Let’s look at an example:
Quote: A quotation is generated in Microsoft Word and sent to the customer for the work to be done. Quote includes estimate on materials, shipping and scheduling.
Purchase Order: Once the customer agrees and signed the quote, a Purchase order is generated in Microsoft Works to the vender. This starts the Job Expense Sheet in Microsoft Excel. It includes specifics on materials, shipping and scheduling.
Vender Bill: Now the job is done, and the vendor bills you. Your company then has to run it through a Tax Worksheet (in Excel) to calculate sales tax, and Services. After doing the Tax Worksheet, they enter the amounts on the Job Expense Sheet.
Freight Costs: Make sure the freight costs are entered onto the Job Expense Sheet.
Invoice to Client: The invoice is prepared in QuickBooks from the Job Cost worksheet and Emailed to the client.
This maybe the process you have been using for years. Maybe it started simple enough, but then new steps needed to be added along the way. Let’s say this process takes about an hour per sale.
Streamline the process to use one program instead of 4. Sure, the initial set up may take some time, but the change in the long run saves you both time and money. If you notice, the sample company does use QuickBooks to do their invoicing. We can also assume they track their expenses in QuickBooks in order to be able to come up with financial statements.
After some training by a certified QuickBooks advisor, the company could use QuickBooks for:
- Quoting the Client
- Generating Purchase orders to venders,
- Receiving the job from vendors, and paying that bill, set up the sales tax, adding freight cost,
- Generating an invoice to the Client.
The company would enter the info into QuickBooks and the bookkeeper would check it and follow up on invoices. After a 3 hour (or so) QuickBooks Training and Set up, the whole process may only take about 15 minutes per sale, as opposed to the hour it previously took. Thus saving both time and money!
Improve your process and improve your business!