S u c c e s s S t r a t e g i e s f o r U s e r s o f C S P r o f e s s i o n a l S u i t e S o f t w a r e

Volume Five • Number Three

Ryan McCowan, CPA.CITPGreene & McCowan, CPAsLondon, Kentucky — Page 6

2007 Creative Solutions Users' Conference Presenter Ryan McCowan with Amy, Whitney and Ashley

Working & unWinding in Waikoloa

Working & unWinding in Waikoloa

littlemorethanoneyearago,SonyaLaneyleftagoodjobatalargepublicaccountingfirmtospendmorequal-

itytimewithherhusbandandtwin11-year-olddaughters.SheopenedSonyaL.Laney,P.A.,offeringaccounting,taxpreparationandsmallbusinessconsultingservicesinDaytonaBeachShores,Florida.

Sixmonthsintohernewventure,Laneymadeasimilarcommitmenttoher38corporateand185taxclientsbyinvestinginVirtualOfficeCS.

“Ibegantoquestiondataintegrityandsecu-rity,becauseeverythingwasonalocalsystem,”Laneysays.“IthoughtlongandhardaboutwhatwouldhappenifIwasannihilatedbyahurricane,hadafire,oriftheofficewasbrokeninto.Whatwouldhappentomyclienteleandwhatwouldhappentomeifanyofthoseeventsoccurred?Iwasn’tpreparedfortheunknown.”

Laneychoosestoworkinapaperlessenvi-ronment;herentirebusinessisonasinglepieceofhardware.Shescansallclientdocumentsforherrecordsandreturnstheoriginals.

“Iwanttobeefficient,effective,andpaper-lesstoprotectmyselfandmyclientele,andasaresult,everythingisonmycomputer,”shesays.“Istreamlinemyfunctionsbyscanningallmycli-ents’sourcedocuments.Idon’tkeeptheirpaper;Igivethembackeverything.Idon’teverhavetoworryaboutlosingtheirdocumentsifacatas-tropheoccurred.Theclientsareresponsibleforstoringtheirowndocuments.Iputeverythingonadigitalimage.It’seasierandlessexpensivetostoreonCDs.ButbecauseI’maone-personoperation,Iwasconcernedaboutwhatwouldhappenifsomeonegotholdofmycomputeror

wasabletoaccessit.”Anytime-anywhere access

VirtualOfficeCSprovidesanytime-any-whereaccesstoCSProfessionalSuite,Microsoft® Office®,andMicrosoftExchangesoftwareandfiles.UsingadvancedApplicationServiceProvider(ASP)technology,VirtualOfficeCSisanalternatesoftwaredeliveryservicethatoffersremote24/7Internetaccesstosoftwareanddata,relievingtheITburdenandensuringbusinesscontinuance—nomatterthesituation.

InVirtualOfficeCS,programsoper-ateexactlyasifthesoftwarewereresidingon

thebusiness’scomputer.And,allcalculationsanddataarerunningonsecureserversintheThomsonDataCenter.CreativeSolutionsisresponsibleforhardwareandsoftwaremainte-

nanceandupdates,relievingtheaccountantandstaffoftheeffort.Theuserjustlogsonandgoestowork.

“Noonepersonornoeventcanputmeoutofbusinessanymore,”Laneysays.“IhavetakenthethingsIcan’tcontrolandhavemadethemaspeedbumpinlifewithVirtualOfficeCS.Ican’tliveworryingabouttomorrow,butIhavetoanticipate.Thissoftwareismyinsurancepolicytopreventhavingmyclients’dataoutthereforthewholeworldtosee.Itprotectsthemfromidentitytheftandprivacyissuesandthatgivesthemagoodfeeling.And,itkeepsmeinbusi-ness.”

“Idon’twanttobebotheredtryingtocre-ateawebsite,”shesays.“Idon’tknowhowtodoitanddon’twanttolearn.IcangointoCreativeSolutions’WebBuilderCSsoftwareandchangemysitewheneverIwant.Theyhavetheintel-ligenceandsoftware.ItellthemwhatIwantonmysiteanditmiraculouslyappears.Imaintainmywebsitethroughthem.Ijustneedapasswordtologin.”

Laney’swebsiteisalsosecure,andincludeshere-mail.

“Mygoalistoturnovereverythinginmypracticetoasecureenvironment,”shesays.“CreativeSolutionsisresponsibleforbackingupmyinformation.Theyhouseitontheirownsecureservers.Idon’thavetoworryaboutit.”

VirtualOfficeCSoffersmanyotherfea-tures,andallowsLaneytoworkontaxreturnsfromherhome.Allsheneedsisahigh-speedInternetconnection.AndwhatifshewantstosetupaclientwithClientBookkeepingSolution?

“PriortoVirtualOfficeCS,Ihadtorunalicensediskfrommyoffice,andtakethesoftware

“No one person or no

event can put me out

of business anymore,”

Laney says. “I have

taken the things I can’t

control and have made

them a speed bump in

life with Virtual Office

CS.”

ANYTIME, ANYWHERE,NO MATTER WHAT

Florida accountant uses Virtual oFFice cs to proVide herselF and her clients 24/7 internet access to soFtware and data.

A

VIEW POINT

Process InnovatIon: Beyond Applicationsstaxandaccountingprofessionals,weallseemtohavecertaintraitsincom-mon—attentiontodetail,intensedrive,

andstrictadherencetopoliciesandprocedures.Thesecharacteristicsarecrucialtomaintainingthehigheststandardsofintegrityinahighlyreg-ulatedprofession.Yetthesesametraits,coupledwiththefamiliarityoftraditionalaccountingmethods,mayalsotendtoslowouradoptionofnewandinnovativeprocessesthatcanresultinincrediblebenefitsforindividualfirms,theirclients,andtheprofessionasawhole. Today’saccountingfirmsmustlookbeyondapplicationsandfocusoninnovativeprocessestotrulyrealizesignificantproductiv-itygainsandkeeppacewiththeleadersintheprofession.Andalthoughnewtechnologyisthekeydriverinprocessinnovation,itdoesnothavetobetheonlydriver. Afrequentlyusedtermintheaccountingprofessiontodayis“workflow.”Unfortunatelyinmanyfirms,thetermmeanssimplyplacinganewtechnologyoveranexisting,antiquatedprocess.Althoughtechnologycanassist,processinnovationistrulyunleashedbycompletelyre-thinkingexistingprocedures,andthenconsider-ingautomationwithadvancednewtechnology. Lettinggoofthe“we’vealwaysdoneitthatway”mindsetandembracingthedigitizationoftheprofession—whichincludesintegration,paperlessandtheweb—willallowfirmstosuper-chargetheirlevelofprocessinnovation.Andaninstitutionalobsessionwithprocessimprovementwillbethecultureoffirmsthatcanexpecttodrivetheirgrowthinexcessofthenorm.Intheaccountingprofession,likeanyindustryorprofes-sion,therateofinnovationwillbewhatseparateshigh-growthfirmsfromtherestofthepack. Notsolongago,theonlyoptionforprepar-inganddeliveringtaxreturnswasaduplicatedata-entryandpaper-basedprocess.Today,iffirmsadoptnewtoolsandoperateinadigitalenvironment,theprocessiscompletedwithfarlesseffort,atlesscost,anddeliveredmoretimely.Thosefirmsthathaveadoptedweb-basedclientorganizers,e-filinganddigitalproductdeliverymethodswillneverreturntothepaper-drivenprocess.Andwhylimitnewefficienciesonlytotaxprocessing?Whynotlookatalloftheday-to-dayprocessesinaccountingfirmsthesameway? Forexample,FileCabinetCSenablesaccountantstosecurelystorevirtuallyanydocu-

mentdigitally,sotheycanaccess,view,oremailtheminstantly.FirmsthatutilizeFileCabinetCSarevirtuallypaperless.Theysaveanenormousamountoftime,moneyandstoragespace—allfromimplementinganewprocess.AndI’msuretheywouldnotgobacktolifebeforeFileCabinetCS.Moreover,addingtechnologytomanagealldigitalcommunicationandcollaborationbothinternallyandexternallywithinthefirmwouldresultinevenmoreefficiency.NewparadigmsinpracticemanagementsuchasPracticeCSaredesignedtoprovidejustsuchefficiencies. Intheaccountingprofession,therearetwotypesoffirms.“Step-change”firmsarethosewhoimplementnewprocessesandtechnologyinadiscontinuousway,generallyoneadvanceatatime,takinga“step”atatimeinhopesthattheywillgainefficiencies.“Process-oriented”firmsmakeprocessinnovationawayoflifebycontinu-ouslyre-thinkingtheirprocessesandbeingopentochange.Trueprocess-orientedfirmsrealizethatprocessinnovationisnotasingleorperiodicevent—it’severythingyoudo,everyday. Ichallengeeachofyoutoanalyzethewayyouconductyourworkeachday.Ifyouclingtohowyouhavedonethingsinthepast,eventhoughyoumightaddtechnologyinhopesofdrivingefficienciesbasedon“thewayyou’vealwaysdoneit”,yourfirmwillnotadvance.Insteadofrelyingonconventionalmethodsandapplications,examineyourprocesses.Changingyourviewinthiswaycanresultinstaggeringbenefitsforyourfirm. Toremaincompetitive,accountantsshouldberesponsivetotheinnovativeproductsmadeavailablethroughtechnologicaladvancementsandlookbeyondtheconventionalmethodsinherentintheprofessionbyfocusingontrueprocessinnovation.ThomsonTax&Accountingcanprovidetheproductandserviceinnovationyouneedtotransformyourprocesses,result-inginmajortimesavings,areductioninnon-billabletime,increasedefficiency,andultimatelyhigherprofitability.Drivingprocessinnovationisthefoundationofourbusiness.

Jonathan A. BaronPresident, Professional Software & Services, Thomson Tax & Accounting

A

In This Issue

Page 2Viewpoint Accounting firms must look beyond applications and focus on innovative processes to keep pace with the leaders.

Page 3NewslineThe latest news about FileCabinet CS source document module, credit card processing in CBS, training, and more.

Page 4Idea File27th Annual Users’ Conference report includes a selection of best practices.

Page 6Cover Story In London, Kentucky, the success of Ryan McCowan’s firm is based on technology, productivity and workflow.

Page 10Software in ActionIndiana CPA Don Zehner’s firm succeeds by helping clients succeed, using UltraTax CS.

Page 13Tips & TacticsHow do you mail a tax return to a client directly from within UltraTax CS? Get ready for tax season with this and other tips.

COVER: Thomson Tax & Accounting Users’ Conference presenter Ryan McCowan relaxes at the Hilton Waikoloa Village between sessions with (from left) his wife Amy and daughters Whitney and Ashley. He credits technology, productivity and workflow for his firm’s success. The conference seminar he conducted was called “How to manage a Tech-Savvy Firm.”

Solutions is published by Thomson Tax & Accounting, 7322 Newman Boulevard, Dexter, MI 48130; (800) 968.8900. Printed in the United States. Copyright 2007 Thomson Tax & Accounting. Vol. 5, No. 3.

2 SoLUTIoNS . Vol. 5, No. 3

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Thomson Tax & accounTing Receives FiRsT-Place honoRs—ResulTs FRom The sTaTe Tax adminisTRaToRs’ annual suRvey announced

WeareexcitedtoannouncethatThomsonTax&AccountingreceivedtophonorsintwocategorieswithintheStateTaxAdministrators’2007annualsurveyoftaxsoftwarevendors.SurveyresultswerepresentedatNACTP’s(NationalAssociationofComputerizedTaxProcessors)AnnualMeetinginAugust.Wereceivedfirst-placehonorsintwoofthreecategories:BestOverallVendorand2-DBarcode.Wealsoreceivedsecond-placehonorsfore-filing.Taxadministratorsfrom28statespartici-patedinthisyear’sannualsurvey. TaxsoftwarevendorsarejudgedonseveralcriteriaforboththeBestOveralland2-DBarcoderecognitions.Statetaxadmin-istratorsassessthequalityoftaxformdesignandaccuracyandtimelinessinrelationtoavendor’ssubmissionforapprovalforfinaldeliverytocustomers. TakingfirstplaceintwooutofthreesurveycategoriesfurtherreinforcesThomsonTax&Accounting’scommitmenttoworkingcloselywithgovernmentagenciestoprovideourcustomerswithbest-of-breedsoftware.YoucanaccessthefullpressreleaseonthisstorybyvisitingusatCS.Thomson.com.

new FilecabineT cs souRce documenT module oFFeRs Timesavings wiTh ocR

Opticalcharacterrecognition(OCR)technologyisakeytransitiontechnologythatwebelievecanhelptostreamlineworkflowforsomeofourusers.OurnewFileCabinetCSSourceDocumentmoduleoffersUltraTaxCSusersanalternateapproachtothetaxpreparationprocessthatwillnotonlysavedata-entrytime,butalsosavepreparationtimethatrequiresaprofessional. Fortheupcoming2007taxseason,weareofferinganewFileCabinetCSSourceDocumentmoduleto100selectfirmsasalimitedpilotrelease,withafullcommercialreleaseplannedforthe2008taxseason.ThisfirstgenerationmodulebringsOCRfunc-

tionalityintoFileCabinetCSandUltraTaxCStoenableidentificationofcertaintax-sourcedocumentsandcaptureoftaxdata,whichcanbeintegratedintoUltraTaxCSfortaxprocessing.Designedforfirmswithacentralized,up-frontscanningtaxprepa-rationprocess,themoduleenablesthesefirmstosaveadditionaltimebyshiftingtheresponsibilityforadvancesource-documentscanninganddataentryfromtheprofes-sionalpreparertoanon-accountantadmin-istrativestaffmember. TheFileCabinetCSSourceDocumentmoduleisanotherexampleofourcommit-menttodevelopadvancedtechnologythathelpsourusersbeasefficientandcosteffec-tiveaspossible.Pilotfirmsareencouragedtouseadministrativestafftoscantax-sourcedocumentspriortoprofessionalprepara-tionofthetaxreturn.Thesefirmsshouldalsowantadministrativestafftoverifytheaccurate“reading”ofthedatafromthesourcedocumentsintoUltraTaxCS.Ifinter-ested,contactyourCSCustomerServiceRepresentativeat(800)968-0600,oremailCS.Service@Thomson.com.

on-demand TRaining couRses deliveR 24/7 convenience

InSeptemberofthisyear,CSProfessionalSuiteOn-DemandTrainingwentliveonCS.Thomson.com.Thisnewoptionforconvenientandaffordableonlinetraininghitthegroundrunningwithuserswantingmore.MichaelMorales(ScherrerHernandez,SanJuan,PR)wassosatisfiedwiththepurchaseofhisfirsttwoclasses,thathepurchasedathirdclassaweeklater.“Ourstaffcantakethecoursesattheirownpacewheneverandwherevertheywant,andkeeptrackoftheirprogressontheirownMyTrainingpage.Andyoucan’tbeattheprice,”statedHernandez. Atonly$99percourse,On-DemandTrainingoffersaninexpensiveandconve-nientwaytogetyourstaffacquaintedwithCSProfessionalSuitesoftware.Eachcourseprovidesuserswithanintroductoryover-viewofproductcapabilities—withinaself-directedtrainingexperience.Andbecausethecoursesarewebbased,theycanbe

accessedbyanyoneinyourfirm,atanytime,andfromanywhereanInternetconnectionisavailable.Ranginginlengthfromonetotwohours,thecoursesremainactiveonlineforafullsix-monthtimeperiod,andareauto-maticallyupdatedwithcontentrevisions. On-DemandTrainingsupportsourcommitmenttoprovideavarietyoftrainingoptionsthathelpyoumakethemostofyoursoftwareinvestmentandbeasefficientaspossible.ToreviewtheentirelibraryofOn-DemandTrainingandregisterforcourses,visitCS.Thomson.com/Training/OnDemand.

new online 401(k) oFFeRs easy, aFFoRdable 401(k) adminisTRaTion

Payrollserviceproviderslookingtoexpandtheirserviceswillsoonhaveaneasy,cost-effectivewayfortheirsmallbusinessclientstoofferemployeesa401(k)plan.ThomsonTax&AccountinghaspartneredwithTheOnline401(k),aweb-basedretire-mentplansolutionbuilttoaddressthe401(k)needsofsmallbusinesses. TheOnline401(k)fullyintegrateswithPayrollCS,simplifyingday-to-dayplanman-agementwithseamlessdatatransfercapability. Inanerawhentheresponsibilityforretirementplanningfallssquarelyontheshouldersofindividualemployees,TheOnline401(k)allowssmallbusinessownerstoaffordablyoffertheiremployeesa401(k)planbenefit.Foraccountingfirms,thecapa-bilitytoadministertheirclients’401(k)plansintroducesanewsourceofrevenue,allow-ingthemtoincreaseclientretentionandcompetewithpayrollgiantssuchasADP,Paychex,andFidelity. InitialdesignandsetupofTheOnline401(k)isasimple30-minuteonlineprocess.Oncethesystemissetup,PayrollCSauto-maticallycreatesa401(k)informationfileeachtimepayrollisrun,whichisthensenttoTheOnline401(k)foraccountupdating. KeyfeaturesofTheOnline401(k)includeaffordableflatfeestructuresbasedonnumberofemployees,livecustomersup-port,theabilitytoholdonlineenrollment“meetings,”onlineaccountaccess,aseparate

NEWSLINE

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4 SoLUTIoNS . Vol. 5, No. 3

IDEA FILE

how To manage a Tech-savvy FiRm Paula Moerbe James, Rickmeier, Boyd & Farrell Waco, Texas

With90associates,theaccountingfirmof James,Rickmeier,Boyd&Farrell,Waco,Texas,maynotbethetypicaluserofVirtualOfficeCS.However,thefirmisseriouslyconsideringadoptingthisprogram. “We’reverydepart-mentalized,”saysbusi-nesssupportdepartmentmanagerPaulaMoerbe.“I’mtotallybehindintegration.WeuseNetClientCSinaverybigway.Idon’tgivepotentialclientstheoptionnottousethisprogrambecauseitoffersthemsomanybenefits.Theycanlookattheirbankaccountbalances,alltheirchecksandaccountsreceivable—anythingtheywantwhetherthey’reintownoronacruiseintheGreekIslands.Itdoesn’tmatter.” NetClientCShasbeenaprofitableinvestmentforthefirm.Inthelastthreemonthsthedepartmentgener-ated$50,000inrevenue. “IfwedidnothaveNetClientCS,wecouldn’thavegrownlikewe’vegrown,”Moerbesays.“Here’sanexam-ple:wehadaclientwhoseCFOwasn’treconcilingbankaccounts.Theycametoustorectifythesituation,butwiththeprogramtheywereusing(QuickBooks),theycouldn’tseetheinformation.WithNetClientCStheycanseebankreconciliationsandknowexactlywhat’soutstanding.Theycanseetheircheckbookonline.Itbasicallyprovidestheclientwithcompleteaccessibilitytotheirentireaccount.Asfarasourfirmisconcerned,it’sbetterforustooffersomethingthatourclientscanseeandunderstandratherthandoitwithsoftwarein-houseandkeepingithere.”

exPeRience The comPeTiTive edge wiTh checkPoinT®

Tricia Rhame Thomson Tax & Accounting Research & Guidance Orlando, Florida

BecauseCheckpoint isaresearchproduct,itintegrateswiththeUltraTaxCSsystemtolinkbothprogramstoresearchinformationonwhat-evertopicisselectedinUltraTaxCS. “AccountantscanuseThomsonTax&Accountingproductsfromtwoseparatearms(CheckpointandUltraTaxCS)todotaxreturnsandeasilyfindresearchinformationrightfromthereturn,”Rhamesays.“Fromtheircom-puterscreen,theycanjumpouttoCheckpointandgetananswer,explanationormoreinformation,notjustfromoureditors,butlinkingouttoothersourcematerial.” Checkpointnotonlylinkstoavarietyofresearchinfor- mation,butalsopopulatesthedatatoreportsandletters. “ThiscanbeincorporatedintoclientlettersorprintedwithEngagementCS,”Rhamesays.“Theinformationgoesrightintotheclient’sbinder.Thereisnodisconnect;every-thingcanbedoneatonce.Checkpointmakesthetaxandaccountingproductadesktopsolution.” Whenresearchchanges,accountantsarealertedtohowthisaffectsthetaxreturnandclient. “Checkpointissetuptodothealertautomati-cally,”Rhamesays.“WhentheUltraTaxCSsystemissetup,Checkpointisbuiltin.Ittellsthesystemtonotifytheaccountantwhensomethinghappens.Or,theycancustomizethesystem.Forexample,ifaspecificpieceofinformationchanges,theywillbealerted.Checkpointsendsthemanemailwhentheylogin.Thiskeepsaccountantsuptodatenomatterwhattheydo.Theydon’thavetoworrythattheymissedsomething.”

Smart ideas shared at the Creative Solutions 27th ANNuAl uSERS’ CONfERENCE

5SoLUTIoNS . Vol. 5, No. 3

FiRm PRocess managemenT Charles Tzinberg Tzinberg, Goldenberg and Dowdy, a Stone Carlie Co. Glen Carbon, Illinois

Implementationofsoftwareandprocessescanimprovetheefficiencyofanyfirm.Thegoalistogetclientsusingotherprograms(QuickBooks)toswitchto ClientBookkeepingSolution. “Thisisabigissueforallofus,”Tzinbergsays.“Mostofusdon’tlikeotherprogramsandwouldmuchratheruseCBSbecauseit’sfoolproof.Otherprogramsallowclientstodowhatevertheywant,whetherit’scorrectornot.Wecanendupspendinghoursandhoursunravel-ingsomethingtheydidinthatprogramthatCBSwouldnotallowthemtodo.WetellclientsthatCBSintegratesseam-lesslywiththesoftwareweuse.Wecanimportfromtheotherprograms,butit’snottrueintegration.” AccordingtoTzinberg,theperfectclientissomeonewhousesCBS-ASPandhisfirmdoestheirpayroll. “WithCSProfessionalSuiteproducts,wehaveaccessanytime,anywheretothesamedataandcanhaveamuchbetterconversationwiththeclient,”heexplains.“Wedon’thavetodoanyimportingorkeyingin;wejustreview theirentries.” Thisisthe18thCreativeSolutionsUsers’ConferenceTzinberghasattended. “Myfavoritepartisinteractingwithotherusers,”hesays.“ThisconferenceinHawaiiisthefirstconference formanyoftheattendees.Goingtohands-ondemonstra-tionsandworkshopsisgreat,buttalkingtoeachotherisanotherwonderfulaspect.There’salwaysalottolearnfromeachother.”

Alohatothe27thAnnualCreativeSolutionsUsers’Conference. Whilethesunhassetonthisyear’sconference,theknowl-edgegainedwillcontinueoninfirmsacrossthecountry.ConveningattheHiltonWaikoloaVillage™inWaikoloa,morethan600participantsenjoyedinformativeworkshops,prod-uctdemos,keynotespeeches,andone-on-oneinteractionwithThomsonTax&Accountingexpertstaff—nottomentionspecialevents,includingthePolynesianPa’inaHawaiianLuau. TheconferencebeganwithawelcomereceptionWednesdaynight,whereattendeesandstaffhadachancetomingleandgearupforthenextfewdaysoflearning,sharing,andfun.OnThursdaymorning,JonBarondeliveredapowerfulkeynoteaddress—highlightingtheimportanceofprocessinnovationsbeyondapplications.Overthenextfewdays,attendeesenjoyednetworkingwithcolleaguesfromacrossthecountry—allwithinanoncompetitive,friendlyenvironment.Otherkeynotespeak-ersincluded;GaryL.Boomer,CEOofBoomerConsulting,andRebeccaRyan,founderofNextGenerationConsulting. UserslefttheCreativeSolutionsUsers’Conferencewithprac-tical,productiveideasandinformationthatcanbeimplementedwithintheirfirms.Overall,the2007conferencestartedandendedwithhighlevelsofenergyandweanticipatethe2008confer-encewillbejustassuccessful.ThenextUsers’ConferencewilltakeplaceNovember5-8,2008,atTheGaylordTexanonLakeGrapevineinGrapevine,Texas.Wehopetoseeyouthere.

Sharing Ideas at the users’ Conference

henCPAsRyanMcCowanandSteveGreenestartedtheirfirmin1998,thegoalwastobuilda

practicebasedontechnology,productiv-ityandworkflow.ForthesmallLondon,Kentucky,firmtheresultsareimpressive. Besidesthetwopartners,therearetwopayrollstaffmembersandanaccountingclerk.Thefirmprocesses3,000to3,500pay-rollchecksperweekand12,000W-2formsperyear,andthereisstillroomforgrowth.

“Everythingwedoisbasedonproduc-tivity,”McCowansays.“WeprovideabetterqualityofservicetoourclientsbyutilizingtechnologyandworkflowefficiencyandmovingtotheInternet.Knowingthegoalswehad,theonlyproductsonthemarketthatcomeevenclosetoprovidinguswithwhatweneededistheCSProfessionalSuite.ProductslikeVirtualOfficeCSandNetClientCSaretheonlytoolsavailabletotakeuswherewewanttogo.”

On their own McCowangraduatedin1993fromtheUniversityofKentuckywithadegreeinaccounting.Heworkedatamedium-sizedfirminLondonuntil1998,whenhewentonhisownwithoneofthatcompany’spartners,Greene. Greene&McCowan,CPAs,workwithlocalsmallbusinessesinmarketsrangingfromcoalminingtobankingwithannualsalesof$100,000to$30million.Thefirmpreparesabout800taxreturnsforbusinessesandindividuals,processes60payrolls,andservesasafractionalcontrollerforabout30smallbusinesses.

W

6 SoLUTIoNS . Vol. 5, No. 3

USER PROFILE

Three keys To INNOVATION

Firm’s success is based on technology, productiVity and workFlow

We provide a better quality of service to our clients by utilizing technology and workflow efficiency and moving to the Internet.

7SoLUTIoNS . Vol. 5, No. 3

USER PROFILE

“Asacontractcontroller,”McCowansays,“weactuallyhelpclientsruntheirbusiness.Wepreparetaxreturnsandgetfinancialstatementstothebank.OurnicheisMcDonald’sfranchisees.Weworkwith12operatorsand65storesinfourstates.”

Payroll specialists Payrollpreparationisanexampleofthefirm’scommitmenttoinnovativework-flow.Allelementsofthepayrollworkflowarecarefullyexamined.Howisinformationreceived?Whatcanbedonetomakethe processmoreefficient?Whatisthebestwaytogetinformationbacktotheclient? Initsearlyyears,thefirmworkedwithdataentryworksheetsforeachemployeeandkey-punchedtheinformation.Today,withthelatesttechnology,payrollspecial-istsreceiveinformationfromaMcDonald’soperatorwith17storeselectronically,directly

fromhiscomputersystem.Thefirmconvertsthisdata,pullsitintoPayrollCS,andpro-cessesapayrollfor600to700employeesin30minutes. “MybrotherandIhelpedcreateabridgeprogramtoallowtheclient’sinformationtocomeintoCSsoftware,”McCowansays.“Wedopayrollforalocalbankwithmulti-citylocations,andtheprocessiscompletelypaperless.WereceivetheirinformationinanExcel®spreadsheetandprocesspayrollforupto300employeesinlessthan20minutes.ThebankreceivesthereportsonlinethroughtheirportalwithNetClientCS.TheiremployeesuseWebEmployeetolookattheirpaystubsandW-2sandtochangeW-4s.” Thesameconceptisappliedtowrite-upandtaxpreparation.Thefirmalwayslooksforwaystogetinformationelectronically. “Withwrite-upweuseClientBookkeepingSolution,”McCowansays.“It

ishostedonNetClientCS,sowecanaccessinformationatanytime.Whenaclientisfinishedattheendofthemonth,wepulltheinformationoffthehostedsiteandelec-tronicallyreconcilebankstatements,whicharealsoincorporatedinCSProfessionalSuite.ThenweprintfinancialstatementstoFileCabinetCSanduploadthemtoNetClientCSportals.Again,theprocessispaperless,efficientandproductive.Alotofourefficienciescomefromworkingdirectlywiththebusinessesandhavingtheabilitytointegrateinformation. “SoftwareintegrationisbyfartheprimaryadvantageofThomsonTax&Accounting,”hecontinues.“Whenwe’rerunningpayroll,thejournalentrieswillcom-pletelyintegratewiththeaccountingpackage.Thesameistruewhenwe’repreparingtaxreturns;theinformationwillbeintegratedwiththeclient’saccountingpackage.”

Clients are receptive Mostclientsareveryreceptivetothistechnology.McCowanandGreeneexplainwhattheyneedtodowithregardtowork-flowforbetterproductivity. “Whenwecomeintoanewsitua-tion,”McCowansays,“wetellclientshowwework.Ifwe’redoingtheirpayroll,wegetthemtoentertheinformationonline.Ifwe’redoingaccountingwork,they’lluseClientBookkeepingSolution—ASPwiththeNetClientCSenvironment.We’regoingtorunourbusinessourselves;wedon’tlet clientsrunit.” McCowanrecountsastoryaboutaclientwhowasn’treadytojumponboardwithnewtechnology. “Thenonedayhisbookkeeperleft,”hesays.“Theclientdidn’tknowthepass-wordsandcouldn’taccessanyinformation.Unfortunately,weseethishappeningallthetime.Ontheotherhand,withourtechnol-ogywecantakeoveronaninterimbasisto

8 SoLUTIoNS . Vol. 5, No. 3

How to Manage a Tech-Savvy Firm

AttheCreativeSolutionsUsers’Conference,RyanMcCowanconducted aworkshoptitled“HowtoManageaTech-SavvyFirm.”Histhemewasthattechnologicalinnovationisthekeytothefutureoftheaccountingprofession. “Technologyiswhatwillmakeyourpracticeflourishandbesuccessful,”hesays. Whenitcomestosoftware,forMcCowan,lessismore. “IfIcangetridofcertainsoftware,Iwill,”hesays.“That’swhyintegrationisthekey.Hosted/managedsoftwareisbest,andformeitstartswithVirtualOfficeCS,wherethereisnoneedforbackups.WhenIwasdoingmyownbackupproceduresIhadtapedrives,DVDsandamirroredharddriveandIstilldidn’tfeelsafe.ThemainreasonIwenttothistechnologywasfromadisasterrecoveryconcept.” Andthenthereareupdates. “Ihavenotputanupdateonmycomputerssince2001thankstoCSProfessionalSuitesoftware,”hesays.“Thetimesavingsisfantastic,andtherearetremendousgainsinproductivitybynottyingupmyselforotherteammembers.” ForMcCowan,ThomsonTax&Accountingsoftwareistheonlychoice. “ThereisnoothersoftwareonthemarketthatisfullyintegratedliketheCSProfessionalSuite,hostedthroughNetClientCSandNetStaffCS,”hesays.“Andthatbenefitsourclients,too,becausetheycantakeadvantageofthissametechnology.”

manageaclient’saccountingsystem.Thenwe’llhelpthemhirethenextpersonsothiswillneverhappenagain.” Other tools Besidessoftware,thereareothertoolstoboostefficiency.McCowancloselyexamineshowtheofficeisorganized.Howclosearepeopletoprinters?Thefirmoperatesfromaconvertedtwo-storyhome,anditwouldmakenosensefortheprintertobeonthesecondstory,forcingthepayrollclerktogoupanddownstepsallday.Inaddition,everydeskhasapersonalscanneranddualmoni-tors.Thisallowsthestafftousemultipleapplicationsandviewclientdocumentsatthesametime. “Therearebasicallytwochoices,”McCowansays,“useonemonitorandprintalotofinformation,orbemoreefficientwith

asecondmonitortopreviewthatinforma-tion.Ipersonallyusetwowidescreenmoni-torsturnedvertically.ThatwayIdon’thavetoscrolldowntoseeanentirefinancialstate-ment.Wejustinstalledanewphonesystemthatallowsustodoalotwithcommunica-tionefficiency.We’retakingthewholeideaofworkflowandproductivityandexpandingittoallareasofthepractice.” Qualityoflifematters,too. “TaxseasonisabusytimeforCPAs,andspending14hoursinanofficeeverydayisridiculous,”McCowansays.“Lastyearwedecidedallofusshouldleaveat5p.m.Ofcourse,wetakeworkhome,butIdidn’twantmyyoungfamilytosuffer.We’deatsuppertogether,visit,andI’dhelpmytwin11-year-olddaughterswiththeirhomework.WithVirtualOfficeCS,itdoesn’tmatterwhetherI’mattheofficeorathome.Ihavethesamesetupin

bothplaces.AthomeI’mmorecomfortableandrelaxed.Lastyearmyqualityoflifegreatlyimprovedformyselfandmyfamily.” McCowanhasattendedeveryCreativeSolutions’UserConferencesince1998,andhastaughtseminarsforfiveyears. “ThroughmyworkwithThomsonTax&Accounting,”hesays,“Italktoalotofaccountantsthroughouttheyear.Technologymayseemlikealargeinvestment,butItellthemitwillpayitselfbackifusedcorrectly.Iknow,becauseourreturnoninvestmentistremendous.”

9SoLUTIoNS . Vol. 5, No. 3

From left to right: Ryan McCowan, Sherry Whited, Lynette Gast, Wanda Mills and Steve Greene.

onZehnerunderstandsveryclearlywhatittakestohaveaprosperousaccountingfirm—successfulclients.

“Wetakeveryseriouslythesuccessofourclients,”saysthepartnerofZehner,Maloy&Associates,CPAs,LLC,Logansport,Indiana.“Iftheyaresuccessful,we’reextremelysuccess-ful.Becauseweservesmallercommunities,peopleknowrightawaywhetherornotwe’recompetent.Ifwearepartofourclient’ssuc-cess,othersarewatching.Ournamecomesupbecausewe’vemadeadifferenceintheirbusi-ness.Nothingspreadsourreputationbetterthansuccessfulclients.” Thefirm,whichZehnerpurchasedin1988,worksintraditionalareasofaccount-ingsuchastaxpreparationandsmallbusinessconsulting.Thereareabout3,500clients;95percentarebusinesseswithannualsalesof$20million or less. Thereare10associatesinLogansport. AnofficeinPlymouth,Indiana,openedin2003andhasthreeassociates.Since1996, thefirmhasemployedsixvirtualassociatesspreadacrossthestate.

Rely on UltraTax CS Thefirm’sgoalistogainefficiencyeachyear,andZehnerpointstoThomsonTax&Accounting’sUltraTaxCSasakeycomponent. “UltraTaxCSisanexceptionalprogrambecausethereareseveraldifferentwaysofinputtinginformation,”heexplains.“Forexam-ple,we’vehadpeoplecomplainaboutcomplet-ingaScheduleD,wheretheyhavetolistallthesalesofstocksorbonds.Weunderstandtheinformationinterchangedesignedintothis

SOFTWARE in ACTION

D

10 SoLUTIoNS . Vol. 5, No. 3

Basic Equation

successFul clients mean prosperous Firm

Staff from left to right: Tina Nicoll, Zina Birnell, Chris Healey, Amy Myers, Lisa Brugh, Jon-Myckle Price, Don Zehner, Tom Faust, Chuck Lewallen, Tiffiny Maloy, Ryan Muller, Marc Maloy, Cindy Birnell, Justin Kuhn, Dave Hinkle. Not pictured: Jason Potthoff, Shelly White

SOFTWARE in ACTIONSOFTWARE in ACTION

programandcanmakelifemucheasierforourclients.Weareabletodoa‘cutandpaste’frombrokeragestate-mentsandmovetheinformationintoExcel.ThenwerealignthecolumnsandimportthedataintoScheduleDusingUltraTaxCS.We’vehadanumberofclientswith1,000transactionsormorethatwecompletedin15to20minutes.Thomsongivesusthetools,andtheyunder-standtheobjectivefromanaccountingstandpoint.Icallitahandshakerelationshipwithalltheothersoftwareonthemarket,whetherit’sbrokerageorbankstatements.” “Weworksimplyandefficientlyinonestepsowe’renotdoingthingsoverandover.Wecangroupinforma-tionintheCSProfessionalSuiteandittransfersauto-maticallytoanindividualorbusinesstaxreturn.Weusethatfeatureextensivelywitheveryengagementbecauseoftheefficiencieswegain,”statesZehner. Zehnerhasbeenthrough27taxseasonbattles,andhasseenitall.Heremembersthedayswhenclientsdroppedoffaboxfullofinformationandhewouldspendhoursandnightsassemblingitandworkingonthetaxreturn. “UltraTaxCSandotherThomsonproductshaveliterallychangedtheentirewaywedobusiness,”hesays.“Todaywetrytogetclientsorganizedaheadofthe processsoourappointmentsareactuallytoreviewinformation.We’reabletotalkabouttheramificationsofestablishinganSEPforasmallbusiness,oranalyzethecostandoptionsofaparticulardeduction.WithThomsonproducts,wecantalkintermsoflastyear,todayandthefuture,withalltheinformationona screeninfrontoftheclient.” Inpasttaxseasons,everyoneinthefirmhadtwomonitorswiththeircomputer.Forthecomingyear,allassociateswillusethreemonitors. “Wetestedthisforonetaxseasonbeforewerolleditoutforeveryone,”Zehnersays.“Withthreemonitors,we’reabletolookatcurrentandprioryearinformationinUltraTaxCS,wherewe’reinputtingandprocess-inginformation.Onestaffertoldmeafourthmonitorwouldbeniceforcommunicationssuchasemailandinstantmessenger.Inaddition,weusescanningandimagingdevicestomaintain95percentofourdocu-ments,sowe’revirtuallypaperless.” Clientsareextremelyreceptivetothefirm’suseofthelatesttechnology. “I’vefoundIcan’tprejudgewhowillbethemostreceptivetotechnology,”Zehnersays.“Afewyearsagowehadahusbandandwifeintheirmid70swhowantedustoprovidetaxreturnsonaCD.Theydidn’twantpapercopies.Atouroffice,inFileCabinetCSwehaveanaver-ageof11yearsofimagedataforeveryclient.Forsome,wegobackto1961.”

Zehnertriestogetclientstostopthinkingintermsoftherateshisfirmcharges,butinsteadhowtheybenefitfromthefirm’stechnology.Hetellsthemsomethinglikethis: “Haveyouseenprofessionalswhohavedifficultyfindingyourfilewhenyoucallthemonthetelephone?Youarepayingtwicewhenyoudealwiththem:first,fortheirinefficiencyandsecond,becauseyouloseproductiv-itywhentheycan’trespondinatimelyfashion.Withourfirm’stechnology,atelephonecallisansweredwithyourelectronicfileonscreenbeforeyoufinishtellingmehowyourdayisgoing.”

Great relationship with Thomson Tax & Accounting ZehnerfirstgotinvolvedwithThomsonTax&Accountingin1985whilehewaswithanotherfirm.Theprevioustaxseasonhadbeenadisasterwhenthefirmusedaservicebureau.Theownersinstructedhimtofindaproductthatworked. “IreviewedalotofsoftwarecompaniesandThomsonTax&Accountingwonout,”hesays.“Iwas26yearsoldandmicrocomputerswerejustcomingonboard.Iunderstoodaccountingbytrainingandcomput-ersbydesire.ThomsonTax&Accountingmadeanice

11SoLUTIoNS . Vol. 5, No. 3

SOFTWARE in ACTION

12 SoLUTIoNS . Vol. 5, No. 3

employersitefortrackingandreporting,andawiderangeofinvestmentchoices. TheOnline401(k)integrationdebutedinFall2007.Formoreinformation,contactTheOnline401(k)(www.theonline401k.com)at(877)775-4015orsales@theonline401k.com.

Credit Card ProCessing in Client BookkeePing solution® (CBs)

ThenewcreditcardprocessingfeatureinCBSallowsyoutoprocessandmanage customerpaymentsmadeviaVisa,Master-Card,Discover,orAmericanExpress.UsingasupportedMagtekcreditcardswiper,youcanreadcreditcarddatadirectlyintoCBSinsteadoftypingityourselfandpossiblymakingatranscriptionerror. AfteryousetupanaccountwithInterceptEFT,youwillbeabletouseCBStosubmitpaymentrecordstoInterceptEFTforsettlement.CBSwillalsorecordthestatusofthesubmission.UsingyourInterceptEFTaccountontheirwebsite,youcanconfirmsettlement,viewanddownloadreports,andmorequicklyreceiveyourpaymentsfromthecreditcardcompanies.TherearemanyotheradvantagestousingcreditcardprocessinginCBSwithInterceptEFT,including: • CBScreditcardprocessinguserswith anestablishedInternetconnection neverneedtopurchaseoruseany additionalsoftwareforfiletransmission. Alltransmissionsofelectronicfiles aremadedirectlyfromyourCBS AccountsReceivablesoftwareto InterceptEFT.

• InterceptEFTprovidesdailyfileconfir- mations,transactionreports,detailed statementsoftransactionprocessing, andfreetechnicalsupport. • InterceptEFToffersaspecialpricing packagetoCBSAccountsReceivable users. Formoreinformationaboutestablishing anaccountwithInterceptEFT,orforamoredetaileddescriptionofCreditCardProcessing,pleasereviewtheCBS Accounts Receivable Guide to Credit Card ProcessingPDFlocatedintheHelp|PDFGuides|CreditCardProcessingmenuoptionwithinCBS.

Year-end training— Be PrePared for BusY season!

PrepareforthebusytaxseasonbyattendingoneorbothofourYear-endUpdateandProductivityTrainingclassesforUltraTaxCSorCSProfessionalSuiteAccounting.Intheseclasses,wewillintro-duceyoutomanytimesavingtipsandshowyouhowtomaximizethevalueofyoursoft-waretoensureanefficientandproductiveyear-endandtaxseason. Year-endtrainingsessionsbeganinNovemberandrunthroughmid-January2007.Tocheckdatesandlocations,sim-plyviewtheclassscheduleonlineatCS.Thomson.com/Training.Classesarelecture-style,runonefullday,andareeligiblefor7hoursofCPEcredit. • UltraTax CS—Wewillshowyouwhat’s newinthe2007UltraTaxprograms, suchashowtoperformalike-kind exchangeusingthetimesavingwizard, andprovidenumeroustipstomaximize

yourproductivitywiththesoftware. • CS Professional Suite Accounting— Youwilllearnhowtoimproveyear-end closingproceduresandpayrollprocessing. Youwillalsoseehowtoelectronically file940/941/944,W-2,and1099infor- mationwiththeSSAandIRS,aswellas otherhelpfultimesavingshortcuts. Wealsoofferconvenientweb-based classesforthosewhocannotattendanyofthe regionalsessions.Pleasenotethatahigh-speedInternetconnectionisrequiredforweb-basedclasses.Forascheduleofwebclasses,pleasevisitCS.Thomson.com/TrainingorcontactaCSAccountRepresentativeat(800) 968-8900.

drag-and-droP feature enhanCes WorkfloW in engagement Cs

Tofurtherenhancetheworkflowpro-cessinEngagementCS,anewdrag-and-dropfeaturehasbeenadded.Thisfeatureenablesyoutoplaceindividualormultipleworkpapersintoanengagementusingstan-dardWindowsdrag-and-dropfunctional-ity.ExternalworkpaperssuchasMicrosoftExcel,Word,AdobePDF,Outlookemails,andmore,cannowbeaddedtoanyengage-mentbysimplydraggingthedocumentintotheEngagementCStree.Fromthere,youwillusethefamiliarstepsofnaming,assigningareferencenumber,assigningtoastaffmem-ber,andselectinghowthedocumentshouldbetreatedduringroll-forward. FormoreinformationonEngagementCSoranyCSProfessionalSuiteproductorservice,pleasecontactaCSAccountRepresentativeat(800) 968-8900.

NEWS LINECONTINUEDFROMPAGE3

blendofthetwobecausetheythoughtintermsofaccounting.Ididn’tknowitatthetime,butourinitialrelationshipwiththemmayhavebeenoneofthemostimportantkeystooursuccesstoday.I’vebeenwiththemeversince.” Theabilitytoviewmultipleforms,pasttaxhistoryandprojec-tionsforfutureyearsisanotheradvantageofThomsonproducts. “Theyunderstandthevisionofourprofessionandhowweneedtocommunicatetoclients,givingthemalotofinformationaccuratelyinaconcisetimeframe,”Zehnersays.“Wecandoprojectionsquicklyandeasilyforwithholding,anexpectantchild,orlosingadependent

aftergraduatingcollege.Weusethesetoolstohelpclientsavoidacashcrunch,andtheyloveusforthat.That’swhereThomson’s productsarecritical. “Wehaveclientsinseveralstates,”hecontinues,“andweofferthesameservicesthatsomeonegetssittinginouroffice.Infact,wehaveaprogramwheretheycanactuallyseeourscreen.Ourclientsknowweareonthecuttingedgeoftechnology,andoursoftware vendoris,too.Thomsonhasdoneanicejobintegratingtheirprod-ucts;therearenoborders.”

TIPS & TACTICS

13SoLUTIoNS . Vol. 5, No. 3

ClienT BOOkkeePinG SOlUTiOn (CBS)Q: When I am using check stock with multiple checks per page, can I set up CBS so that it does not mark the unused checks as void?

A: Yes.WithCBSversion2007.1.1orhigher,youcanmarkthecheck-boxlabeled“Donotvoidunusedcheckstockwhenprintingmultiplechecksperpage”intheCheckbookSetupOptionsdialog.Toopenthisdialog,chooseCheckbook/Setup,andthenclicktheOptionsbutton.

Q: Is there a way to detect if someone is fraudulently printing checks from CBS?

A: Yes.WithCBSversion2007.1.1orhigher,youcangeneratetheUnsuccessfulChecksAuditreport.ThisreportlistsallchecksselectedintheSelectChecksThatDidNotPrintdialogandthatareavailabletoreprint.

Q: Can I email invoices or statements to my custom-ers directly from CBS Accounts Receivable?

A: Yes.WithCBSversion2007.1.1orhigher,youcanemailinvoicesandstatementstoyourcustomersifyouhaveaMAPI-compliantemailprograminstalledonyourcomputer.Formoreinformationonsettingthisup,pleasesearchon“Email:emailingstatementsandinvoicestoyourcustomers”fromtheIndextaboftheCBSHelpTopicsdialog.

PAyROll CSQ: What’s the easiest way to include a non-cash fringe benefit on the W-2 (such as personal use of an auto-mobile) that has not been reflected on a payroll check?

A: ChooseSetup/Employees,clickthePersonal/W-2tab,andselectapayrollitemwiththeappropriatetaxtreatmentandW-2boxselectionintheOtherW-2itemfield.EntertheappropriatevalueintheOtherW-2amtfield.Ifanappropriatepayrollitemdoesnotexist,ortoverifythesetup,chooseSetup/SystemConfiguration/PayrollTaxInformation/PayItems(orDeductionItems)toaddorreviewexistingpayrollitems.

Q: How can I verify the number of W-2 and/or 1099 forms that I need to order?

A: Withv.2007.1.1orhigher,theminimumnumberofformsrequiredcanbecalculatedusingthenewGlobalW-2/1099OrderingWorksheet,whichyoucanopenfromtheUtilities/W-2FormProcessing(or1099FormProcessing)dialog.Besuretoselectthecorrectyear,clients,andformtypes,andthenprevieworprinttheworksheet.Keepinmindthatthisworksheetcalculatestheabsoluteminimumnumberofsheetsyouneedtoorder,sobesuretoorderextraformstoaccountforprintingerrorsandfirmpracticessuchasusingclientseparatorpages.

enGAGeMenT CSQ: What is the easiest way to add documents to an engagement?

A:EngagementCSv.2007.1.1orhigherhastheabilitytodraganddropdocumentsfromWindowsExplorer,Outlook,oryourdesk-topintoaselectedTreeViewfolderintheengagementworkspace.TheNewEngagementDocument—PropertiespageoftheCreateWorkpaperwizardopensautomaticallywhenyoudragtheselecteditemintotheengagementworkspace.Usethispageofthewizardtoaddauniqueworkpapernameandreference.Youcanalsomovemul-tipledocumentsintotheengagementusingthisfeature.Thisisespe-ciallyusefulforusersofPPC’seToolsandSmartPracticeAidswhohaveassembledengagementdocumentsoutsideoftheengagement.

Q: I’ve been using Engagement CS for some cli-ents for years now, and my Tree View Window in the engagement workspace is becoming cluttered with my prior audits. Is there any way to clean this up?

A: Withv.2007.1.1orhigher,youcanarchiveandrestoreselectedengage-mentswithinEngagementCS.AnarchivedengagementisremovedfromtheTreeViewwindowintheengagementworkspace,increasingprogramperformanceandtheuseablespaceinthetreeview.YoucaneasilyrestoreacopyofanarchivedengagementtotheTreeViewwindowatanytimeifyouneedtoprintprior-yeardocumentsorreviewpreviousfinancials.

WRiTe-UP CSQ: With large location/department clients, it’s often difficult to remember which GL accounts to use when entering checks. Is there a report that can be printed to assist with data entry on Location and Department clients to know what number the various locations are?

A: Yes.TheLocationandDepartmentListingoptionavailablewithv.2007.1.1orhigherliststhelocation/departmentdescriptionandnum-bers.Toprevieworprintthislisting,chooseSetup/ChartofAccountsandthenchooseEnterLocationsandDepartmentDescriptionsfromtheEditorF3menu.EachtaboftheLocationsandDepartmentsdialogincludesaPrintPreviewbuttonthatopensthelistinginapreviewwin-dow;clickthePrintbuttontosendacopyofthelistingtoyourprinter.

Q: Can the program let me print reports as well as payroll and vendor checks to a PDF file?

A: Yes.Withv.2007.1.1orhigher,youcanprintareporttoaPDFfilebyselectingitinthePrintReportsdialog,markingthe“Storeimagein”checkbox,selectingtheFileoptionfromthedrop-downlist,andclickingtheToFilebutton.Youcanchoosewheretosavethefile,andyoucanevenchoosetoprotectitwithapassword.ThisnewfeaturedoesnotrequireyoutobelicensedforFileCabinetCS.Thesamefeatureisavailablewhenprintingpayrollorvendorchecks.

TIPS & TACTICS

TRiAl BAlAnCe CSQ: Can I bring over my client’s grouping schedule assignments when consolidating clients?

A: Yes,whenyouconsolidatebyAccountBalancesOnlywiththeGroupingSchedulesselectedasthegrouptypeandtheRetainExistingAccountsoptionisnotselected.Ifthisisanexistingconsoli-dation,thenyouwillneedtoreconsolidateandremovetheoptionforRetainExistingAccounts.Otherwise,anychangesmadeintheconsolidatedclientwillnotbealtered.

Q: Is there a way to print the location and department names on reports instead of the generic Loc 1 or Dept 1?

A: Withv.2007.1.1orhigher,columnheadingsontheTrialBalanceWorksheetReportandTrialBalanceReportnowlistthedescrip-tionforeachlocationordepartmentwhenprintingeachinseparatecolumns.ThisaffectsbothTrialBalanceCSandtheGeneralLedgermoduleversionsofthesereports.Becausetheareaofthereportheadingislimited,youmayneedtoabbreviatethelocation/depart-mentdescriptionstofitthemintotheavailablespace.

FinAnCiAl AnAlySiS CSQ: I want to create some industry reports in Financial Analysis CS, but I’m not yet able to obtain industry data from RMA for 2007 yet. Why not?

A: RMAtypicallyreleasescurrent-yeardatainQ4.Ifyoucannotobtain2007industrydata,ithasnotyetbeenpublished,butshouldbeavailablebytheendofyear.

Q: I have financial data that I want to put into Financial Analysis CS, but it doesn’t reside in Write-Up CS or Trial Balance CS. I know I can manually enter the data into Financial Analysis CS, but that’s time consuming. Is there any other way to enter my data?

A: Yes.Withv.2007.1.1orhigher,youcanimportfinancialdataforclientsand/orindustriesfromaMicrosoftExcelspreadsheetintoFinancialAnalysisCS.Fordetails,searchon“Importingaspread-sheet”fromtheindexoftheFinancialAnalysisCShelpbrowser.

Q: Is there any easy way to map my Trial Balance CS grouping schedule codes in Financial Analysis CS?

A: ForgroupingschedulecodeswithcategoriesalreadyassignedinTrialBalanceCS,adefaultmappinghasbeenaddedtoaidtheaccount-mappingprocesswhentransferringthedatatoFinancialAnalysisCSv.2007.1.1orhigher.Also,whenyouaddnewclientstotheprogramviatransferfromCreativeSolutionsAccountingorviathespreadsheetimport,FinancialAnalysisCSautomaticallymapsaccountgroups,groupingschedulecodes,andsubcodestotheappropriatecategorieswhenthedescriptionsmatchexactly.

Q: I use rounding in my financial data within Trial Balance CS. How does Financial Analysis CS handle any rounding differences when I transfer client data from CSA?

A: Withv.2007.1.1orhigher,an“Auto-adjustOutofBalanceAmount”checkboxhasbeenaddedtotheSetup/SystemConfigurationdialogtohandleroundingdifferencesduetowhole-dollarpresentationofamountsinFinancialAnalysisCS.Thischeck-boxismarkedbydefaultandpromptstheprogramtoautomaticallyassignanyout-of-balanceamount(uptofivedollars)totheRetainedEarningscategorywhenaddingorupdatingclientfinancialdata.

PRACTiCe CSQ: I have many unapplied payments in Receipt and Adjustment Entry. Is there a way to automatically apply all of these payments at once?

A: Yes.Youcanright-clickintheEntryorOverviewtaboftheReceipt&AdjustmentEntryscreenandchooseApplyAllOpenCreditsfromthecontextmenu.Whenyouchoosethismenucom-mand,PracticeCSautomaticallyappliesallopenpaymentsandcreditmemostotheoldestbalancesfirst.

Q: I need to edit an invoice, but Practice CS is pro-hibiting me from doing so because there is a payment applied to the invoice. How can I determine which payment is applied to the invoice?

A: ReviewtheAccountsReceivableApplicationsreporttoseeallpaymentsappliedtoaninvoice.OntheLayouttabofthePrintReportsscreen,chooseDebititemsfromthe“Appliedto”drop-downlist.Youcanthenfilterthereportbyclientanddaterangetoaccessinformationforaparticularinvoice.Thisreportshowseachpaymentappliedtothatinvoice.IfyouselectCredititemsfromthe“Appliedto”drop-downlist,youcanseealistofinvoicestowhichaparticularpaymenthasbeenapplied.

Q: Is there a way to see exactly what time was billed on a particular invoice?

A: Yes.OntheInvoiceJournalreport,thereisanewoptiontoincludeinvoicedetail.IfyoumarkthischeckboxontheLayouttab ofthePrintReportsscreen,youwillseetheoverallinvoiceinforma-tionaswellaseachlineoftimeincludedontheinvoice.ThedetailincludestheWIPamount,billedamount,andadjustedamountoneachlineoftime.Ifyouarelookingforaspecificinvoice,youcanusetheDetaillineandFilteringfieldsintheSelectiontabtofiltertheinformationonthereport.YoucanalsoincludedetailwhenprintingtheInvoiceJournalreportfromtheReviewtaboftheBillingscreenbyclickingthedownarrowontheJournalbuttonandselectingWithdetailfromthedrop-downmenu.

14 SoLUTIoNS . Vol. 5, No. 3

Q: I entered a few lines of time to the wrong client. How can I transfer this WIP?

A: InTime&ExpenseEntry,selectthelinesoftimeenteredtothewrongclient,thenright-clickandchooseEditSelectedTime&ExpenseEntriesfromthecontextmenu.IntheEditSelectedTime&ExpenseEntriesdialog,chooseClientfromthefirstdrop-downlist,andthenselectthecorrectclientfromtheseconddrop-downlist.Ifyouwouldlikeanaudittrailforthetransfer,youcanclicktheplussigntotherightoftheclientinformation,andthenselectCommentfromthedrop-downlistinthesecondrow.IntheCommentfield,youcannotethedateandIDoftheoriginalclient.

Fixed ASSeTS CSQ: When I open a client in Fixed Assets CS, it opens in the latest period for the client by default. Can I change the period in which the client opens?

A: Yes.ChooseSetup/SystemConfiguration,clicktheOptionstab,marktheOpenclientsintheprocessingperiodlastworkedincheck-box,andclickOK.

WeB SeRviCeSQ: I received an email message stating that my cli-ent completed his remote payroll. However, it will not import when I try to retrieve it. What should I do?

A: ThissituationoccurswhentheclientclickstheCompletePayrollbuttonandthengoesbackintothepayroll.TheclientmustclicktheCompletePayrollbuttonagainbeforeyouwillbeabletoretrievethepayroll.TheonlyotheroptionisfortheNetFirmCSadministratortomarkthepayrollcomplete.(Werecommendthatyoucontacttheclienttoverifythattheyhaveindeedcompletedpayrollentrybeforeperformingthisprocedure.)Tomarkthepayrollcomplete,logintoNetFirmCS,clicktheNetClientCStab,clicktheRemotePayrollnavigationlink,marktheCompletePayrollscheckboxfortheappro-priateclient,andclickOK.

Q: I experienced a problem in a Virtual Office CS application. Now, every time I try to start the applica-tion, it seems to go back to the same place. How can I be sure that I am not connecting to an old session?

A: ThisbehaviorisgenerallycausedbyanInternetdisconnectbetweenyourofficeandtheserver.Eithertheserveroryourwork-stationbelievesitisstillconnectedtotheVirtualOfficeCSsession.Toforcetheconnectiontoclose,locatetheProgramNeighborhoodConnectionCentericonintheSystemTray(typicallyinthelower-rightcornerofthescreennearthetime).Theiconappearsasawhiteorgrayboxwitharedandblack“i”.Double-clicktheicontoopentheProgramNeighborhoodConnectionCenterdialog.HighlightthelinethatreadsEG-CSIMF-****(where****isaletterandtwoto

threenumbers),andclicktheLogoffbutton.Re-opentheapplicationinVirtualOfficeCS.

FileCABineT CSQ: How can I filter the Drawer list in the Folders window to show only drawers that contain 2007 UltraTax CS returns?

A: WiththeNovember2007releaseofFileCabinetCS,youcanfiltertheDrawerlistbasedonfoldercontents.Todoso,clicktheSort/Focus

buttonabovetheDrawerlist.IntheDrawerListPresentationOptionsdialog,markthe“Focusdrawerlist”checkbox.IntheDrawerwithselectedfolderslist,scrolldowntoviewtheUltraTaxCScheck-box,clicktheplusbuttontoexpandtheUltraTaxCSfolder,andmarkthecheckboxesforall2007returns.Notethatifyouhaveassigneddrawerstatuses(Active,Inactive,Defunct)toyourdrawers,youcanalsofiltertheDrawerslistbystatus.ClickOKtofiltertheDrawerlistbydrawersthatcontain2007UltraTaxCSreturns.

Q: When I send documents from FileCabinet CS to email recipients, my Outlook signature is missing. How can I include my Outlook signature on messages sent from within FileCabinet CS?

A: MicrosoftOutlookdoesnotincludesignatureswhenemailingfromotherapplicationssuchasFileCabinetCS.ToaddanOutlooksignature,youneedtochooseInsert/SignaturefromwithinOutlookafteryouhavecreatedthemessageinFileCabinetCS.WiththeNovember2007releaseofFileCabinetCS,youcanalsosetupandincludeemailsignaturesinFileCabinetCS.Tosetuponeormoreemailsignatures,chooseSetup/UserPreferences,andclicktheEmailOptionstab.WhenyouchooseFile/Sendto/EmailRecipientandmarktheIncludeemailsignaturecheckbox,anysignaturesthatyouhavecreatedareavailableintheadjacentdrop-downlist.

Q: How can I embed multiple PDFs, Word documents, Excel documents, and other objects into a single FileCabinet CS drawer?

A: WhenyouchooseObject/CreatefromFile,youcanholddowneithertheSHIFTorCTRLkeywhileclickingthefilesyouwanttoembed.IntheCopyMultipleEmbeddedObjectsdialogthatopens,youcanembedalloftheselectedobjectswiththeircurrentnamesinthesamelocation,oryoucanchoosethedrawer,objectname,andfolderforeachembeddedobjectseparately.

UlTRATAx CSQ: Can I email a tax return to my client directly from within UltraTax CS?

A: Yes.ChooseFile/PrintReturnsandmarktheClientCopycheckboxinthePrintReturnsdialog.Howyouproceedfromhere

15SoLUTIoNS . Vol. 5, No. 3

PRSRT STDU.S. Postage

PAIDLebanon Jct., KY

Permit #246

Financial Analysis CS™

Fixed Assets CS™

NetClient CS™

Payroll CS™

Planner CS™

Practice CS™

ToolBox CS™

Trial Balance CS™

UltraTax CS™

Virtual Office CS™

Web Builder CS™

Write-Up CS™

Client CS™

Engagement CS™

FileCabinet CS™

TIPS & TACTICS

CS.Thomson.com (800) 968-8900

depends on your email program. • IfyouuseaMAPI-compliantemailprogram(suchas MicrosoftOutlookorOutlookExpress),clicktheEmailPDF option,thenclicktheEmailbuttonatthebottomofthe dialog.UltraTaxCScreatesthePDFandautomaticallysends ittotheclientviaemail. • Ifyouuseaweb-basedemailprogram(suchasHotmail orGmail),youneedtocreatethePDFfileofthereturn firstandthenmanuallyattachittoanemailmessage.To generatethePDFfile,clickthe“PDFtofilein”option, specifythelocationinwhichyouwantUltraTaxCStoplace thefile,andclicktheAssemblebuttonatthebottomof thedialog.Thencreatethemessageinyouremailprogram andattachthePDFfiletothemessageasyouwouldattach anyotherfile. Regardlessofthetypeofemailprogramyouuse,thePDFfilethatyourclientreceivesviayourmessageisalwayspassword-protected.Bydefault,thepasswordistheclient’staxidentifica-tionnumber,butyoucanchangethepasswordbychoosingSetup/ClientCommunicationsandclickingthePasswordbutton.

Q: Is there a way to add a text notation such as “DRAFT” or “CLIENT COPY” to a tax form?

A: Yes.Newwith2007UltraTaxCS,WatermarkscanbesetuptoprintonanyGovernment,Client,orPreparercollationbyselectingSetup/SystemConfiguration/PrintOptionsandthensettingupthedesiredwordingoftheWatermarkundertheWatermarkbutton.WatermarkscanbesettoprintoncertaincollationsbydefaultandalsosettoautomaticallyprintontheGovernmentcopywhenelectronicallyfiling.Youcanalsosetthemuptoprintdifferentlyforeachcollationandsetthemup tobeselectedmanuallyundertheFile/PrintReturnswindow.

Q: I need to include additional detail to a line item on the tax return, but the field does not have an attached statement in which I can enter this detail. Is there a way to add a statement to a data-entry field?

A: Yes.YoucanaddacustomstatementtoafieldbypositioningyourcursorinthefieldandchoosingEdit/CustomStatements.IntheCustomStatementsdialog,enteratitleforthestatement,thenusethedrop-downlisttoselectthetypeofdatayouwanttoincludeinthestatement.Whenyouaddacustomstatementtoafieldforoneclient,itisautomaticallyavailableforallclients.

TL18089