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Method is a QuickBooks-integrated, web-based platform with industry-specific applications that can be completely customized from head-to-toe.
We start you off with a web-based version of your QuickBooks data, complete with a Customer Center, Vendor Center and Employee Center. Changes made in either QuickBooks or Method are synchronized in real time.
Customize each screen any way you want. Create your own screens, tables, fields, actions and customer portals, using a simple drag and drop interface. No coding!! It's the last system your company will need to invest in since Method can be customized to meet your company's specific needs now and far into the future.
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Method provides an Application Library containing industry-specific apps that you'll use as your starting point. Each application is just as powerful as your traditional off-the-shelf 'boxed' solution. What makes Method unique is its ability to be customized.
The premise of traditional industry-specific software is that all companies within an industry segment are the same, and therefore can use the exact same software solution. In reality, this premise is broken. Companies within an industry do have many points of similarity, but there are also many points of difference. Unlike traditional industry-specific software, Method embraces these points of difference. We call this the "90/10 rule". 90% of your company's needs - your points of similarity to your industry - will be solved by the industry-specific edition. The remaining 10% of your needs - the points of difference that make your company unique - are solved by customization. We'll be releasing industry-specific versions throughout the remainder of 2008 and 2009. Visit the Method Application Library for a full list of Method industry apps. If you do not see your industry listed, you can either choose an applicaiton that most closely matches your industry, or build and maintain your dream edition from scratch.
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Each industry-specific Method app is built by Method Consultants using the same customization tools available to you. Don't like a feature? Change it. Don't need a feature? Remove it. Need a new feature? Build it.
- Screens - Every screen in Method is completely customizable. You can drag and drop new fields, pictures, buttons, grids, calendars, etc., onto your screens to give them added functionality.
- Reports - Reports are built using the Method Report Designer. All built-in reports are completely customizable. In addition, you can build your own reports, work orders, invoices, estimates, charts, etc.
- Tables & Fields - When you start using Method you’ll see that all your accounting information is already stored in tables and fields in Method. You can customize these tables by adding fields of your own. For example, you could add a "Birthday" field to your Customers table, or an "Item Color" field to your Items table. You can also build your own tables and fields to help you manage projects, marketing campaigns, or whatever else you need to track.
- Actions - Behind every button is list of "Actions" that get performed whenever the button is clicked. You can customize these actions for your specific needs. For example, a "Save & New" button might have 3 actions it performs. First, it might call a "Save Section" action to save the contents of a screen. Second, it might call a "Clear Section" action to clear the screen's fields so they are blank, ready for a new entry. Finally, it might call a "Show Message" action that displays a message telling you the save was successful. Since you have complete customization at your fingertips, you could remove the "Show Message" action because you find it is not necessary, as well as add an action of your own, such as a "Send Email" action that notifies a staff member at your company that a new entry has been made.
Stop for a moment and think how powerful this level of customization is. Think of how much more effective all your software programs could be if you had the ability to rearrange fields, modify your data, and have full control over what happens when you click a button.
Now, who does this customization? It is your choice. Method has been designed so that it can be customized without any coding. Therefore, you can choose to either customize Method yourself, or use the services of your Method Consultant, or a Solution Provider to design your dream solution for you.
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Method seamlessly integrates with your entire QuickBooks database. Changes made in QuickBooks are updated in real time to Method, and likewise changes made in Method are updated in real time to QuickBooks.
Integration with accounting software can only be truly seamless when it is planned ahead of time, rather than an afterthought. QuickBooks integration was a consideration at every step of the planning process when Method was developed, helping us to ensure the best integration possible.
Here's how it works: - Installation: When you open Method for the first time you’ll be taken to the QuickBooks area where you’ll download and install the Method Desktop Integration Engine onto the same computer that has your QuickBooks installed.
- Synchronization: The Method Desktop Integration Engine will automatically connect to QuickBooks and synchronize all your lists and transactions to your Method database online.
- Real Time: As you make changes in QuickBooks, the Method Desktop Integration Engine automatically updates Method's database in real time. Likewise, as you make changes in Method, the Method Desktop Integration Engine automatically updates QuickBooks in real time.
- Since all your data is synchronized between QuickBooks and Method, you can do almost anything in Method that you can do in QuickBooks and have it automatically synchronize.
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There's no denying it: the world is changing and so is the way we are doing business. Customers and vendors interact by email, and through each others' websites. Employees work remotely in the field and from their homes. Business decision makers want real time access to data anytime, anywhere. Method, being web-based, gives you all these capabilities and more.
- Access your QuickBooks and Method data anytime, anywhere.
- Nothing to install: Any computer or mobile phone that has a web-browser can login and use Method without any additional software to install.
- Save money: No maintaining of expensive office networks. No purchasing and maintaining of expensive server hardware and server-specific software.
- Security: Method data is hosted at a world-class data center. Databases are encrypted for added security, and daily backups are made automatically.
- Enterprise-level database: Method uses SQL Server, an incredibly fast and reliable database engine that can handle the needs of a small business up to a Fortune 500 enterprise.
- Since a lot of your staff will be using Method instead of QuickBooks directly, you'll lessen your burden on QuickBooks in the office.
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Traditional industry-specific solutions are structured for your industry as a whole, but do not embrace the points of difference that make your company unique. But with Method, you can break free from what your peers are doing, and run your system, your way.
The 90/10 rule (your company needs are 90% similar to your industry peers and 10% unique): The problem with off-the-shelf solutions is that they will never be able to solve 100% of your company's needs. They can't. It's not really their fault. It just isn't possible to build a one-size-fits-all solution for an entire industry. At best, traditional industry-specific software will meet only 90% of your needs. Whether features you need don't exist, or whether you wish existing features worked differently, or whether there is a process that you wish you could change to make sure staff don't enter incorrect data…..sooner or later you'll find that 10% or more of your company's needs just can't be met with a one-size-fits all solution. It gets worse as your company grows and changes, and the industry-specific solution more or less stays the same. As much as the software vendor will want to change the program to meet your needs, they know that doing so will upset the other users that use the same program and like it the way it is. Method solves the 90/10 rule by starting all companies within an industry with the same base edition, solving the first 90% of each company's needs. From that point forward, each company can customize their edition as they see fit, solving that last 10%. No more waiting for updates, no more settling for software that is just "good enough" - Method lets you build and change what you want, when you want.
Hiring a programmer to build a custom program can eventually solve 100% of your needs, but be prepared for a long, expensive, bumpy ride. With Method, however, your project time and cost is a fraction of that with a custom developer, yet you end up a better net result.
The 90/10 rule (your company needs are 90% similar to your industry peers, and 10% unique) - Unlike traditional industry-specific solutions, a custom programmer can tailor your application specifically to your needs, and help you get over the 90/10 rule. If you hold on for the ride, you will eventually get 100% of your needs met. But according to the 90/10 rule, only 10% of your needs are unique. This means in order to solve 100% of your needs, you have to reinvent the wheel on the first 90%. That's a lot of unnecessary work. Break the bank - Building a custom program from scratch requires a skilled programmer, and many, many hours - and you are going to be paying the bills the whole way through. A long ride - A custom program is a long process for a number of reasons. For starters, not only are you going to have to pay to reinvent the wheel, you're going to have to wait for the programmer to code it. Secondly, a custom programmer is going to build a program using programming code – which is a slow process. A bumpy ride - With a custom programmer, be prepared to be the guinea pig. There is no large user base to share the burden, so you will have to be the beta tester, project manager, and the one that finds all the bugs that needs to get fixed. With Method - You only need to customize the last 10% of your needs, since the first 90% are solved for you. Not reinventing the wheel is why Method just makes a lot more sense. Method gives you the tools to solve 100% of your needs, without the long, bumpy ride of using a custom programmer. Not to mention a considerably smaller investment.
Web-based, do-it-yourself and CRM applications are becoming more and more popular. They give you customization ability, but QuickBooks integration is non-existent. With Method, QuickBooks integration was built in at the ground floor, enabling you to build business apps that just aren't possible on the other platforms.
Typical CRM (Customer Relationship Management) applications are popular, but only earn a score of 2 out of 4. Where they succeed: CRM applications provide a web-based hosted solution. They also typically provide a customizable application. Where they fail: CRM applications fail in delivering realistic, industry-specific applications – most editions provided are basic or non-industry specific. They also fail to take into consideration the importance of integration with your existing accounting software. With Method – Method earns a 4 out of 4 score since you get all the benefits of a customizable CRM application, plus the business essentials of industry-specific editions and integration with QuickBooks.
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