Answers Technology, Inc. March 2013 Newsletter

In This Issue: • 6 Ways Sage 300 ERP Helps You Work Smarter • Conducting an Effective Business Meeting • Monthly Trivia • Current Sage Promotions • 5 Features Every Web Store Should Have

1. Improve productivity: Easily navigate your system more efficiently with Sage Visual Process Flows, a new interactive graphical interface that illustrates the steps required to complete tasks and that you can customize to follow your business processes.

and Purchase Order provides you with greater business visibility and insight. In PU1, find important help information and instructions faster, use new Guides, and additional Frenchand Chinese-language content.

2. Save time when processing payments: Capture a single preauthorized payment during shipment entry or invoice entry. You can also capture and invoice multiple preauthorized payments in a single batch.

5. Make the best decisions possible: Benefit from comprehensive reporting that utilizes the new financial report designer and reporting tree capabilities in Sage 300 ERP Intelligence Reporting. In PU1, easily drag and drop pieces of a financial report into Excel using enhanced Intelligence Reporting.

3. Simplify software updates: Sage Advisor helps you keep your system up to date so you can get the most benefits from using the latest enhancements for your system. Set notification options, review available updates, and decide to download and install them.

6. Streamline shipping and reduce costs: Sage 300 ERP Shipping by SmartLinc is an integrated, web-based, multicarrier shipping solution that ensures you deliver on time, every time for your customers.

4. Find information faster: New inquiry functionality in Inventory Control, Order Entry,

March Trivia Question: Which one of the following people started as an accountant?

A. Bob Newhart B. Troy Aikman C. Jim Nabors D. Captain Kangaroo Call or Email Linda with your answer!

(785)832-0007 linda@answerstechnology.com

Take out the first two sentences and put: Meetings are the way businesses gather ideas, set goals, make decisions, and provide time to brainstorm. How successful are your company’s meetings? Do your staff feel like meetings are a huge waste of time?

Here are some tips to help you stay in control and produce results: 1. Determine if you really need to meet in person. Would a conference call or emails adequately achieve your goals?

2. Set objectives and prepare an agenda.

Distribute the agenda to the essential participants in advance. If there are committee reports, ask that they be submitted in advance and distributed to the

Effective Business Meetings Continued... participants with the agenda.

3. If there are minutes from the prior meeting, distribute them in advance and ask for any corrections so you only need approval at the meeting. Do not allow a long discussion of the prior meeting for those who were not in attendance.

4. Set a time limit and limit the meeting discussion to agenda items.

Sage Trade-in Offer Sage Pro ERP & Sage PFW customers will receive trade-in credit toward their new Sage ERP license purchase.

5. Assign a note taker for the meeting minutes.

6. Ask for input about agenda items from praticipants appropriate. If, consider

assigning to a committee to research and report back at the next meeting.

7. Start and end the meeting on time. If a topic seems to need additional discussion beyond the time allotted for the meeting, consider assigning to a committee to research and set that on the agenda for the next meeting.

8. At the end of the meeting recap the action items and who is responsible. Set the next meeting date if one is necessary.

9. Follow up with a reminder of the next meeting date and time.

Promotion Details: Customers receive a per-user trade-in credit, Trade-in value diminishes over time.

Buy Three Get One Free User For every three full-use users purchased (module-based and user-based), existing customers will receive an additional user at no additional product cost. Promotion applies to Sage 300 and Sage CRM. Promotion Details: Offer Expires June 30, 2013 and the first year of maintenance is required for the free user and is not included in this promotion. Offer does not apply to hosted or subscription orders.

In the Family Offer Customers on Sage 300 ERP, who purchase Sage HRMS, Sage HRMS Payroll, or Sage Employee Self Service will receive a 20% In the Family discount off the product.

Promotion Details: Offer Expires June 30, 2013 and the qualifying solution must have been purchased at least 12 months prior to the promotion expiration date.

Offer limited to one option only.

It’s not enough to just have a web store, no matter if you are an established company or an up-and-comer you need to go beyond the basics.

1. Mobile Web Store: Make sure your web store offers a user friendly mobile option, many people (including myself) shop via tablet or phone. When building your store speak with your designer about creating a unified site that will display the same on all mobile devises without creating multiple versions or URLS for each devise.

2. Integrate: We all hate purchasing something online and finding out a day or two later that the item is on back order.

Avoid this by integrating your web store to your accounting and inventory solutions.

With a real-time integrated system your clients will always get what they order, thereby increasing your credibility and reputation.

3. Clean and Simple Navigation: Make sure your site is clean and easy to navigate, a potential customer will judge your site within the first 15-20 seconds. Make sure your site clearly says (or shows) who you are and what you sell.

4. Socialize: Just as you offer great customer service in person, you want to do the same with your web store. Allow your customers to post reviews and connect with

your company and product online though twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Pinterest, or Instagram. You don’t need to sign up for all of them at once, but start with one and build from there. In addition, it is important to stay involved with your social networking and post at least a few times a week. Your posts do not need to be specifically about your company or products, but something that might interest your customer base.

5. Color: You may think this is silly, but colors provoke feelings within us. By using dark or dull colors you are telling potential customers that your company and product are dull or out-dated. If your site is mostly blues, add a contrasting orange around important navigation points or key features of your products.

This will create excitement and draw interest to your site.