|
|
FAQ's
(Frequently Asked
Questions)
The following are typical questions we often hear
from new customers before they decide to purchase either eTEK
Accounting or eTEK Fundamentals:
-
Can we produce profit & loss (operating
statements) and balance sheets for multiple divisions and
departments comprising our organization? Yes.
In fact, our program (assuming your chart of accounts is logically
based on GAAP standards) will "roll-up" complete sets of financial
statements so accounts all tie together the way they should.
-
Does your system allow us to setup our own chart
of accounts and project management/job cost structure?
Yes. As is described on our
web site, our systems
use a 4-segment GL account number, and 4-segment job cost number
structure, that insures at the detailed level of all source
transactions, that revenues and expenses tie together between the GL
and Project Management/Job Cost modules.
-
Are detailed audit trails provided for all types
of tranasactions, regardless of source? Our
system provides a broad range of detailed audit trails and
drill-down capabiliites so that your auditors and senior management
can be assured there is proper and complete documentation built-in
to support all financial balances and reports. The system also
includes an extensive error tracking and system usage log, by user.
-
Does your job cost/project management program
provide complete work-in-progress profitability reporting that can
optionally include management's periodic "estimates-to-complete"
forecasts? While some organizations may not
need to use our "estimate-to-complete" feature, those who do, are
much less likely to be "surprised" by bottom-line performance for
larger projects/jobs. The system automatically adds such estimates
(if used) to actual-to-date committed costs, and compares to total
project contract.
-
Does your system provide full A.I.A. billing and
certified payroll? What about role-based user security?
Yes to both questions (with automatic
carry-forward of change orders into A.I.A.). Role-based security is
set by user and tailored to allow no more or less access than
approved by the management/system administrator.
-
Can we setup and use predefined bill rate
schedules to bill for time and materials work using various markups
technique (and even non-billable) factors; including the ability to
customize each customer's invoice line item descriptions?
Yes. We have been told we may have the most flexible T&M billing
capability in the industry. Our program also allows equipment to be
expensed against work with bill rates set independent of equipment
costs.
-
Are there any limits on the number of records we
can maintain for our customers, vendors and/or employees?
No. The only practical limitations would be
overall physical database size; in extraordinary cases, we can
upgrade your system to the largest Microsoft SQL Server databases
provided for general business use in the U.S..
-
Can we easily modify the reports built into the
system? Yes. In fact, one of the major reasons
eTEK builds our applications around the Microsoft Office
platform is to allow users to go as far as their imagination and
capabilities can take them (for example, there is no practical limit
on the range of management reports and pivot table graphs and
"dashboards" that can be incorporated into your implementation).
Importantly, our programs can be easily extended to use the Internet
via Microsoft SharePoint services so employees, customers and
vendors can easily communicate into/and out of the system.
-
How hard is it to integrate your system with some
of our existing in-house programs and applications?
eTEK is one of the nation's leading
providers of "open source" accounting & business management software
applications. By definition, this translates into flexibilty to
integrate with almost any other application so long as the data
inside that application can be defined/exposed.
-
What does your software cost? How is training,
support and implementation billed? Pricing is
based on the number of concurrent users. In general terms, for
mid-range, multi-user systems, eTEK's pricing runs
approximately 50% less that major competitors such as Microsoft
Dynamics, SAGE Timberline, Serenic Navigator and others. For smaller
organizations, complete accounting packages for 1-3 users can be
licensed for less than $3K; with training and supported added at 20%
of license fees/year.
___________________________________________________________
Benefits to existing
customers for upgrading from older versions of eTEK based on
Microsoft Office 2003 or XP and even earlier include the following:
-
Faster and easier drill
down capabilities in various General Ledger (and many other) forms
to pin-point and anlayze detail account balances/info. Note: in
general, all on-line inquiry and reporting capabililties run faster
and easier in newer versions of Microsoft Office/Access.
-
Improved financial
reporting capabilities; all eTEK new versions take advantage of easier
to use
date-range built-in calendar date picker (a seemingly small change
but major help to all eTEK users since entire system is
date-range driven).
-
Ability to add finance
charges to selected AR invoices.
-
New/expanded vacation
and sick time accrual capabilities in Payroll.
-
New/improved Job Cost
reports (direct cost/prime costs analysis).
-
Expanded/improved Cash
Management/Bank Reconciliation reports.
-
Ability to use
kitting/assemblies for tracking inventory items (major enhancement
of value to Electrical Contractors and others assembling material
for job sites) ....
-
PLUS numerous other
features related to improved system Security
provided by a new security module that allows users to significantly
improve the security of all of their accounting records for all of
their users.
-
PLUS the ease-of-use
benefits inherant in Microsoft's newer graphical user interface.
FREE TRIAL of Microsoft Office 2010 (make sure you select the
Professional version which includes Access 2010).
-
For a video overview of the above benefits,
click here.
|
|
