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Data Conversions - DMC Audio Message - Monday, December 23, 2008 - 11:28 AM
Hi this is Doris!
Data Conversions: They sound simple, but the results can often be less than optimal.
Even the best data conversion performed by an existing manufacturer typically requires
testing and review. In its simplest form data can not take on new features if the
feature did not exist in the older software version. Also, data that converts without
review may place you in a situation where you need to maintain old practices; Meaning,
your boxed into the old ways.
There are two ways DMC Systems can help you with data conversion. We know the areas
in which to test post conversion so that you can change over to your new system,
while cleaning up old, bad habits. Also, if you are seeking to switch software,
we are able to cross map or interpret old software features and habits and implement
them into the new technology of your choice.
Data migration is important. Operational efficiencies can be gained when performed
correctly, easily recouping a consulting cost. Only converting the data will not
lead to the best result. A day of consulting can render the removal of costly existing
practices, static old information and retooling.
For instance, without instruction post-data conversion you may still be processing
invoices in MS Word. Also, professional data mapping or transalation should be high
value when switching software. Not all data converts cleanly.
Accounting Support - DMC Audio Message - Monday, December 22, 2008 - 10:47 AM
Hi this is Doris!
At DMC we believe we must earn a client's trust by delivering recommendations that
work. And in the accounting software world, trust and quality work each go a long
way.
We offer professional advice and software analysis presale. We also offer accounting
software support post sale, because we think that software maintenance agreements
need to be more focused on software technical support and less on accounting. Why
would we think that?
The recent tones of phone calls and user groups have proven that clients experience
far too much trouble when it comes to receiving quality accounting support. Unfortunately,
clients simply haven’t been getting the support they need from certain software
providers regarding their Accounting questions, and, understandably, clients feel
pressed financially to call in their questions only under their maintenance agreements
(which do not cover private consulting advice).
Accountants are trained in accounting and should be seen as the first source to
answer operational accounting issues and improvements. They are trained in GAAP
and understand the full impact of entries and the flow of dollars. DMC Systems Group
offers two skill sets: Accounting and Information Technology. We have the knowledge
of multiple companies accounting practices and are educated in multiple software
packages as well. Our professional accountants work closely with you and are trained
to quickly recognize what areas of your systems can be improved. Separate the need
for accounting support from software maintenance agreements. DMC Consulting fills
and solves for that missing need. Thanks for listening.
We all have our ears to the street on how to best control costs in business. Lately,
certain business sectors have been faced with an inability to raise prices while
their underlying margins are shrinking. For instance, publicly published technology
sectors show that the top line of their software license revenues may be showing
moderate growth year to year, but gross margin and overall client additions are
on the decline. Meaning it is costing more to garner new clients and sustain growth.
There are few expense lines that seem to be immune from price increases. Health
costs are one example....We are seeing the worst increases at all levels of health
insurance in 25 years: New deductibles, less coverage, higher copays and personal
contributions; and you will find it difficult to shop around for a cheaper policy.
Credit card companies are jacking interest rates cart blanche. Many postage Meter
providers have hidden fees and software companies have new license fee structures
that did not exist just a few years ago.
My advice: Call and address these issues in a professional manner, go straight to
the top, and get answers. Remember, you’re not the first person to call in...And
I think there is a great power in the hands of the consumer to push companies to
behave and keep their customer. Call and complain professionally; it works. Interest
rates can be negotiated, license fees reduced and those outrageous fees kept in
check.
I am not convinced a small company needs to have a postage meter provided by only
one postage manufacturer. Or that keeping licensing and maintenance fees year end
and year out for low value is a must to run a company for fear they would cripple
your operations somehow. Postpone them; they will take you back when things get
better. And regarding the credit card companies, there is legislature in front of
the Senate in order to rein in on their alleged user fees and rate jacking. These
industries just need some cross checking. Thanks for listening.
Investing Your Money Safely - DMC Audio Message - Wednesday, December 17, 2008 -
7:32 PM
Hi this is Doris!
You know the Old adages..."It's too good to be true" and "A blue bird flew into
my window" or getting "stuck or ripped off." None of these ever feel good.
The recent news headlines regarding Bernard L. Madoff Investment Securities LLC
where federal prosecutors alleged, as reported by Yahoo, said: "He had admitted
squandering nearly $50 billion from investors in a massive Ponzi scheme." Yet another
shocking story in the midst of recent econonmic typhoon. That's 50 billion just
shy of the estimated 25-75 billiion number thrown around to help bail out the top
3 auto makers for a month.
What is a Ponzi scheme....? Simply put....the investment person [or] firm takes
your money and offers a better rate of return than you can get anywhere, say 40%.
In turn, a person gets more investors to invest money with the promise of an even
greater rate of return. In fact, that rate of return is only from the new investors
money. Unless you keep adding investors eventually there is no money and the entire
thing collapses.
According to the US Securities and Exchange Commission, decades later, the Ponzi
scheme continues to work on the "rob-Peter-to-pay-Paul" principle, as money from
new investors is used to pay off earlier investors until the whole scheme collapses.
Think and be conservative when it comes to investing money, there really are no
short cuts, and its pretty impossible to beat the odds. Thanks for listening.
Go Green! - DMC Audio Message - Friday, December 12, 2008 - 3:54 PM
Hi this is Doris!
Here are some thoughts about Why your company should go green....and how can our
office add to the green effort.
Paper, paper, paper. if you are working in accounting, even with automation you
can still feel like your drowning in expense report slips. Mailing invoices to clients,
photocopying vendor invoices, project files, vendor files and billing backups can
suffocate your accounting department in labor costs.
We encourage companies to move to electronic storage and transmission of documents
and data. There are ways that you can keep your file systems and maintain control
while saving a few trees.
DMC moved to a new filing and document control system a few years ago, which over
time should keep our paper copies to a bear minimum. Consider how you too can contribute
and utilize us as a resource in the coming year.
Planning for the Unknown - DMC Audio Message - Wednesday, December 03, 2008 - 1:06
PM
Hi this is Doris!
Planning for the unknown is not easy. Depending on what stage of life you are in,
sometimes sudden illness or the loss of a loved one can spin your accounting into
a nightmare. There are times when you or your staff may not be able to work, for
surgical, accidental or familial reasons.
We can come in and help you document those accounting tasks that only one person
performs or has knowledge of. Or, should the unexpected occur, we offer transitional
urgent care to correct trial balances and transfer information to your CPA for final
reporting.
Just knowing DMC Systems is available to document critical accounting functions
can be a great comfort, and our accountants, bookkeepers, CPAs, and consultants
are prepared to help.
Remote Works and Why - DMC Audio Message - Monday, December 01, 2008 - 2:52 PM
Hi this is Doris!
I thought we would all be wired by 1990 when a client of mine who came out of MIT
as a traveling consultant said, "in order for us to conduct work, you will need
to use the internet". so with my trusty 1400 baud modem, I used hyper terminal dial
up to a VAX system in Cambridge and began to transmit business upload files via
the internet. No graphics, all plain text.
Amazing, it really took until the past 3-5 years where businesses have finally caught
on or see it as a must-have in order to conduct business, not just sending emails
and file attachments, but connecting to live data on their network. At DMC we've
been remote internally for many many years, fully accessing our accounting via the
web and our day to day data files via our virtual private network. What's great
is that our clients have been ever increasingly doing it.
That is we are able to connect to clients to teach via live webinars, or adjust
and review their accounting in live manner. This eliminates lbs of paper and back
and forth in communication that use to take days or weeks with scheduling. We don't
place the responsibility on client to use a particular remote interface, we are
setup and designed to securely log into most remote networks whether its Cisco,
Citrix, gotomypc, Microsoft virtual network, NNC viewer, Remote Desktop for instance.
Remote access allows vendors, owners, staff to perform their jobs from anywhere
which affords and maximizes peoples time when appropriate.
BillQuick - DMC Audio Message - Wednesday, November 26, 2008 - 10:12 AM
Hi this is Doris.
There’s a reason so many AE firms and small companies use MYOB and QuickBooks. It's
because of their simplicity and ease of use. Price matters too, of course, (its
surprisingly inexpensive for all you get) but its the ease of use that make these
products popular. However, unless you look to 3rd party solutions, some industry
specific needs miss the mark, such as having a strong billing and job cost system
designed for the architecturual or engineering fields. I was turned off to most
3rd party solutions because their integration missed the mark and weren't as seamless
as I'd hoped. But BillQuick has developed a solution that works.
BillQuick is a stand alone billing and job cost system that has synchronization
with the most popular small business general ledger packages. The product collects
time and expense, job costs it with overhead and passes the invoices, expenses,
and payroll back to the general ledger with surprising smoothness. It also does
a pretty neat job of synchronizing customer and vendor records. A great example
of this is when we bumped up against a practioner that uses ACT, syncs the customer
records with QuickBooks, which in turn synchs with BillQuick. And all for a reasonable
cost if you love your small end general ledger package.
Training - DMC Audio Message - Friday, November 21, 2008 - 08:47 AM
Hi this is Doris.
I wish there was a better word for training, it sounds rote or static. It sounds
like what adults have to do post formal education.Preferably, we can call it learning,
that is, understanding what we do at our jobs on a day to day or improving our approach
through technique and behavior modfication.
We offer training but we prefer to think of it as teaching people to learn and catering
to their personal characteristics. Clients learn at differing paces and methods.
When they do come to us, especially since its almost entirely post formal education,
they want to be understood and to definitely receive a valuable experience.
So we have manuals and books to teach with, but we mostly use them as guides and
tools when appropriate, and then we dig in and figure things out on a one to one
if that's what makes it work for the client.
Why hire us? - DMC Audio Message - Wednesday, November 19, 2008 - 12:44 PM
Hi this is Doris. Why hire us?
In short, we understand accounting. We Live it, we teach it, and we think out of
the box when it comes to finding solutions. Software that's fresh off the shelf,
or from the maker, doesn't always live up to all of its initial promises, at least
not right away. And that's where we come in.
We can make software work for our clients as it was intended to work. Our focus
is in operations, (workflow, data entry and the resulting reports). The result our
clients often experience after using us is a successful accounting and project/owner
management system.
Software serves to make a client happy and to fulfill a client's needs. Accounting
is a skill set usually best delivered by those schooled in and dedicated to it.
As an Independent consultant firm , we are not focused on a single software software
package. We work with and are versed in many software packages in order to provide
you the most appropriate fit.
MAC Lovers and MYOB - DMC Audio Message - Monday, November 17, 2008 - 3:56 PM
Hi this is Doris. Here’s a message for a our Macintosh lovers or windows clients
still tethered to an obsolete windows application and want Apple.
MYOB is an application we support, and they have supported us for all our years
of existence. For those who don't know what MYOB is, it's a good accounting product
that was originally built for the MAC, which is always current with MAC OS, and
over the past 20 years it has routinely improved its features and its graphics.
For instance, Account Edge NE 2009 is the newest release of their MAC network version
of MYOB. We have clients that operate inventory systems with 4-10 concurrent users,
over thousands of items of inventory with assemblies for years. MYOB has a really
decent time and billing system for service companys. And it integrates with Daylite,
has always done a great job with MAC office integration for mail merge and lables
and is now enhanced for applescript.
Remember, MAC is also viable solution, and DMC can help get your company up to speed.
Data Retention - DMC Audio Message - Monday, November 17, 2008 - 1:48 PM
Hi this is Doris. Data retention and backup routines are vital to your company’s
well-being and long-term survival. Often times, firms feel as though an electronic
data backup is sufficient enough to cover all their needs, and while archiving electronic
data is certainly a great part of an everyday backup routine, we at DMC have encountered
too many situations in which clients are in need of older data due to unforeseeable
events. For example, one of our clients invoices for 2006 needed to be audited by
the IRS. Unfortunately, our client discovered that their data sets had been corrupt,
dating back to several backups, and so they didn’t have a reliable starting point
to go off of.
It’s not just about backing up data or having an automated solution that you “think”
is backing up data. Many of our clients use us once a month at a very low cost in
order to take a backup of their accounting data and to perform a database integrity
check in order to be sure that the data is in good condition and is able to be restored.
Be sure to give your backup solutions a second thought and plans for recovery.
Bookkeeping, A DMC Trademark - DMC Audio Message - Friday, November 14, 2008 - 3:37
PM
Hi this is Doris.
We value and embrace a clean set of books...and so do owners...knowing high quality
bookkeeping has been a trademark of DMC for all of its 12 years. Our staff relates
to the day to day job of the bookkeeper, meaning we have performed their functions
from billing to bank recs to payroll processing. This makes for a great solution
in times of absence or transitional training of new staff. Thanks for listening.
Current Projects Update - DMC Audio Message - Friday, November 14, 2008 - 2:34 PM
Hi this is Doris, and I'd like to share with you some information about our current
projects!
This month we're working on an Advantage to Ajera conversion for a local engineering
firm of 25 people. In this project, our role is to implement the accounting software
and to migrate data such as project information, vendors, and accounting history.
We are also working on a similiar project, for a Wind2 to Deltek Vision conversion,
for a 40 person architectural interior firm, helping with software design, installation,
training and migration .
To boot, we have begun the test phase of ACT, an older CRM system, into the Vision
CRM system, for a 75pp architectural firm with over 6000 contacts.
Thanks for listening, and call us any time at 617 383 6090