Red Wing Software offers such time saving features as direct deposit, online tax filing and more. We are excited to now provide our customers the option of offering their employees pay cards, via our partner, smartOne Pay Card.

The smartOne Pay Card is safer than carrying cash, more convenient than having to seek out check cashing facility, and cheaper than paying to have a check cashed. It also gives employees access to a Visa or Mastercard debit Card, which allows them to make in-store, online or over-the phone purchases. In addition to all of this, employees will be able to more effectively track your spending habits with the monthly personal statements of card activity.

In order to use smartOne Pay Cards for your employees along with CenterPoint Payroll, direct deposit is required. To add direct deposit to your system, contact Red Wing Software at 800-732-9464. For more information about adding smartOne Pay Cards, contact our product expert Wade Speelman directly at: 402-602-4052, e-mail: wspeelman@tsys.com, or visit www.smartonesolutions.com.

If you do anything online, you have probably heard of the term 'phishing'. Phishing is a type of scam whereby the scammer sends e-mails, posing as a real organization, in an effort to try and capture your personal information. The e-mails are typically made to look official, and sometimes it's hard to tell whether the e-mail is real or fake. Often, the tone of a phishing e-mail will be urgent, and will request you click on their link right away or your account will be frozen, or some such bad result. Phishing e-mails can be made to look like they come from your bank, internet provider, eBay, etc.

The IRS has a good page about phishing, where they describe what it is, examples of what it might look like, and what to do if you receive such an e-mail. Click here to go to their site and read the fully story.

You know you need it for your business, but what is the best way to sort through all the accounting systems out there? These days there are many different ways to purchase accounting systems. Here are the main ways to find and purchase accounting systems today.

Partner

Many accounting software companies sell their products through partners, who are often referred to as VARs or Value Added Resellers. The main benefit of purchasing your software from a VAR is that they are typically located near you and can provide training and implementation help, and can also help support you as time goes on. Sometimes VARs will be listed on a software company’s Web site, or else you can simply call the company and ask if there is a VAR near you.

Retail Stores

Most basic accounting systems can be purchased at retail stores these days, such as office supply stores. You may get a better price on software when purchasing it from a retail store, but you also may miss out on some of the services you could get by purchasing through a VAR or other reseller. And without talking to a company representative, VAR or reseller, it is hard to know whether the system can handle your specific needs. The more complex accounting systems won’t typically be found at retail stores.

Accountant

Your accountant could be a great resource in helping you select the right accounting system for your business. A great advantage to working with your accountant on this is that he or she knows your business and what kinds of special features and needs you have that accounting software could help with. Accountants usually have the experience and knowledge of available systems, and which one would fit best for you. Some accountants are resellers or partners of software companies, and others simply make recommendations.

Online

The term “accounting software” is searched for in Google about 40,000 times per month! People are going to the Web to do their research to find out which accounting systems are out there. However, searching for the term ‘accounting software’ does not give you a neatly organized, comprehensive list of accounting systems. Instead of doing a Google Search, use www.findaccountingsoftware.com or www.capterra.com. Both of these Web sites help you narrow down your search by plugging in your price range and the features you need. You can even talk to representatives of the Web site via phone and have vendors contact you. These Web sites can save you many hours and give you a comprehensive list of companies, so you can find the one that is right for you.

Amazing statistics from the growing online advertising industry. Five companies control 64% of it, and Google itself controls 46%. See the chart by following this link: http://read.bi/ss0lJy

Many businesses start out with basic financial management software, or bookkeeping software consisting of general ledger, accounts payable and accounts receivable. As the business grows, managing inventory becomes essential to the profitability of the business. Three software modules work together to provide excellent inventory management: inventory, order entry, and purchase orders. What are the signs your business is ready to start looking at an inventory management system?

1. You sometimes forget to ship backordered items. Without a system to track items on backorder, it can be easy to forget to ship those backordered items. An order entry system allows you to ship the items that are available, and keep track of those unshipped items, so you won’t forget to ship them once available.
2. You are unsure about when to re-order, and how many of each item to keep in stock. With an inventory system, you can run reports that show demand for each item within the time period you choose, so you’ll know when you are running low, and have a gauge for how many to keep in stock. For example, in the busy sales months you can maintain inventory levels for your customers, but in the slower sales cycle you won’t have a shelf full of obsolete items.
3. You are unsure which items you sell are the most and least profitable. One item seems to be flying off the shelf, while another has minimal sales revenue. Not knowing of which of those two items is more profitable is a huge mistake. If the slow seller is more profitable, a smart idea would be to focus on increasing sales to improve overall profitability.
4. When a customer places an order, you cannot tell whether those items are in stock. If you constantly have to walk back to the warehouse or call somebody to physically check on the stock status of an item, you are doing your customer and yourself a disservice. Checking stock manually wastes your employees’ time. It can also result in broken promises or delayed shipping to your customer. Adding a computerized system for checking inventory can greatly enhance your customer satisfaction, and can improve the efficiency of your business.
5. You have different pricing levels for your products which are currently accessed from a paper file. If you are keeping pricing information on paper, it can be hard to tell which pricing is the most current, and sometimes the correct sheet can even disappear. Having your software keep track of multiple pricing levels is a much more secure and organized way to keep track of pricing. By assigning each customer their respective price level, your orders will automatically show correct pricing when the order is entered into the system.
6. Order entry and order invoicing are currently done in two separate systems. If you have one system to keep track of orders, and another separate system for entering the accounts receivable invoice, you are spending double the time entering the same information. You can save time and reduce manual errors by electronically entering orders and creating invoices.
7. Do you have items that can be sold in different units of measure? For instance, you get a discount for purchasing items by the pallet, but your customer buys them by the carton. Having an inventory management system allows you to receive the items in the unit of measure you choose (in this case, by the pallet) and then sell in another unit of measure (i.e. by the carton). The system will also keep track of the item’s purchase price, and the cost of goods sold, in the unit of measure specified.
8. You track serial or lot numbers on paper or in a spreadsheet. You are tracking serial or lot numbers for a reason, and that reason is to keep track of who got which items, in case of a faulty lot or recall. Having the information on paper can be risky because papers can get lost or damaged. An inventory system allows you to track this information electronically, so you can always run a report to see who got what.
9. Are you wondering why your profitability is down? With inventory management, you can run reports by item, product line, or sales category showing each item’s profitability, so you’ll know along the way the trend for each of the items you sell. That way you can fix the problem early and maintain your profitability.
10. Your inventory is running you! The right inventory accounting software can provide the tools your business needs to increase efficiency, provide excellent customer service, and help you to take control of your financial management.