June 2013 - Posts

• Customizing Method CRM: Price Levels

  Hi! This is Jason from the support team, and today I’m going to talk about how to customize price levels! "Price levels" is a feature in QuickBooks Desktop that allows you to set custom pricing for different customers or jobs.  I have found that many users ask me how to use price levels in Method, and I tell them that although they are not built into the stock Method screens, they can be customized!  But how? There are a few ways you can go about it, but here is one way I find works well for me. Sometimes the most difficult part about customizing is deciding where to start. I’ve found the best place to begin is figuring out where to put our actions. A good question to ask yourself is “when should the actions be triggered”? The best place to trigger them might be when you add or change an item, or in Method language, a Text Change action. Here’s how we get to those actions from screen designer of the stock Quickbooks_Invoice screen: Edit the InvoiceLineItems grid Skip to Step 2 of 9: Grid Columns Click the Actions link on the Item row Change the event to Text Change  Now for the fun part... adding actions! We’ll start by adding a few more Retrieve Value From Table actions and placing these values into action results. We need to find the: PriceLevel field from the Customer table (we’ll call it resultPriceLevel)  PriceLevelType field from the PriceLevel table (we’ll call it resultPriceLevelType) PriceLevelFixedPercentage field from the PriceLevel table (we’ll call it resultPriceLevelFixedPercentage) You will need to use these action results later! The next step is to actually add the dollar amounts to the Rate field on the items grid to reflect the new price levels. We want to retrieve values from the PriceLevelPerItemRetList table, so why not try another Retrieve Value from Table action? Here’s a hint: find the CustomPrice field where the PriceLevel field equals our resultPriceLevel action result from earlier, AND where the Item field equals the InvoiceLineItems:Items value from the screen. You can then place the resulting value in the InvoiceLineItems:Rate field in the grid.  Now, this works great for price levels at the per item level, but what about fixed percentage price levels? Well, you might start with a Start Conditional Statement action and use our resultPriceLevelType action result from earlier. You want the Start Conditional Statement action to say, if the price level type is “FixedPercentage”, then perform the following actions (You should also use Start and End Conditional Statements elsewhere in your action set that account for all price level scenarios). You could then use a few sequential Basic Math Calculation actions to calculate the new rate. Finally, don’t forget to add your final calculation to the Rate field in the grid! Use an Enter Value into Field on Screen action to do so. Remember, this is just one way to add price levels. There are many different ways, and more features you can add. This tutorial is for users with a basic knowledge of customization in Method, but if you didn’t understand it then don’t sweat! Click here for our webinars page and you will find webinars about customization near the bottom. It’ll be worth it, because you can do just about anything you can imagine with customization! Also, if you have questions about this post, feel free to ask about it on our forums. We would be happy to help!  Need more help? Forums: http://www.methodintegration.com/cs/forums/ Twitter: @MethodCRM All the best, Jason Posted Jun 27 2013, 10:41 AM by Method_Jason with no comments

• SmartVault Plus Method CRM - Now For QuickBooks Online

  One of the great strengths of Method CRM is the ability to interact with other programs in a variety of useful ways.  Of course you already know that Method syncs with QuickBooks Desktop and QuickBooks Online, but you might not be aware that we also work with SmartVault.  And as of now Method integrates with SmartVault for all versions of QuickBooks, now including QuickBooks Online. For those of you who don't already know,  SmartVault is a web-based solution that allows you to upload, store, view, and share your pertinent files and documents from anywhere on the planet, totally securely.   If you're an existing SmartVault user, integrating SmartVault with Method CRM allows you to instantly access any of your existing SmartVault files from inside Method. If you’re a Method user, SmartVault is valuable because it offers a unique plug-in for QuickBooks that allows you to scan, attach, and find documents within QuickBooks itself.  The SmartVault Toolbar can be added to most versions of QuickBooks including Pro, Premier, Enterprise, and Online.  With it, you can view SmartVault attachments without ever leaving QuickBooks! Additionally, SmartVault can be accessed separately from Method CRM - it is a full document management and file sharing suite in its own right.  You can access your files from any web browser, mobile device, or mapped drive. So what are the 3 key benefits of using SmartVault with Method CRM? 1. All-in-one document management: You can securely store and share every file your business needs, including files associated with Method and/or QuickBooks, as well as files not associated with either program.  It's all-in-one! 2. Set permissions: Exert more control over your permissions by assigning specific download, viewing, and upload permissions to each user, or even each folder! 3. Track views: Finally, you have unprecedented control over your tracking.  The SmartVault activity log will show you a history of every view and action associated with your files, whether it was initiated through a web portal, through Method, from the QuickBooks Toolbar, or from any other application integrated with SmartVault. Ready to get started?  Check out this video on setting up SmartVault with QuickBooks Online: If you use QuickBooks Desktop, check out our Help Center article for Getting Set-Up! For more info on SmartVault, please visit www.smartvault.com If you have more questions or comments about our SmartVault integration or anything to do with Method CRM, please feel free to contact our support department! How to get in touch with Support Phone: 1-888-925-6238, select option 2 Email: support@methodintegration.com Forums: http://www.methodintegration.com/cs/forums/ Posted Jun 20 2013, 11:52 AM by Method_Alex with no comments

• MailChimp + Method CRM = <3

  There's no denying it - you might be the best at what you do, but you still need a way to get the word out about your product or service.  Of course you're busy being the best at what you do - who has time to conduct their own advertising campaign?  Well, now you do - thanks to Method CRM’s integration with MailChimp. MailChimp is a dedicated service that helps you design your own personalized email newsletters and share them across the social media landscape: on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and everywhere else that's pertinent to your business.   And now, Method has integrated with MailChimp to allow you to export all of your contacts to the MailChimp service so the email marketing portion of your business can be handled entirely by MailChimp! Of course, you might be asking yourself "why would I use separate software for my email marketing when Method already comes installed with built-in email marketing options?"  There are a number of reasons why you might choose to go the MailChimp route: 1.  Keep using your MailChimp templates: If you're already a MailChimp user new to Method, you may have existing MailChimp templates and campaigns you want to keep using. With this new integration, you can! 2.  Design your own templates: the email template builder in MailChimp is a drag and drop interface that’s been designed to be nice-and-easy to use. 3.  Sending with MailChimp’s Server: If you're already using MailChimp's SMTP server, you can continue to do so rather than specifying your own server through Method!   4.  Tracking and Testing: with MailChimp’s tracking, you’ll know how many email were opened, how many clicks you got, and you can A/B test subject lines to see which perform better. Ready to give it a try? Check out this helpful video on our Help Center for assistance setting up your MailChimp integration.   For more information on the services offered by MailChimp, check out their website at MailChimp.com. Or, you can check out our informative Help Center article to help you get started! And for all your Method needs, contact our support team! How to get in touch with Support Phone: 1-888-925-6238, select option 2 Email: support@methodintegration.com Forums: http://www.methodintegration.com/cs/forums/ Posted Jun 19 2013, 11:26 AM by Method_Alex with 2 comment(s)

• Workflow Management Made Easy with AERO and Method CRM

  This is a guest blog post by Laura Redmond.  Laura runs Redmond Accounting, a cloud-based accounting firm, and is a partner at Cloud Consultancy, the publisher of AERO.  Method is her tool-of-choice for automating manual business processes. AERO is a new app for Method CRM that allows you to manage multiple staff performing multiple recurring tasks for multiple clients. It was developed because at Redmond Accounting, our previous process for keeping track of tasks proved to be inefficient. We are a staff of 5 who work remotely from our offices on both the East & West coast. We work with many different types of businesses, and even though our processes are standardized, our work can still vary from client to client. Before AERO, we would save everything in a master Excel spreadsheet that we kept on a server. However, this resulted in even more complications for us beyond the typical range of human error and file corruption. Since we already used Method CRM to manage our clients, it made perfect sense to create an app that would solve this one last challenge. Here are the top three biggest pain points for task management that led us to create AERO. 1). Staff needed to know what tasks are due and when With one master Excel sheet, only one person could access it at a time. Furthermore, even when tasks were completed they were still in the spreadsheet, both daily and infrequent tasks were listed, and everyone could see everyone else’s tasks. With such a large size our staff spent a great deal of time searching through it to determine what was needed from them that day. With AERO, each employee can find his or her own tasks easily and only needs to see what needs to be completed that day. 2). Tasks are listed without context An excel spreadsheet can only hold so much information on each task, it is difficult to include notes on the task’s status, how to perform it, or client information without cluttering up the file for other staff that don’t need access to that information. The workaround for this was for each staff member to have his or her own cheat sheets and client docs. All of this is compiled together in AERO; each task includes notes and relevant info viewable on the same page. 3). Managers need to keep track without micromanaging It’s always crucial to know exactly what your employees are working on and that it gets completed on time. I found it difficult to do so without sacrificing their ability to work independently and without interference. Too little time spent tracking everyone’s task, and important work may fall through the cracks; too much time, and your employees will think that they are not trusted. AERO solves this dilemma by giving managers a bird’s eye view of everyone’s tasks while in Method CRM. Thus, they can make sure their staff gets everything done while each employee is uninterrupted. What have been your pain points for task management? What about your solutions? How could your firm use a service like AERO? Although AERO was designed for accounting firms with multiple clients and similar recurring activities, its task management system can be used by any company that wants to enhance their Method CRM experience. AERO is available on the Method CRM app store at a subscription rate of $15 per month per user and requires Method CRM Pro. If you’d like to find out more about the app, please comment below or join our LinkedIn group by clicking HERE. Laura Redmond Redmond Accounting Bio: Laura Redmond enjoys organizing everything from data to shoes.  In addition to running a totally cloud-based accounting firm, Redmond Accounting, she is a partner at Cloud Consultancy, the publisher of AERO.  Method is her tool-of-choice for automating manual business processes. Posted Jun 13 2013, 11:49 AM by Method_GuestBlogger with 1 comment(s)

• Method CRM Videos - Importing

  Hello and welcome to Method CRM’s weekly blog post. My name is Errol and today, I will talk about our user tutorial videos. Of course, I always talk about the tutorial videos. And you know what? That intro line is now seared into my brain. I think I’ve said that line so many times that it just comes out naturally when I am greeting people or just muttering to myself at the grocery store. "Hello and welcome to cereal. My name is Errol..." You may be thinking, “Errol, you blogged last week!” And I did! But we have so many videos that I’m working through and we get so many questions on Importing Customers and Customer Leads that I wanted to share with you right away! This one is chock full of information; it’s broken up into three parts! I won’t link all three parts here, just the first one, but the one thing we are trying to do is put in Annotations in our YouTube links! So at the end of the video, you will see a grey bar which will take you to the next video! How awesome is that? I tried my best to keep it to two videos, but I just kept talking. Just to give you a hint of what’s coming, we are working on a series for Activities! Everything you wanted to know about activities will not only be given to you in video form, but also documentation! Our Technical Writer, Alex, is hard at working trying to get all of this done. So stay tuned and next month we will show you more ways to make Method CRM easy to use. Alex and I are here hard at work. Honestly! We are! If you have any questions, or suggestions for a video topic, by all means, please leave a comment below. You can even tweet me if you wish, @Method_Errol. Both Alex and I use social media a lot and would like to talk to other people other than ourselves! Thanks for reading and I hope you have a great day! Bye bye! Posted Jun 05 2013, 09:40 AM by Method_Errol with no comments