Value with a future!

 



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User Feedback

We're always interested in hearing from ACCTivate! Users. You're the reason that we're in business.

If you have any questions or comments that you would like to share with us, please feel free to contact us.

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Software Updates

The ACCTivate! Software Maintenance plan is designed to provide subscribers with the newest version of ACCTivate!.

This plan includes both web-updates and full-version releases. CYMA users recognize it as SMP, while QuickBooks users recognize it as part of the new SMS plan.

Either way, it's the annual subscription that provides you with updates and new version releases.

Without a current subscription, users are not granted access to those updates and releases.

Please contact the Alterity sales office for more information on your Software Maintenance plan.

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IN THIS ISSUE:

 

 

 

 

ACCTivation! 2006 was a Huge Success!

 

 

The 2006 ACCTivate! Users' conference was a smash hit with many satisfied ACCTivate! users.

One thing is clear about the outcome of ACCTivation! 2006. The attendees left with a feeling of being better equipped to use ACCTivate! to help manage their businesses effectively.

 

This fact alone means that our goals were accomplished. We organized and designed the conference to provide a more in-depth understanding of ACCTivate!, its features and capabilities. The high marks we received about the conference tell us that that we succeeded.

 

Conference Overview
Wednesday. The conference was kicked off by a meet and greet reception on Wednesday night. It served as a unique opportunity for the ACCTivate! staff to informally meet face to face with clients.

 

Thursday. Thursday began with a continental breakfast and a General Report on Alterity and ACCTivate! in general. This was followed by sessions such as Getting Beyond the Basics and a two-hour Crystal Reports session.

 

In addition to these, sessions such as EDI and Mobile Operations showed that ACCTivate! is keeping pace with the latest technological trends. An overall ACCTivate! Vision of the future of ACCTivate! was discussed as well.

 

Open Workshops provided users the opportunity to ask questions one-on-one with our support staff. Many attendees said that the personal attention they received in the workshops was alone worth more than the cost of the conference.

 

The day wrapped up with a barbeque dinner and baseball game at Ameriquest Field (Texas Rangers vs. Baltimore Orioles). Many stories, experiences and other issues were discussed at length during the game.

 

Friday

The conference continued on Friday with more well-received sessions and presentations including two User Presentation sessions that highlighted how well different companies have implemented ACCTivate!.

 

An intensive Advanced Crystal Reports class was offered for users that wanted to take their reports to the next level. Also, several sessions were given to provide insight into ACCTivate! modules and features such as Business Activities, Service Billing & Scheduling, CRM, eCommerce and others.

 

Perhaps one of the most popular sessions was Brian's Tips and Tricks, in which a substantial number of time-saving tips and were given to the delight of the audience.

 

The conference concluded with a question and answer summary. Almost every single user that was in attendance stated that they would be at next year's conference and they gave us high marks all the way around on our sessions.

 

We started with a conference goal to give ACCTivate! users the tools that it takes to help them move their businesses forward to the next level. We believe that we accomplished this and look forward to another successful conference next year.

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Keep your information secure:
Make certain you are backing up properly

Daily backups need to be an integral part of your business
 It is important to the life of your business that you develop a plan to keep your business information safe and secure.

 

For this reason, we strongly recommend that you perform a daily backup of your ACCTivate! company file from inside of ACCTivate!.

 

Why is it important?  

 

Buildings catch on fire, electrical surges destroy hard drives and thieves break-in and run off with computers.  All of these happen every day.  Are you prepared if one happens to you? Is your data secure?

 

Backing up your company's data should be a daily business activity. It is very important to backup and safeguard your data each day and remove this backup from your location.

 

ACCTivate! has a special built-in backup feature File > Backup Company and even allows you to schedule backups to run at night. See the help files (press F1 inside ACCTivate!) for more details.

 

Formal backup procedure should involve these steps:

1.      Establishing a schedule for the backup.  
Backup at least once per day. In addition, more that one employee should be trained in the backup procedure. This will help accommodate a consistent and reliable backup during holidays, vacations and sick days.
 

2.      Get the backup off the system.
Copy the backup file to a portable media such as a CD or Tape.  Then take this backup off-site every day! In the event of a fire it will do you no good to have your backup kept in the same building as the original data.
 

3.      Develop a formal procedure for restoring the backup.
Keep a consistent rotation of at least 10 tapes (for tape backup only). Test backups periodically to make certain that they work.

Common Question:
Our entire server is already fully backed-up each night on a tape. Do I still have to perform the ACCTivate! backup?  

Answer:
You probably still need to use the internal ACCTivate! backup.  

Under normal circumstances the Microsoft Windows backup utility will not backup files that are in use.  The ACCTivate! database files (Microsoft SQL Server) are always in use. Therefore, you can not use a standard backup utility to backup your server and expect that it will backup your ACCTivate! database.  It will skip files that are in use, therefore it will skip your database. 

There are some backup utilities that will backup Microsoft SQL server.  If you have one of these (and please check to make certain that it works) then you will not have to perform the ACCTivate! internal backup.   

Ask your network administrator or a licensed Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer if your backup utility will create a backup that will allow the SQL server database to be fully functional directly from the backup.

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Featured Add-on

 

UPS & FedEx
Shipping Workstation Interface

Perhaps one of the most popular Add-on Features is the Shipping Workstation Interface module. It's a great time saver for companies that ship via FedEx or UPS on a regular basis.

This module integrates order and customer information between UPS and FedEx shipping software and ACCTivate!. It gives several dramatic benefits including automatically having order information (Customer Name, Address, etc.) at your shipping workstation thus reducing double-entry. It also then posts tracking numbers, shipping costs and other shipping information back to the order in ACCTivate!.

Companies that use this module often find that are able to process orders faster (order information is instantly obtainable in your shipping software, improve customer service (any CSR can see shipping and tracking information) and reduce double-entry errors (warehouse no longer has to type the address in UPS or FedEx). These benefits alone can make up for the cost of the module.

How does it work?

After a one-time setup and configuration, your UPS or FedEx software is given permission to access order information in ACCTivate!.

When it's time to process shipping information, the shipper enters the ACCTivate! order number inside of the shipping software. All of the customer information is then populated on the screen (i.e., Name, company, shipping address, etc). No need to double-enter the address or choose through several ship-to address for the same company.

The shipment is processed just like any other order, however when you are done the shipping information is sent back to ACCTivate!. When the order is invoiced in ACCTivate!, all of this information, including the lengthy tracking number, is posted directly, saving time and reducing errors.

Benefits Overview:

Information Sharing: Automatically have customer and order information available on your shipping workstation. A tremendous time-saver.

Simplified procedures: Your warehouse will no longer have to retype the customer's address (or choose the specific address from multiple ship-to addresses).

No need to re-key information: Shipping charges, weight and tracking numbers are automatically sent back to the order in ACCTivate!. They're ready for you when you invoice.

Reduce errors: This system can greatly reduce errors because key information is moved automatically.

Simplified tracking: The tracking number is automatically sent back to ACCTivate! for quick package tracking.

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Our people make us who we are

New Sales Manager
The continued growth of ACCTivate! has provided us with several challenges, one of which is maintaining a high level of attention and care to the ever growing list of companies that are considering adopting ACCTivate! to manage their business. We have been able to do this by adding more quality people to our staff.

 

Erik Moeller – Sales Manager

A recent addition to the ACCTivate! team is Eric Moeller as our new sales manager. He brings with him a wealth of experience and knowledge from years in sales and marketing.

 

This experience includes selling computer hardware to OEMs, distributors, dealers and large end users. He also spent several years in building supplies and construction. Specifically, this included specialized non-wood "alternate construction" products and methods for third-world areas.

 

As a sales manager he has coordinated sales efforts for large sections of the country. Included in this are a great many well-known corporations as customers.

Erik holds a Bachelors degree in Marketing from Penn State and from there served in the Navy as a Radar Intercept Officer in an F-4 Phantom. He and his wife (another Penn State graduate) live in Texas with their four sons.

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Alterity, Inc.
2012 East Randol Mill, Suite 219
Arlington, TX 76011
Phone: 817-870-1311
Fax: 817-546-2211
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