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!

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

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: