Method Blog : Arizona

QuickBooks Remote Access made EASY

Method_Danny — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 15:05:00 GMT

Are you an accountant that needs fast and easy access to your client’s QuickBooks company file? If so, this blog entry is right up your alley!

Back in November, the Method team was at the Sleeter Conference in Phoenix, Arizona. I am missing Phoenix right now, especially with our -15C (5F) temperatures …..never mind, there I go off topic. Anyways, part of the trip entailed me doing a presentation in front of a “small” (I am being sarcastic) group of Sleeter members. After the presentation, I sat down with nearly 25 Sleeter members, over the course of 2 hours. They were telling me how they loved the presentation about Method and I received feedback as to how we can make our process even better for accountants. Here were the main points I was hearing:

#1 - I want to host the QuickBooks file. I don’t want my client to host it!

#2 - I want to limit the access. I give them to this file so they don’t put entries into areas they shouldn’t be in.

#3 - I don’t want to pay for this! I want my client to pay for the subscription.

I thought to myself, now why in the world would an accountant want to host the file, and not the other way around. And that’s when the feedback from the group really kicked in.

In most cases, the accountant is really the one who needs to host the QuickBooks file, not the client. The client and their staff normally enter in sales receipts, invoices, bills, checks, makes PO’s or maybe just add new customers and vendors. The advanced QuickBooks functions are usually done by the accountant anyway; hence the reason the accountant needs access to the QuickBooks file. The main reason why the QuickBooks company file usually resides at the office is because this is the only way other QuickBooks users can access the needed data in QuickBooks. This isn’t the case anymore.

With Method, the accountant would actually purchase the license of QuickBooks (or transfer it from its existing location) and host the company file at their office. This ensures that the accountant has access to the QuickBooks file at all times This prevents accountants from having to make actual visits to the client’s office, or using a remote connection (like WebEx or LogMeIn), or borrowing and returning copies of the QuickBooks file from the client. Those scenarios make me cringe!

So what about the users at the office? They would enter in all their information into Method which would update the QuickBooks file REAL TIME! The accountant can be working away in the QuickBooks file and everyone at the client’s office can be working away so no loss in productivity. If the accountant happens to have QuickBooks closed, it doesn’t matter. The next time they launch the QuickBooks database, it will be automatically updated with the new information. It gets even better; installation at the client’s workstation locations is easy. Load your web browser such as Internet Explorer or Firefox, go to the methodintegration.com website and login with your Company Account, Username and Password. That’s it. No need to install any software. This means if you need to get another workstation up and running, you can do so in no time.

Now as an accountant, you told us that you want your client paying for their Method subscription. So how do you sign them up for an account yet have them pay for it? Well you use the new accountant invitation process of course. Below is a visual representation of the process.

Steps for signing up a client:

Visit www.methodintegration.com.
Click Editions at the top of the screen.
Choose the Method Edition you would like to sign up for your client. For example, Method Starter Edition.
Under “Pricing” and “Accountants & Bookkeeping services” click send them and invitation.
Fill in “Step 1” with your, the accountant’s, contact information.
Fill in “Step 2” with your client’s contact information.
Fill in “Step 3” with which default screens and sections you would like your client to see. Remember, these can always be changed later on. Yes, this means that you, the accountant, can limit which areas of Method, and therefore QuickBooks data, you want to give access to!
Click Sign Up.
Your client will now receive an email, with a link requesting that they confirm their contact information and enter in their payment information. They will also get a chance to choose a username and password.
Once they confirm this information, you, the accountant, will receive a confirmation email with your administrator user name and passwords, and the steps needed to sync Method with QuickBooks.
Your client will have been sent a separate email with their non-administrator user name and passwords, and instructions on how to login.

This process saves you from having to collect the monthly subscription fee from your client and ensures that the installation of Method is done correctly.

It really is a sweet process and is a perfect example of how feedback can help everyone out.

As always, I'd love to hear your feedback, comments as suggestions.

Cheers,

Danny Do Couto
Method Integration

‘Tis the season to be jolly…

Method_Danny — Tue, 23 Dec 2008 19:08:00 GMT

The holiday season is upon us and everyone here at the Method Team is in a festive mood. Heck, Katie and I even managed to put up our holiday tree after returning from our trip to the Sleeter Conference. This included us playing some good old Christmas tunes at 8:00am prior to anyone coming into the office (except poor Paul who was trying his best to focus on his work).

2008 has been a very exciting year for our team. We opened up our beta, launched the Method API, filed for a patent for our Method Integration Engine and made Method publically available in September. All of this was followed by a hectic series of conferences (QuickBooks Enterprise Conference, Sleeter Conference and The Financial Technology Show).

So what can you expect from us in 2009? We’ll keep you posted, but I promise there are only more exciting things planned in the pipeline.

Just a reminder that our offices will be closed on the following days:

December 25 (Christmas Day)
December 26 (Boxing Day here in Canada)
January 1 (New Years Day)

On behalf of the Method Team, have a wonderful holiday season and a very happy and prosperous 2009!

Danny Do Couto
Method Integration

Method @ 2008 Sleeter Group Conference

Method_Danny — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 17:47:00 GMT

Folks we are back from this year’s 2008 Sleeter Group Conference and if I were asked to summarize the conference into one word it would be WOW!

About a week before the conference I was asked to do a short presentation for some members of the Sleeter Group by Randy Johnston of K2 Enterprises. Randy joined the Method Beta after last year’s Sleeter Conference in Las Vegas. I was thinking it would be 40 – 50 people in the room but was surprised to hear that approx. 140 people were attending. Gulp. Of course I was happy to hear that so many people were interested in learning about how to take their business online, but admittedly, I tend to get nervous in front of large audiences.

So Monday afternoon, I get up on stage and start plowing through my PowerPoint slides so I can actually demonstrate Method. About half way through my demo, I can sense dead silence in the room. I realize the sudden sense of heat is not the room getting hotter but the nerves reaching a new level. Immediately I think it is one of two things:

Everyone is completely lost and has no clue what Method is and how it pertains to them. OR
They are left speechless.

I was hoping for 2 but couldn’t get a good read of the audience. A couple of seconds later, Randy probed a question to the audience asking if “everyone could start to see how this could change the way they currently do business”. After saying this, questions started to be asked and I could see that everyone was totally thinking “this was cool”. What a way to start the first day!

Once the exhibit hall opened on the second day our booth was busy and buzzing. Katie, Paul and I got a chance to speak to a majority of the people who attended Randy’s presentation and they were totally into Method. I couldn’t help but feel good after one attendee explained the moment of silence at my presentation as “The Twilight Zone”. The exact moment where they could see how Method could solve so many of the current issues they face both for themselves and their clients. “So do you mean it can do….” was the start of many of the conversations that took place.

It’s amazing how one year can make such a big difference. As a kid, if you ever transferred to a new school, you know it takes a while for you to settle in and mark your ground. You may have been a top notch grader or the popular kid at your old school, but it’s totally new ground at a new school. Well for Method, we were the new kids at Sleeter in 2007. This year, we found our groove and totally fit in and gained some serious popularity. We knew exactly who we are, what we had to offer and how to deliver.

As with every year, we always have new things to learn and take back with us. Heck, I even learned that '007' was a spoof of 'Austin Powers', something that was news to me. This feedback helps us to make Method a more matured product and is exactly what we need to make it that much better.

Now that we are back in Toronto, we’ll be focusing on releasing our Field Services app and staying put for awhile. Below are some pictures from the conference for your viewing pleasure.

Cheers everyone!

Danny Do Couto
Method Integration

Below: Danny Do Couto, Katie Riley and Paul Jackson from the Method Team

Below: Paul Jackson preparing for a Method Demo

Below: Danny Do Couto answering some questions regarding Method

Below: Paul Jackson in action doing a demo of Method - Field Services

Method’s on the road again…

Method_Danny — Mon, 08 Sep 2008 18:12:00 GMT

Summer may be coming to an end but for the Method Team, things are really starting to heat up. This fall the Method Team will be attending 2 big conferences.

Our first stop will be Dallas, Texas where we are exhibiting at the QuickBooks Enterprise Solutions Conference from September 10 - 12. This conference is tailored for novice to advanced users of QuickBooks Enterprise. This will also be the official launch location for Method going out of beta and being available to the general public.

Next, we’re headed to Phoenix, Arizona for the 2008 Sleeter Group Conference running from November 10 – 13. This conference is tailored to both accountants and consultants alike. For those of you who don’t know, this will be our second year attending the Sleeter Group Conference and this year we will be a Gold Level Exhibitor. Last year was when we officially launched our beta in Las Vegas, Nevada. To read more on that, my blog post by clicking here.

So if you happen to be in Dallas or Phoenix on these days, or attending any of these conferences, please stop by. Say hello! Perhaps share a coffee at the café ?

Cheers!

Danny Do Couto
Method Integration