Top 5 things to look for in innovative technology
Choosing a new ERP can be a challenging and confusing time. It may be difficult to know what to look for, who to involve, and when it’s the right time to move to a new technology. There is no right time to change to a new IT product, however having a few things to look for can make the process easier and less daunting.
- Productivity: What can a new product do to make you and your team more productive?
- Functionality: What features does the product have that perform the daily accounting and business management functions of your company?
- Technology: Does the product leverage technology for mobility, usability, and customization?
- Value: How does the product maximize features and functions versus the cost of the product?
- Risk: How does the product minimize risk and is there a risk to changing to a new product?
Assessing these items can be a great way to start your search for innovative technology. If your company is looking to make a change to your IT, please reach out to Polaris Business Solutions at info@polaris-business.com.
AcuLoan 2022 R1 and R2 updates
With every new release of Acumatica, comes a new release and updates to the integrated services. AcuLoan has a new release for 2022 R2 with several new interface updates, changes to the loan account profiles screen, and other user experience changes. Below is a brief outline of these updates.
As shown in the screenshot below there are several new features to AcuLoan. There is a new button to take users right to the amortization schedules for a loan account. Users now have the ability to prepare loan account statements with the click of a button. Additionally, under preferences, users can see the loan statement cycle linked to a specific loan account.
On the loan account profile screen, there have been several updates to the interface and user experience. On the statements tab, users can see the history of the statements for that specific loan. The statement tab is also a new feature. Along the top of the account profile screen, the amount for the loan that is in arrears is calculated and shows along the top without having to move to another screen. Also, the information from the amortization schedule is along the bottom left hand side of the loan account screen. On the mailing and printing tab, the same information as AR appears for users to see.
These are just a few of the updates to the AcuLoan system for 2022 R2. There are other, more specific updates to the system that affect some reporting and inquiry requirements. If you think these updates would be beneficial while managing your loan accounts, please contact Polaris Business Solutions at aculoan@polaris-business.com.
CDFI Conference
Last month Polaris Business Solutions attended the Opportunity Finance Network Annual Conference in New York City. The Opportunity Finance Network is a group of Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs) whose main goals are to help bridge the wealth gap from those in low-income, food deserts, and rural areas to those in cities with higher incomes. The purpose and goals of CDFIs are very empowering and important, and the time we spent at the conference was eye-opening in many different ways.
CDFIs are lenders with a special mission to help provide a fair, responsible financing opportunity to rural, native, and other communities without typical finance options. Although this may seem risky, there is a large opportunity to help those who need it most. Unlike a traditional bank, a CDFI lends to individuals, community organizations, and businesses in underserved areas all while coaching, educating, and helping build wealth – giving more than just money.
While attending the conference, we learned a lot about what the CDFIs are using for technology to track their loans, manage their AP/AR, and keep their overall businesses intact. Many CDFIs have several systems they use to track the same things within their industry leading to confusion, duplication, and errors in data. Polaris Business Solutions hopes to help CDFIs with their technology needs as we are continuing to educate ourselves about the growing and quickly changing industry.
We are eager to start on this journey and help an industry that helps so many other people. A trip to the Big Apple is always great, but a trip where we learned so much is even better!
Appointment Scheduling in Acumatica with 2022 R2
Acumatica has the ability to integrate with several different ISVs, including those that help with the scheduling of service appointments. These add-ons to Acumatica are a great way to enhance the use of Acumatica. With the release of Acumatica 2022 R2, appointment scheduling has been enhanced and the functionality has been optimized.
The new release has some essential features that help to enhance how Acumatica can work for scheduling appointments. Acumatica now has the ability to consider a staff member’s skills and abilities when they are being assigned to an appointment. When a user runs the process for scheduling an appointment a new form titled Optimize Appointment Scheduling has more information with specific users skills. The system will then allow a user to assign a staff member to a job based on the skills they hold, not just based on their calendar availability.
Above is a screenshot of the new form used to manage schedule optimization based on skills.
There are a few things that have to be selected to ensure this form is filled out properly:
- The type must be selected
- The branch, location, and date have to be selected for the appointment
- The checkbox labeled “consider skills” must be checked to ensure skills are taken into consideration
If you think your company could benefit from the new appointment optimization in Acumatica, please reach out to Polaris Business Solutions at info@polaris-business.com.
Mobile enhancements across multiple workspaces | Acumatica2022 R2
Acumatica has a mobile app that allows users to see many of the same features as they can on their browsers. Included with the update to Acumatica in 2022 R2, there have been several enhancements and additions to the mobile platform. Here is a brief overview of some of these:
- Field Services: On the mobile application for the Field Services module, the appointments screen now shows the invoice total which can also be drilled down further. The totals tab shows even more information about appointment billing and invoicing amounts.
- Finance: With the new release of Acumatica, users have the ability with the proper access rights to do now review a list of GL transactions with the pending status, approve or reject a transaction on the Approvals screen, and use the Journal transactions screen to review transactions. These new screens are visible in the mobile application of Acumatica.
- Mobile Functionality: The mobile application of Acumatica is connected to a user’s instance of Acumatica online, the web-based platform. On the mobile app, users can now choose to see key performance indicators, workspaces, and favorite screens. Users have the ability to edit the main screen of their mobile app to best suit their needs. This includes matching the mobile app to company colors, logo, and exactly how the browser-based system looks with the same sign-on screen, main menu, and workspaces.
- Payroll: In the new release, there is a payroll workspace. Users will be able to see a paystubs menu. On this menu, the system shows the payment date, net pay amount, payment type, and ID.
To see these new mobile features in action, reach out to Polaris Business Solutions for more information. Our email address is info@polaris-business.com
2022 R2: Improved Processing of Batch Payments
Finance: Improved Processing of Batch Payments
In previous versions of Acumatica, the batch could be exported to a file that would then be sent to the bank after the release of a batch payment. If there was a rejected payment, the user had to void all of the payments and create new payments that excluded the rejected payment. In the new release of Acumatica 2022 R2, there have been several updates to help with the process of releasing batch payments:
2022 R2: Tracking Project Progress by Unit
Before the release of Acumatica’s newest version, users of the construction edition did not have the ability to track a project by units used or installed. With the release of 2022 R2, construction edition users will be able to capture project activities on a unit level and track project progress through a new document: a progress worksheet. There have also been changes to the daily field report that affect the tracking of project productivity.
Acumatica 2022 R2: Approval of GL Transactions
Many companies require the approval of GL transactions before they are posted to the ledger. In the new release of 2022 R2 of Acumatica, it is now possible to only release and post transactions to the GL after the appropriate person has approved them. In the system, users can assign an approver based on an approval map. This map is defined and the transaction is approved once the approval follows the map. The conditions of approval can be the amount, date, or other items the user would like to set up the map. There can be multi-level or sequential approval maps.
Only transactions directly from the general ledger are valid for approval. Administrators have access to configure rules as to who should be approving these transactions and when. These rules can be for single transactions or batches. This new feature of 2022 R2, Approval Workflow, is available once enabled on the Enable/Disable Features form.
On the Approval Maps Form the new Journal Transactions option has been added to the entity type in the header selection. With the option selected, an approval map can be created for journal transactions.
If this new feature is something your company is interested in, please reach out to Polaris Business Solutions; info@polaris-business.com.
The Use of Acumatica for the Financial Management Team
Acumatica’s cloud based ERP has the ability to give users of all different types access to data whenever they need it. This information is important to access the company’s financial health, report and analyze data, and provide accurate information to users who need it. Financial Leaders in companies need to be able to access this data quickly and efficiently and Acumatica has the tools to do this.
AcuLoan 2022 R1 Amortization Table Updates
2022 R1 Feature Updates to Amortization Tables
Like Acumatica, AcuLoan has released a new update this year with a new set of features that have upgraded the system. The release of 2022 R1 has made changes to the amortization table. Before the updates to 2022 R1, there were only two ways to calculate using the amortization table. Those were standard and non-standard ways. With the update, see below for examples of how the amortization tables can now to calculated:
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