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March 2009 - Posts

  • Webinar: Introduction to Method – Part of “Scaling New Heights”

    Last month on our blog, I announced that I will be heading to Atlanta to participate in the Scaling New Heights Conference being hosted by Joe Woodard. If you haven’t heard about this conference yet, you should read my blog post from last month by clicking here.

    Joe is actually offering a series of FREE webinars, leading up to the conference.  I participated in one of the webinars last Wednesday and it is available for your viewing pleasure. Click the link below to view it.

    Introduction to Method
    brought to you by Scaling New Heights - Joe Woodard

    If you haven’t taken a look at Method yet and want to see what all the fuss is about, check out this webinar.  If you’re a current Method user, you may learn a thing or two after seeing it. 

    I do want to give a big “Thank You” to Joe for allowing me to show Method to the group. Big Smile I am really looking forward to seeing everyone in May.

    Enjoy!

    Danny Do Couto
    Method Integration

    View Danny Do Couto's profile on LinkedIn

  • Method Xora Connector – Connects QuickBooks with Xora

    I love my gadgets. Geeked  I really do.  So when we started talking about making a connector that would allow Xora users to integrate with Method and of course QuickBooks, I was pretty pumped. 

    Haven’t heard of Xora before?  Well, Xora is an alien creature from a distant plant named…..just kidding!  Okay, all jokes aside, if you haven’t heard of Xora yet, it’s time you did. 

    Xora is a mobile workforce management solution used by more than 8000 companies.  So how does Xora help you to track and manage your workers?

    • You can see exactly where your workers are, in real-time and what they are up to.
    • Workers can easily enter their time through their phone devices, and guess what?  They can’t change the times they enter in, so you know it will be accurate.
    • Xora helps your company to be more “green” by eliminating paperwork since all time and job entries can be entered into the phone.  We like “green”.
    • Want to learn more about Xora features?  Speak to the experts at Xora by clicking the link below:
      http://www.xora.com

    So how does the Method Xora Connector fit in?  The Method Team is all about making applications that seamlessly work with QuickBooks and solve your business needs.  The Method Xora Connector does just that!

    The Method Xora Connector is a bridge that connects QuickBooks with Xora for the purpose of sending start & stop times from Xora to the QuickBooks Timesheet.  With this Method Xora Connector bridge, Xora Jobs and Users are paired with QuickBooks Customer:Jobs and Employees/Subcontractors.  All job and shift times entered into Xora are then pulled into the Method Xora Connector, which in turn posts them to QuickBooks for payroll and/or billable time.

    Method Xora Connector - Workflow

    So how much does it cost?  If you’re already a Method Full Blown Edition user, it’s free!  Just go to your “My Account” tab in your Method account and add the app.

    Not a Method user?  The Method Xora Connector subscription is just $20.00 per month with an initial setup fee of $75.00.  The setup fee includes a 30 – 45 minute installation and training session with a connector guru.  To sign-up for the Method Xora Connector, click the link below.

    Method Xora Connector Sign-up

    Not a Xora user?  Setup a demo with a Xora representative by visiting their website below:

    http://www.xora.com

    Kudos’s to Richard from our development team who has been working very hard on getting this app to where it is today.  It’s awesome!

    Cheers,

    Danny Do Couto
    Method Integration

    View Danny Do Couto's profile on LinkedIn

  • We’re growing and hiring!

    If you’ve been keeping up to date with our blogs, email announcements, or have spoken to any of the members of the Method Team, you know how busy we are right now.  I’ll be honest; it’s a little nutty, crazy and exciting, all at the same time. 

    At times, I’d like to think of myself as a “human octopus”, with multiple arms that can be pulled in different directions, all at once.  At least that’s what it feels like now and again.  Smile  So, the time has come for us to find some added help!

    We’re looking for up to 5 Business Systems Consultants that are energetic, driven and able to capitalize on this wicked product known as Method Integration.  To learn more about this position and possibly/potentially join our team, click the job posting below.  We offer great benefits, an awesome work environment, competitive salary, and a fantastic team! Star

    Monster Job Posting for Business Systems Consultants

    Cheers,

    Danny Do Couto
    Method Integration

    View Danny Do Couto's profile on LinkedIn

  • Method Field Services for QuickBooks – Now Available

    Field Service companies should be very excited today, especially when it comes to their office staff.  Why?  The Method Team has now released Method Field Services, which is tailored specifically to field service companies.  So what type of industries am I talking about when I say ‘Field Service’ companies? Well these can include industries such as:

    • Lawn care and maintenance
    • Landscaping
    • Pest Control
    • Irrigation
    • HVAC
    • Plumbing
    • Electrical
    • Pool Maintenance
    • Cleaning

    The list can get much larger but I think you get the general idea. Put it this way, if your company needs to schedule work for your staff such as one time or recurring services, print work orders and route lists, enter job cost information and somehow turn this work into proper QuickBooks invoices, then Method Field Services is going to be a huge help!  Why?  ‘Cause it can do everything I just listed, plus if it doesn’t do something exactly the way you want it to, well just customize it of course.  It is Method after all. Big Smile  Tie that in with the fact that you already have real-time syncing with QuickBooks and the extended CRM capabilities and you have a very cool and powerful tool.

    I’ve included a picture of the Field Service Dashboard which neatly displays the amount of work assigned to each of your staff and the dollar amount associated with each job item in a bar and pie chart format.  Yes, I also wanted to include this picture because it just looked cool.  Everyone LOVES graphs.  Geeked

    Method Field Services Dashboard for QuickBooks

    So how do you get started with Field Services?  Well that depends on if you are a new user, a current user or need to upgrade your account.  I’ve explained the 3 scenarios below, so pick the one that applies to you.

    New Method User – Well first of all, welcome!  To sign up for Method Field Services, simply click the link below and follow the instructions on the sign up page.

    https://www.methodintegration.com/web/signupapp.aspx?app=Method%20Field%20Services

    Current user – Full Blown Edition – Since you are already using the Full Blown Edition, you can access to all industry applications.  Simply click on the “Customize” tab and then click My Account.  Under the “Add Apps from Method Library” section, click add this app now! for Method Field Services. 

    Current user – Standard and CRM Edition – You will first need to upgrade your account to the Full Blown Edition to have access to the industry apps.  To do this, click on the “Customize” tab and then click My Account.  Under the “Add Apps from Method Library” section, click upgrade to this edition now! for Method Full Blown Edition. 

    If you want to check out more of the screen shots for Method Field Services, click the link below and then click the “Screenshots & Resources” tab. 

    http://www.methodintegration.com/web/web-app-for-quickbooks.aspx?app=Method%20Field%20Services&Plumbing-Electrical-HVAC-Field-Service-For-Use-With-Intuit-QuickBooks-Enterprise.html

    Till next time,

    Danny Do Couto
    Method Integration

    View Danny Do Couto's profile on LinkedIn

  • How to create a QuickBooks Deposit screen from scratch

    Danny and I have a deal.  He gets to write all the fun blogs and announcements - and in return I get to do all the geeky "how do I?" blogs.  Does it sound like I got a raw deal?  No - not at all!  I love showing off what Method can do....and I especially enjoy getting my hands dirty.

    Today's blog is a long overdue movie tutorial on how to create a screen, from scratch, using Method.  This is a great educational tool for anyone who wants an introduction into how to create and modify screens from scratch.  It touches quickly on many key concepts such as choosing the correct table, how grids relate to a screen, how to arrange sections on a screen, and how actions can make your life easy.  This blog is actually inspired by a simple email we received:

    "Here is my scenario: my client has a manual system for capturing receipts which is broken into several different income accounts.  They have no need to breakdown by an Item or Customer, they just need a way to book the deposit. 

    I would like to determine a way to setup a deposit entry screen with a couple of “preset lines” already setup so that all they have to do is enter the date and the amounts.  I would also like them to have the ability to add lines for other miscellaneous deposit amounts. 

    Oh, I almost forgot, I need the ability to select the class for each line also.

    Hope that makes sense."

    I felt there was no better way to demonstrate a solution than to post a video onto YouTube that shows, step by step, how to create this Deposit screen.  Unfortunately, YouTube only allows movies 10 minutes in length or shorter, and since the movie is a total of 17 minutes, I had to break it into two movies.

    Part I of II:

     

    Part II of II:

     

    Please reply back with comments and questions.  I'll be happy to offer some tips on how you can take my basic deposit screen and turn it into something even more customized for your individual scenarios.

    Paul