QuickBooks FAQs : QuickBooks ProAdvisor Portland : 2nd Site Business Solutions

If you're well informed, our working relationship will be a success. It's that simple. That's why 2nd Site is an open book and works hard to continually educate you on the power of QuickBooks as a business tool. Here are some of the more common questions we receive about QuickBooks and about working with us. Just click on one of the questions below for the answer. If you have a question that isn't represented here, feel free to call or email us at 503-246-7776 or 2nd-site@2nd-site.com .

For a list of helpful tips and resource links, click here.

Why should I purchase through 2nd Site instead of directly from Intuit?

2nd Site will always strive to meet or beat the prices listed on Intuit's website for all software or hardware.
You'll have an inside edge because 2nd Site deals with a preferred sales and support staff not accessible by the general public. Should anything go wrong with your order, such as defective product or the need to return it under the money-back guarantee clause, 2nd Site will handle it for you through this preferred channel.
You won't have to pay shipping charges.
Buying from 2nd Site supports your local economy.

What is the QuickBooks Point of Sale Solution for Retailers?

The QuickBooks Point of Sale Solution for Retailers is an all-in-one bundle of QuickBooks Point of Sales software with the retail hardware needed to turn a Windows PC into a retail management system. It includes a copy of QuickBooks Point of Sale software, a receipt printer, bar code scanner, credit card reader and cash drawer, all GUARANTEED ¹to work together seamlessly.

What are the benefits of using QuickBooks Point of Sale retail management software?

QuickBooks Point of Sale provides:

Easy-to-use, cost-effective retail management features to help your run your business better
Accurate, real-time information about inventory, sales and customers
Better customer service by tracking customer information and purchase histories
Accurate pricing and fast checkout by scanning bar codes when ringing up saless
Time savings and error reduction by transferring sales data into QuickBooks Financial Software

How is Point of Sale better than an electronic cash register?

Point of Sale handles sales transactions like a cash register, but also tracks complete inventory, sales and customer information to give retailers better control over their business. It quickly and easily transfers sales data into QuickBooks Financial Software ², saving time and reducing manual bookkeeping errors.

How is Point of Sale different from QuickBooks Financial Software?

QuickBooks Financial Software is small business accounting software used by more than 2.6 million businesses. Point of Sale is retail management software designed to meet the special inventory, sales and customer tracking needs of retailers. When used together, they create a complete retail small business management suite, including financial accounting.

Do I have to use QuickBooks Financial Software in order to use Point of Sale?

No. Point of Sale works by itself to easily and accurately track and manage your clients' inventory, sales and customer information. It can also be used together with QuickBooks Financial Software ²to create a complete retail management suite, including financial accounting. It works particularly well with QuickBooks: Premier Retail Edition to help retailers save time and reduce manual bookkeeping errors. Growing retailers may find that QuickBooks Enterprise Solutions Retail Edition best meets their needs.

Can I try Point of Sale before I buy it?

Yes. You can receive a 30-day trial of Point of Sale. The Point of Sale trial software will allow you to try Basic, Pro and Pro Multi-Store features to decide what features are right for you. After you review the trial software, when you’re ready to buy Point of Sale, just call me to obtain discounted pricing and instructions on how best to convert to a licensed copy. You will be able to continue using the same POS data file without starting over. Contact me to order a trial today.

What kinds of retailers use Point of Sale?

Point of Sale is ideal for many types of retailers. Here are a few examples: Specialty hard goods retailers:

Jewelry
Optical
Lumber and Building
Floor Covering
Hardware
Paint and Wallpaper
Drapery and Upholstery
Sporting good
Housewares
Computers & electronics
Music and video
Musical instruments

Specialty soft goods retailers:

Clothing, footwear and accessories
Luggage and leather
Furniture and home furnishings
Sewing and fabric

General merchandise:

Catalog and Mail Order
Gift and souvenir
Game and hobby
Nursery and garden

What are the differences between the three levels of Point of Sale?

Point of Sale is available in three editions:

Basic - For retailers who need basic inventory, sales and customer tracking
Pro - All the features in Basic, plus additional inventory management features like sales orders, layaway, customer rewards program, serial number tracking, employee sales commissions, and item pictures.
Pro Multi Store - All the features in Pro, plus the ability to manage up to ten stores with a single integrated solution

Click here for a complete comparison of Point of Sale features.

How do I process credit and debit cards with Point of Sale?

Point of Sale can process credit and debit card payments quickly and easily without a separate credit card terminal. ³Just swipe the customer's card through an optional QuickBooks-Approved credit card reader and Point of Sale captures the authorization from QuickBooks POS Merchant Services, enters the authorization code and card number into the sales transaction, and prints out an itemized receipt for the customer to sign. QuickBooks POS Merchant Service is required. Contact me to get the best discounts when applying for your merchant services account.

What’s this new Cash Register Plus software all about?

Cash Register Plus is the new low-cost solution for retail stores that need only one cash register, don’t need to track inventory and want an easy to learn program that integrates with QuickBooks. It’s great for small sandwich shops, resale shops, consignment shops, dry cleaners, florists, or any store whose inventory either turns over too rapidly to quantify or who has no actual inventory.

What are the top 5 tips for my QuickBooks product?

Click on the product name below to see the answer!

What QuickBooks consulting services do you offer?

2nd Site offers a comprehensive suite of on-site and remote QuickBooks consulting services for QuickBooks Simple Start, QuickBooks Pro, QuickBooks Premier, QuickBooks Enterprise, and QuickBooks Point of Sale, including:

QuickBooks Training

Entry level introduction to basic features to start using QuickBooks today
Progressive follow up sessions empowering every person with proficiency
Question and answer sessions to address specific issues or problem areas

QuickBooks Clean Up and Optimization

Data Reconstruction
Identify and merge duplicate list entries (Customers, vendors, employees, items)
Restore A/R & A/P accuracy
Locate and reallocate misappropriated income and expenses

QuickBooks Periodic Support

Monthly bank and credit card reconciliation
Quarterly payroll reports
Data quality analysis and correction

Intuit Solution Provider

Needs assessment for Point of Sale, Cash Register Plus and Enterprise
Product selection, purchase and install
Manage and track sales cost-effectively and accurately for your non-inventory retail store with Cash Register Plus

Special Services

QuickBooks Point of Sale and QuickBooks Enterprise, including Merchant Services
Customize QuickBooks Reports and Forms
Import/Export of lists and data
Locate and integrate 3rd party software
Remote Access Support
Payroll subscription selection and implementation

QuickBooks Software Purchase,
Installation and Set Up

Software selection and sales - an easy, one stop shop for all of your QuickBooks software
Installation of software and hardware peripherals
New data file created and configured to meet your specific needs and skill level
Recommendation and customization of preferences and users access rights

I see you're located in Oregon. I'm in another state (or part of the world). Can you still help me with QuickBooks?

Yes. I can provide remote support to virtually anyone anywhere in the world. I have clients as far away as Barcelona, Spain.

I have a QuickBooks question. Can you help me without an appointment?

Sure. Send me an email or call me. If I'm at a client's office, you'll need to leave a voicemail message. Be sure to say your phone number clearly and let me know the best time to reach you. If you're not in the Pacific time zone, tell me what time zone you're in. I have clients as far away as Barcelona, Spain.

K.C., can you describe your typical client?

My clients vary from large enterprises to sole proprietors. One is a franchise distributor who sent me to each franchise location in three states to ensure that all managed their books in the same efficient way. The only thing typical of my clients that they need a hand with some aspect of QuickBooks, and hiring me is the easiest and most cost effective way for them to solve their problem. Back to top

What are some examples of actual jobs you've done?

A retail store that fell behind in their bookkeeping asked me to help them catch up, then convert to QuickBooks.
A landscaping company asked me to review their QuickBooks data for the past year, make corrections, improve their set-up to provide more meaningful results, and teach them how to process their data more efficiently.
A dentist has me review her bookkeeper's work and reconcile the monthly bank statements.
An attorney asked me to train her new employee after the previous office manager quit unexpectedly.

Tell me about some of your larger accounts.

A tax consultant referred me to her client to verify that all of the year-end payables had been clearly identified. In three hours I located over $80,000.00 in accounts payable that hadn't been entered into QuickBooks, saving the client over $13,000.00 in income taxes that year.

On two occasions I reconstructed accounting records for corporations whose primary manager had embezzled funds and doctored the books. One was a manufacturing company and the other was a medical facility. In each case nearly $100,000 was siphoned out of the company over a period of one to two years. I reviewed historical transactions for accuracy and validity, comparing computerized records to bank account statements and paper trails. Each company invested in having me create new, accurate records. I showed them simple techniques to avoid being victimized again.

A franchise distributor hired me to visit each of their franchises in three states to ensure all were using QuickBooks correctly. Look at my testimonial page to read a letter expressing her appreciation.

What other kinds of businesses have you helped?

Attorneys
Auto Repair Shops
Boat Dealerships
Building Contractors
Business Consultants
Cleaning Services
Day Care
Designers
Fitness Centers
Galleries

Hotels
Importers
Kennels
Lumber brokers
Manufacturers
Medical Professionals
Mortgage Companies
Municipalities
Non-profits
Nurseries/Farms

Private Schools
Property Managers
Publishers
Realtors
Restaurants
Retailers
Security Companies
Shipping/Transportation
Trade Contractors
…even Accountants!

It sounds like you can help just about anyone.

I can help people in just about any type of business, but some fields are highly specialized. Above all, I consider what's best for the client. If I know someone who can provide a better solution for the prospective client than I can, I say so. That's just plain good sense and right living. If I don't feel I'm a good match for a job, I'll turn it down and refer the customer elsewhere. Every business transaction should be a win-win situation. Back to top

I'm still undecided about hiring you. After all, I don't know anything about you personally.

I have over 30 years of business experience in insurance, accounting, computer network management, software training, and top-level corporate management. I'm particularly well-versed in manufacturing inventory control issues. My degree is in Management & Professional Development. As a Certified QuickBooks Pro Advisor, I'm one of the only people in the Pacific Northwest holding all four Intuit certifications: QuickBooks ProAdvisor, QuickBooks Advanced ProAdvisor, QuickBooks Enterprise ProAdvisor and QuickBooks Point of Sale ProAdvisor. I've owned and operated two small businesses for a total of 18 years. When you contact me so we can decide if my services are appropriate for your situation, I'll provide you with any additional information you require. Then you can decide how you want to proceed. Fair enough? Back to top

What steps can I take to protect my business from employee fraud and embezzlement?

According to the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners, the average fraud in companies with fewer than 100 employees causes $127,500 in losses. In comparison, the average losses for large businesses are just $97,000. The ACFE claims that small businesses are at a greater risk because they often are lax about introducing basic accounting controls. To protect yourself and your business, keep an eye out for:

Deposits that never appear on the bank statement.
Missing checks or duplicate check numbers.
Bogus names on the vendor, employee, customer or other names lists.
Vendors complaining they never received your check or customers complaining you never posted their payment. Both can mean the check was stolen.
Strange accounts receivable or payable balances, especially on a cash basis balance sheet.

You can take the following steps to reduce the opportunity for employee fraud:

In QuickBooks®, assign appropriate user access rights and use passwords for each employee.
In Point of Sale, require sales personnel to login using their own user name and password to record each sale. Set the preferences to automatically log out the user after completing every sale. This creates true monetary tracking by user name and prevents anyone from recording transactions under someone else's name.
Track where every check goes including voided checks. Use the Missing Checks report.
Bank statements should not be sent to the company address unless the owner always picks up the mail. Any employee who picks up the mail, opens the mail, pays the bills, records customer payments, or makes bank deposits should not be the person who reconciles the bank statements.
Know personally how each employee's job tasks should be done and review their work regularly to verify their performance and accuracy.

I guess that answers all of my questions. If I think of any others, what's the best way to reach you without feeling obligated?

Email me at 2nd-site@2nd-site.com Back to top

1 Limited Warranty: QuickBooks Point of Sale Software for Retailers comes with an Intuit Limited Warranty of Inter-Operability on Intuit-approved hardware only and a Sixty- (60) Day Money Back Satisfaction Limited Warranty. The QuickBooks Point of Sale Solution for Retailers comes with a Two- (2) Year Hardware Component Manufacturers Limited Warranty and a Sixty- (60) Day Money Back Satisfaction Limited Warranty. Click here to see the full warranty.

2 Work with any Pro or Premier Edition (2007-2009) and QuickBooks Enterprise Solutions (7.0-9.0). Sold separately.

3 Requires a merchant account through QuickBooks POS Merchant Service, provided by Innovative Merchant Solutions, LLC. Application approval and fees apply. Details available at www.quickbooks.com/posmerchant. Credit card reader and printer required for credit and debit transactions. PIN pad required for debit transactions. Internet connection or modem required.