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SBP - Business Documents
- How can I print Business Cards showing just the company details?
- Can I use my own Logo and/or Banner on the documents?
- Can I choose which documents are to show my Logo and/or Banner?
- Can I manipulate the report to provide a balanced visual presentation?
- Can I create my own document?
- Can I have a pictured background?
- Can I include a Watermark?
- Can I restore an original document if I've made a mistake when amending?
SBP - Business Planning
- The screen does not display the correct currency?
- Break Even calculations are OK if you are making products but I provide a Service. How does it work for me?
- Can I have Multiple Budgets per year?
- Can I enter seasonal variations into my Budget?
- What happens if my financial year does not commence in January?
- Can I edit the Budget projections to reflect an ongoing situation?
- In the Cashflow forecast how can I tell the program that I'm part way through a month and therefore only Budget the remaining portion?
- For my Cashflow forecast to be realistic I need to spread outstanding amounts for income from Customers and payments to Vendors?
- Why do I have to produce a Business Plan?
- Is there a guide as to what I should put into a Business Plan?
- Must I complete every section in the Business Plan?
- Can I put the breakeven and cashflow projections into a Business Plan?
- Can I edit the 'Look and Feel' of the Business Plan?
SBP - Customer Invoicing
- Can Customer Invoicing accommodate the tax structure in my country?
- In my Invoice, some items are subject to tax while other are non-taxable, can Customer Invoicing handle this?
- What paper sizes does Customer Invoicing cater to?
- I already printed thousands of pre-printed carbonised forms for my Invoices, must I dispose of these forms?
- Customer Invoicing does not use the correct currency symbol or Date format in my documents how do I rectify this?
- Can I add my company logo to the document headers?
- Can I prepare an Invoice from an existing Quotation?
- Am I able to prepare a Shipping document to accompany my dispatches?
- When, and how, do I use a Credit Note?
- I am able to close an Invoice that has not been fully paid?
- Can I change the layout of the Invoice?
- Can I email the Quote/Invoice?
- How many records can I hold in the system?
- Does it track Customer Payments?
- Does it have Price Lists?
- Can I identify Discounts?
- I would like to amend the format of the screens and documents. Can this be done and if so how?
- Can I use my own numbering system when creating an Invoice?
- Does Customer Invoicing have inventory management?
- Can I add Shipping charges to an invoice, and can I choose whether they're taxable or not?
- Can I add text to invoice lines?
- Can I generate an Invoicing schedule?
- Can I print Invoices in Batch?
- Can I enter details that are specific to my Industry?
- I create large complex Invoices. Are there any tools that can assist me in speeding up this process?
Small Business Pack Frequently Asked Questions:
1. How can I print Business Cards showing just the company details?
Go into "Staff Details" on the setup screen and key at least one blank space into the Employee Name field. The program will recognise this as a valid record and will then print out the remaining details against this (blank) Employee.
2. Can I use my own Logo and/or Banner on the documents?
Yes. On the 'Logo Selection' and 'Banner Selection' screens there is a "Use your own" Button. If you click on this then a panel will appear for you to point the file to the location of your Logo and/or Banner. You should note that its format must be jpeg (.jpg). Upon clicking the 'Open' Button the Logo and/or Banner will be selected.
3. Can I choose which documents are to show my Logo and/or Banner?
Yes. This is carried out at individual document level. You should first go into the 'Documents' screen and choose 'Edit' as the 'Select Document Mode' Now click on the document to be amended and the print layout is presented for you to carry out amendments. (Note: Your screen may contain two small panels - 'Object Inspector' and 'Insert Data Field'. Click on the top-left 'X' to close each panel)
To remove a Logo and/or Banner simply right click on it and select 'delete'
To add a Logo and/or Banner you should click on the 'Insert Picture' icon on the left of the screen then click on the document area. On the displayed panel click on 'Load' and locate the Logo or Banner (Note:- your Business Documents selected Logo and Banner can be found under the 'Selected' folder of the Small Business Pack). Click 'OK' and the Logo or Banner will be placed in the document. Position and size the picture as described in the Help Tutorials
4. Can I manipulate the report to provide a balanced visual presentation?
Yes. Go to the 'Setup' screen and click on 'Help Tutorials'. If you now click on 'Quick Interactive Document Tutorial' you can go through a simple interactive presentation and manipulate your selections as required
5. Can I create my own document?
Yes. You should first go into the 'Documents' screen, choose 'the 'Edit' document Mode, and select the document that you are creating. You can manipulate the document in any way you wish. See the Help Tutorials and Interactive Help Guides on the 'Setup' screen to find out what can be done and how you can do it.
Beware: You will replace this document with your own and if you re-select the Letterhead or Business Card Styles then you will lose your created document. It is therefore suggested that you also save the created document as (say) MyDoc.frf.
6. Can I have a pictured background?
Yes. You should first go into the 'Documents' screen, choose 'the 'Edit' document Mode, and select the document into which you are adding the background Click on the 'Insert Picture' icon on the left of the screen then click on the document area. On the displayed panel click on 'Load' and locate the Picture. Click 'OK' and the Picture will be placed in the document. Send the picture to the back (Refer to Interactive Tutorial on the Help Tutorials screen found under the 'Setup' tab) Position and size the picture (also described in the Help Tutorials)
7. Can I include a Watermark?
Yes. You should first create your own watermark. One method of achieving this is to load the Image into a standard graphics program (You can download an excellent - free - graphics program from http://www.irfanview.com ). Increase the Image brightness to produce the Watermark image and save the Image. Add the Watermark as a pictured background
8. Can I restore an original document if I've made a mistake when amending?
Yes. For Letterhead and Business Card simply re-select the required document in the Letterhead and Business Card screens. This will overwrite your current selection. For the remaining documents a backup copy is retained in folder StandardDocsBackup that is supplied with the Small Business Pack Software. Simply copy the document and overwrite the document with the same name in the 'Selected' folder
9. The screen does not display the correct currency?
The program uses the Regional Settings for your computer. Go to Settings>Control Panel and select 'Regional Settings' and amend these to your requirements.
10. Break Even calculations are OK if you are making products but I provide a Service. How does it work for me?
On the Business Break-Even screen you have the option to:
- Enter the number of hours per month that you are prepared to work to determine what your minimum charge rate should be to break even, or
- Enter your estimated charge rate to determine the minimum number of hours per month you need to work to break even
11. Can I have Multiple Budgets per year?
No, only one Budget is allowed. You should create budgets for both the current year and next year as the Cashflow routine projects forwards 12 months from the current month.
12. Can I enter seasonal variations into my Budget?
Upon generating a Budget the program will create monthly Fixed Expenses, Sales Income, and Cost of Sales based upon your entry criteria. You can now make adjustments monthly adjustments.
13. What happens if my financial year does not commence in January?
On the 'Company Settings and Defaults' screen you can define the Budget start month. Select the required month and all Budgets will be generated from that month in the Budget year
14. Can I edit the Budget projections to reflect an ongoing situation?
Yes. It is as simple as going into the Budget detail tab and clicking on the required Button
- Edit Fixed Expenses
- Edit Sales Income
- Edit Cost of Sale
then make adjustments by month
15. In the Cashflow forecast how can I tell the program that I'm part way through a month and therefore only Budget the remaining portion?
On the Cashflow Settings screen (the first screen displayed after you have selected the 'Cashflow Screen') you will see two fields that show the 'Percentage of the current months budget to be used'. This is prefilled with a program evaluated number showing the proportion of the month remaining. This will be used in the Cashflow projections. If required, you can amend this percentage prior to generating the Cashflow Statement.
16. For my Cashflow forecast to be realistic I need to spread outstanding amounts for income from Customers and payments to Vendors?
The Cashflow Settings screen allows you to enter the outstanding amounts from your Customer and to your Suppliers. Additionally, you can specify the number of months over which you expect these to be paid. On this same screen you may also find it useful to identify the average number of months it takes to get paid by your Customer as well as the number of months it take you to pay a creditor after receipt of their Invoice.
17. Why do I have to produce a Business Plan?
A business plan helps you identify your Business goals, which in turn, facilitates the allocation of resources, makes provision for unforeseen complications, and helps you make the right decisions. It directs you to provide specific and organised information about your company including how you will repay borrowed money. And, as such, is a crucial part of any overdraft or loan proposal. It also provides information to your staff, suppliers, customers and other interested parties about your operations and goals.
18. Is there a guide as to what I should put into a Business Plan?
Many variations of Business Plans are around including many that have been created specifically for your Line of Business. They all basically propose the same format. The Small Business Pack's Business Plan Wizard presents a detailed view of what should be in the Plan (along with mandatory and optional recommendations). The Wizard will automatically print a fully indexed Business Plan along with your company details. You have complete flexibility to amend the output format
19. Must I complete every section in the Business Plan?
No, the Business Plan Wizard lets easily you include or exclude any section(s) that don't apply to your Business.
20. Can I put the breakeven and cashflow projections into a Business Plan?
You simply print out the Breakeven and Cashflow reports from within those functions and add these to the addendum section of the Business Plan
21. Can I edit the 'Look and Feel' of the Business Plan?
Full edit facility is available for all the documents in the Small Business Pack. Simple interactive and extended Tutorials are available to show you how to do this.
22. Can Customer Invoicing accommodate the tax structure in my country?
Customer Invoicing can accommodate Tax structures in force in all the major countries
23. In my Invoice, some items are subject to tax while other are non-taxable, can Customer Invoicing handle this?
When you go into Customer Invoicing you can set up as default Tax Rate. This Tax percentage is used by default on each Invoice Line but can be amended at the Invoice Line level to reflect the specific Tax applicable to that Line.
24. What paper sizes does Customer Invoicing cater to?
Both Letter and A4 sized paper is automatically loaded dependant upon your computer's regional setting. If you use any other size then all documents can be easily resized (and edited) through an easy-to-use Forms Editor
25. I already printed thousands of pre-printed carbonised forms for my Invoices, must I dispose of these forms?
Customer Invoicing comes with an easy-to-use Forms Editor. You should take a backup copy of the standard forms then amend the current forms to conform to the layout of the pre-printed forms. As each pre-printed form is consumed then you can restore the system form from the backup
26. Customer Invoicing does not use the correct currency symbol or Date format in my documents how do I rectify this?
Customer Invoicing uses the currency symbol as defined in the Regional Settings/ Options of the Windows Control Panel. If the symbol displayed is not what you want, you can amend this by going to the Windows Control Panel | Regional Settings. Click on the currency and date tabs then specify the appropriate currency symbol and date format.
27. Can I add my company logo to the document headers?
Yes. Simply click on the 'Setup' tab and then select the document to be amended in the 'Edit Print Forms' panel. On the displayed report layout click on the 'Insert Picture' icon on the left of the screen then click on the document area. In the displayed panel click on 'Load' and locate your Logo. If you now click 'OK' your Logo will be placed in the document. Position and size the picture as described in the Help Tutorials included in the Business Documents function of the Small Business Pack.
28. Can I prepare an Invoice from an existing Quotation?
You have two options to generate an Invoice from a 'Quote. These are:
- Go into the Quote detail screen and amend its status to 'Invoice', or
- Select the 'Quote' in the Invoicing List panel and copy the content of this record to create a separate 'Invoice'.
29. Am I able to prepare a Shipping document to accompany my dispatches?
You simply go into the Invoicing Detail screen and change the status to 'Shipment' then print the document from that same screen. This will create a shipment document for you.
30. When, and how, do I use a Credit Note?
If you have over-billed the customer - for example you sent him an Invoice for $110 and the customer rings you back and states it should be $100 - you should not amend the Invoice since it has already been sent to the customer. The way to rectify this is to issue a Credit Note for the returned products. Therefore simply raise new document with a status 'Credit' and a line entry stating the reason for, and value of, the credit.
31. I am able to close an Invoice that has not been fully paid?
Yes. Match off any payments received against the relevant Invoice(s) then raise another 'Payment' record with status 'AP' or 'Other'. Annotate the receipt reference field with (say) 'Shortfall' and match this off against the outstanding balance. Your payment records are therefore separately identified as covering shortfall payments.
32. Can I change the layout of the Invoice?
All documents are modifiable. To amend the layout of the Invoice select the 'Setup' screen and choose 'Invoice Layout'. It is recommended that you click on the 'Help' icon and look at 'Making Changes' in the Electronic Reference Manual before attempting any changes.
33. Can I email the Quote/Invoice?
You cannot email the Quote or Invoice directly from within Customer Invoicing. You can, however, print the document to your screen and save it as .pdf file. You can now send a standard email using MS Outlook (or similar) and attaching the 'pdf file.
34. How many records can I hold in the system?
There is no maximum limit to the number of records you can hold.
35. Does it track Customer Payments.
Yes. You can track payments quite simply by going into a 'Reporting' screen and click on either
- Payment Analysis to show information about each payment received
- Payment Lines to show where the payment has been allocated
Both routines use the analysis function that allows you to filter and format the information to your individual requirement. It is recommended that you click on the 'Help' icon and look at 'Reporting and Analysis' in the Electronic Reference Manual to learn how to use this function
36. Does it have Price Lists
There are three price Lists. List Price, Trade Price and Special Price. You can link a Customer to a Price List and (if required) allocate a discount that is specific to this Customer. Also, you may amend the price when creating the Invoice details
37. Can I identify Discounts
You can enter a discount percentage in the Customer's master record. Each Customer can have a different percentage. This Discount percentage is copied to a new Invoice Header. It can be amended and made specific to that document.
When creating lines in the Invoice each line uses the Discount percentage identified in the Invoice Header. You may then amend this discount amount at the line level and make is specific to the line.
38. I would like to amend the format of the screens and documents. Can this be done and if so how?
The screen formats cannot be amended. You may, however, amend the format of all reports by selecting the 'Setup' screen and choosing the specific report.
39. Can I use my own numbering system when creating an Invoice?
You may enter a start Invoice Number in the Company Setup screen. The program will automatically increment Invoice Numbers from this start position.
40. Does Customer Invoicing have inventory management?
This is a Customer Invoice and payments processing facility and does not include inventory control and all it's associated functions.
41. Can I add Shipping charges to an invoice, and can I choose whether they're taxable or not?
On the Company Setup screen you may decide if Freight Basis (Shipping Charges) include Tax or not. Having defined this you can enter the Freight amount into the 'Freight' field of the Invoice. The freight will be itemised as a separate entry in the sub-total area of the document taking into account the incl/excl Tax option.
Note: If the Freight field has a zero entry then it will not print out on the document
If you wish to have the freight appearing as a detail line on the Invoice then simply enter it as a normal line.
42. Can I add text to invoice lines?
Yes, Create the line and then click on the last field in the line (Line Notes). This will display a drop-down area into which you may type your additional line text. This text will print along with the line details on the Invoice.
43. Can I generate an Invoicing schedule?
Yes, Select the 'Entry' screen and click on 'Contract Screen'. You can generate a schedule of Invoices by entering a default amount, the Invoicing frequency, and how many Invoices are to be generated using the frequency. The generated Invoices are now held in a separate folder until requested. They can be recalled and converted into physical Invoices at any time.
44. Can I print Invoices in Batch
Yes. The Invoice List screen allows you to filter the displayed Invoices to include Invoices yet to be printed.
45. Can I enter details that are specific to my Industry?
Certainly, This feature enables you to define Customer specific details relevant to your Industry profile. For example, a garage may wish to record your vehicle's licence number, VIN number, etc.
46. I create large complex Invoices. Are there any tools that can assist me in speeding up this process?
If you:
- Have standard tasks and/or charges
- Wish to select activities from a pre-defined list, or
- Wish to add a group of tasks from a single selection, or
- Wish to select various activities from multiple lists
Then you could use the Billing Templates. A single Billing Template comprises of a user-defined list of questions. Each question can have one of the following selection options:-
- Ask for a quantity and apply it to all Lines linked to the Question
- Enter Yes or No to select all Lines (as is) linked to the Question
- Enter Yes or No and then ask for a quantity if Yes to select all Lines linked to the Question and apply the quantity
- Enter Yes or No and then allow selection of one Line linked to the question if answer is Yes
- Don't ask the question but add all Lines
As each question can have multiple Lines and each Line can have extensive notes you can create a complex and extended Invoice by answering a few simple questions.
