time not entering orders, but you could also have invoice history on the site.  Customers can view their invoices online thereby culling down the customer inquiry phone call to your business. 

And two:  use EDI services with customers that are EDI-compliant.  This practice also integrates into Sage 100 order entry.  Now your valuable employee time can be spend adjusting and approving orders contracting your order processing time and making your business more profitable!  

Question:  Can I flag customers on credit hold in Sage CRM?

Sage CRM uses the data in Sage 100 ERP (Formerly MAS 90 MAS 200) to flag customers on credit hold.  Based on permissions the Sage CRM user can be prevented from placing orders for customers on credit hold.  Also based on permissions, the user can collect on past due invoices in order to place a new order.  By using Sage CRM and Sage 100 ERP together, the back office and the front office are kept informed of important decisions to make in regard to customers.

Please watch our short video clip to learn more!

Selecting an accounting system is no small task.  There are so many accounting systems available which one is right for your company?  Today we'll discuss common accounting system selection mistakes and how to avoid them.

Accounting Systems Selection Mistake #1:  Failure to establish a solid technology project management committee.  Establish a manageable technology project management committee where each company department is represented.  It is important the needs of every part of the company are considered.  Try to keep this team under 7 members.

Accounting Systems Selection Mistake #2:  Failure to perform a detailed needs assessment with a qualified local accounting systems expert. Needs assessments can reveal performance needs, instrumental needs, conscious needs, unconscious needs, organizational needs, individual needs and causes for needs.

Accounting Systems Selection Mistake #3:  Failure to develop a comprehensive business process assessment.  This process documents the measurement and assessment of the existing business processes.  This can come in the form of a checklist defining a weighted value of importance to the individual business processes critical to the company.

Accounting Systems Selection Mistake #4:  Failure to define your milestone and budget projections.  It is important for the technology project management committee to prepare a project time line and prelimminary budget.

Accounting Systems Selection Mistake #5:  Buy on emotion instead of fact.  Everyone has opinions.  It is important to make a rational fact based decision based on your needs assessment and business process assessments.

Accounting Systems Selection Mistake #6:  Too much focus on the ERP initiatives and lack of focus on other important business initiatives.

According to a 2011 study conducted by Panorama Consulting Solutions titled: ERP Failures and Lawsuits: It's Not Just For the Tier 1 ERP Vendors, ERP failures for Tier II and Tier III ERP implementations are just as likely to fail as Tier 1 implementations from SAP or Oracle.  The reasons for failure can be related to employees having trouble acclimating to the new system, versus malfunctions in the software itself.  So the goal is simple:  choose the right local accounting systems expert and the right accounting system by matching company needs to the software capabilities and including every department in the fact-based decision making step-by-step accounting systems selection process.

Picture available on Hiking Artists.com Flickr photostream

We are excited to announce our new video on Sage CRM Sage 100 ERP highlighting how to manage contacts and more...

• How do I add contacts in Sage CRM?
• How do I send a mass email to a group of contacts in Sage CRM?
• How can I see Sage 100 ERP contacts displayed in Sage CRM?
• How can I select a group of contacts to be reflected in Sage CRM?

Watch our quick video overview to learn more!

(Guest blog by Darcy Boerio, Channel Development Manager, Avalara)

Don’t Mess With Nexus! 

Do you have out-of-state agents or distributors? Remote employees or independent contractors in other states? Have you ever made a sale at an out-of-state trade show? If so, you may have nexus in those states. 

In the increasingly complex world of sales tax, the term nexus refers to a presence, or connection, with a state. If you have nexus in a state, that means you are required to collect sales tax on transactions and file returns based on that state’s filing regulations. And contrary to common belief, nexus goes way beyond a simple “bricks and mortar” presence. 

Laws vary from state to state. Some conditions that can create nexus include: 

-        Independent contractors

-        Agents/distributors

-        Independent contractors

-        Employees on Payroll

-        Training

-        Trade show attendance

-        Inventory/Warehousing

-        Servicing tangible personal property

And even if you didn’t have nexus in a state last year – or even last month – don’t assume that won’t change. Not only can these conditions change within a company without the tax department’s knowledge, but nexus definitions themselves are in constant flux. Just ask Amazon. They learned not to mess with nexus – especially in Texas! 

With over 10,000 taxing jurisdictions and thousands of rate, rule, and jurisdiction changes every year, sales tax is hard. If you are doing business in multiple states, don’t go it alone. Let the sales tax experts at Avalara help make sales tax less taxing. Avalara offers professional services (such as nexus studies) and end to end sales tax automation through seamless integration to your Sage 100 ERP (formerly MAS 90 MAS 200) accounting system.

Contact ASCG to learn more or watch a video to see AvaTax for Sage ERP 100 (formerly MAS 90 MAS 200) in action.

Question:  Does Sage CRM sync with Microsoft Outlook or other calendar management applications?

Sage CRM and Microsoft Outlook is completely integrated no matter where you start your task or appointment.  The information is a bi-directional sync so wherever the appointments are set-up they are synced with the other integrated application.  Bring over the contacts you need to view from Sage 100 ERP.  Book meeting rooms, assign people and resources to activities.  Manage employees by monitoring activity completion.  Set notification s management if tasks are not accomplished within the time specified.  View and notify managment of incomplete tasks.

Please watch Sage CRM's powerful calendar and task management by capabilities in the short video below:

Question:  How do I set-up my Sage CRM dashboard to reflect the data I need from Sage 100 ERP (formerly MAS 90 MAS 200)?

• The purpose of the Sage CRM dashboard is for the user to get to all the information they access most frequently all in one spot.
• You can have any of your Sage 100 ERP information displayed from the Sage CRM dashboard
• Each Sage CRM user has their own dashboard view configured on a user by user permission basis.  Step-by-step instructions are provided.
• Sage CRM users can access social media information of each contact in their database if a social media profile exists.

Please view our complimentary Sage CRM Sage 100 ERP accountants perspective demonstration:

How do I set-up repetitive invoice entry in Sage 100 ERP?  Watch now:

Follow these steps to answer the question:

1. Go into Sage 100 ERP accounts receivable
2. Go into Sage 100 ERP repetitive invoice entry in the accounts receivable drop down
3. Select your Sage 100 ERP customer
4. Give the Sage 100 ERP entry a reference number
5. Select the Sage 100 ERP cycle (weekly, monthly, quarterly, annually, etc.)
6. Start the Sage 100 ERP billing date
7. Indicate comments if needed into the Sage 100 ERP A/R Repetitive Invoice Entry
8. Apply sales tax into the Sage 100 ERP Repetitive Invoice Entry if applicable
9. Go to the Sage 100 ERP lines tab populate details in the lines code
10. Indicate the description in Sage 100 ERP miscellaneous item maintenance i.e. monthly service contract
11. Assign Sage 100 ERP GL account numbers
12. Go back to the Sage 100 ERP AR repetitive invoice to add the amount
13. To create the invoice go to Sage 100 ERP Repetitive Invoice Selection under the accounts receivable drop down
14. Select the Sage 100 invoice date and Sage 100 selection date
15. Choose the Sage 100 cycle
16. Print and send the Sage 100 invoice
17. Then you have the option to update the Sage 100 Sales Journal

Once the sales journal is updated the new transactions will be reflected

 Image available on data_entry_outsoucing Flickr channel

Front Office Meets Back Office with Sage 100 ERP (formerly MAS 90 and MAS 200)

The back office accounting processes are the backbone of any business.  The financial balance statement can make or break a company.  Accountants are well qualified for what they do.  The front office sales and customer service teams can help your back office accounting teams accomplish objectives.  Here's how:

Sage 100 ERP (formerly MAS 90 MAS 200)is now combined with Sage CRM to extend the functionality you have become accustomed to in the back office to your front office.  Sage 100 ERP is combined with Sage CRM to allow for a single view of your customers interactions with your company.  Now your sales teams can become focused on the profit objectives of your company using Sage 100 ERP, providing an enterprise-wide, consistent view of customer activity and opportunities.

• Is your accounting business management system disconnected from customer service and sales?
• Is it important to have integrated business management systems between departments?
• Has your company experienced miscommunication between your back office accounting teams and your front office customer facing teams?
• Have your sales people sold to customers on credit hold by mistake?
• If your back office accounting personnel had access to your sales forecast would it be helpful in budgeting?
• When a sales quotation turns into an order does someone have to re-key that duplicate information into your Sage 100 ERP system?
• Do your sales people use a separate system to record notes about customers that could be useful to accounting?
• Is your sales forecast important when it comes to budgeting?
• Do your sales people miss opportunities to collect on open invoices because they lack visibility to them?
• Do your sales lack visibility to customer item sales history, potentially handicapping their customer relationship?
• When a sales prospect becomes a customer does your accounting staff have to re-key the customer information into Sage 100 ERP? 

If you answered yes to any of the foregoing questions, please join us for a complimentary one hour webcast May 18, 2012 at 12 PM CT to learn how Sage 100 ERP combined with Sage CRM can solve these problems and more.

(Image provided by hayley valleyo on flickr)