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Version
History
Instant
Quote Professional Version 6.2, for MS Office Access 2007®
(Access 2007 NOT required)
6.30
- Apr-17-2008
Access 2007 Runtime SP-1 (service pack 1). This
will enable functions that were broken in the first runtime
release, such as certain right-click menu's not working,
Outputting previewed reports to MS Word, e-mailing using
the new Microsoft .PDF add-in, etc.
Added "Export to Excel" button in the Print
Preview menu when previewing reports. This works a little
differently from the similar button that was in version
5, as this will export the report's underlying data source
to excel. Field columns may be different from the actual
previewed report, but the data is the same.
New
Feature: Added Past Due Accounts Screen. This screen can
be set to automatically launch when starting Instant Quote
Professional by clicking the 'Show this Screen the next
time.." option within the screen. To access the Past
Due Accounts screen, go to the Payments screen, and click
the 'E-mail Past Due Accounts' button, or click the lower
half of the Payments screen launching menu. This screen
supports printing the statements, or batch e-mailing the
Customer Statement w/Remittance to selected customers.
New E-mailing Feature: For those using either the EasyMail
or the full MS Outlook option in the E-mailing method
/ SMTP setup tab, all quotes, invoices, po's, jobs and
rma's will now attach with the appropriate number as part
of the file name (including e-mails sent in the batch
print process of the Instant Billing add-in). For example,
attaching a pdf for Invoice #123, will now attach the
file: Invoice-123.pdf. For those using the default MAPI
handler Outlook Express or Windows mail, the attaching
of the file is handled by the system, and there is no
method for setting the file name.
Enabled "Export to Word" button in the Print
Preview menu (menu available only when previewing a report
or form).
Added new search facility for searching the Customer Call
Log. This is available from the Search menu on the Customer
screen, or Main Instant Quote Menu on the Customers button.
Service Screen: The Job Completed date will now highlight
in yellow and change to bold when the date is not yet
filled in, thus making it easier to see uncompleted jobs
at a glance. Additionally, the "Search Jobs"
screen will default to searching open jobs only (job completed
date left blank), but can be set to search closed or all
jobs.
Reports Screen, Added new Report: "Job Orders by
Job Status w/System Specs". This is identical to
the Job Orders by Job Status report, however it adds the
system / specs and Item Checked in fields.
Parts Screen, Mass Update: If you use the column down
arrow filters, these will no longer be ignored when using
the "Check All" or "Uncheck All" in
filter buttons.
Enhancements to Send Bulk E-mail Wizard. You can now check
a box to import e-mails from the 'additional contacts'
section of the Customer screen. Additionally, fixed error
when filtering by sales person, customer type that would
prompt for parameter value.
In the Invoice Screen, 'Export Invoices for Accounts Export',
the line detail for part numbers was using an internal
ID for the part. The system will now use the Internal
part number unless your "parts datasheet view"
in the setup screen, optional features tab is set to only
show the Supplier Part number. In this case, the supplier
number will be used for the part number.
Bug Fix: In the Parts screen, Import function, a bug existed
where, if you had leading spaces in either the supplier
part # or part description, the program would search either
field without the leading space, yet save the part with
the leading space, thus making finding matching parts
for updating impossible.
The 'Add Parts Browser' will now correctly remember the
"Sort By" setting, and apply the sorting the
next time the browser is opened.
The Import Quotes screen, located on the More Quote Commands
menu, will now correctly use the Quote Number that you
used off-site, provided that the quote number is not already
in use in the main/target database. Previously, even though
the screen said it would use your number if not in use,
it was always using new quote numbers (even if they were
not in use).
For those NOT using Inventory Control (no on-hand tracking),
previously the system would allow you to change a part
number on an existing Invoice line, but would not update
the part description, cost and sales price. These columns
will now be updated. If Inventory Control is in use, the
system will continue preventing you from changing part
numbers.
If using Reference Numbers, when you pull up a different
invoice, the next default reference number will set properly.
If you have the Credit Limit feature turned on in Setup,
Optional Features, fixed error that would result if the
credit limit field was left blank in the customer options
screen.
Fixed "#Error" showing on the Reports Screen,
Customer Statement report underneath the customer address.
2-Tax System: Fixed the Purchase Order screen and p/o
form to show both taxes in the one available tax box.
6.20
- Mar-5-2008
Added 2 New Functions to the Customers and Suppliers screen.
You can now use the 2 new buttons in the Customer and/or
Supplier ribbon menu area to either 1) Save the current
customer/supplier to MS Outlook, or 2) Add new customers/suppliers
from MS Outlook Contacts. For most users with Outlook
2003 or above, you can save to an outlook contact.
Added 5 New Label Formats, including 4 Dymo Label Formats,
to the "Print Labels" button on the Customer
screen, Parts screen, and Purchase screen, Serial Number
Entry form: Avery 5162 (1 1/3" X 4, 2 across), Dymo
continuous label 30252 (1-1/8" x 3-1/2", 28mm
x 89mm), Dymo 11354 (57mm x 32mm), Dymo 30573 Shipping
Labels (2 1/8" x 4", 54mm x 102mm), and finally
Dymo 30578 Return Address Labels (3/4" X 2",
19mm x 51mm). When printing the Dymo labels, Instant Quote
Pro will automatically switch to any printer in the windows
control panel containing the word "Dymo", then
switch back to your default printer when finished.
Paper Size Fixes: Changed Printing process when clicking
the Quick Print buttons to ensure that if you have A4
selected as your paper size, the program will change the
paper size setting prior to printing directly to the printer.
The change will cause you to briefly see the report when
printing directly.
Added "Quick Print" button to the Purchase Order
Screen top menu area.
Instant
Billing Add-In: Added 3 New billing frequencies: Weekly,
Bi-Weekly and Tri-Annual. For weekly billing, the
system will take the monthly amount for a charge and divide
by 4 (bi-weekly will divide by 2). For example, if you
set the monthly amount of a charge to $40, a weekly billing
frequency will set the charge to $10. Tri-Annual will
take the monthly amount column and multiply by 4.
Instant Billing Add-In: Added "Billing Frequency"
selection to the "Copy Billing Record" wizard.
You can now set / override the billing frequency when
copying billing records to multiple customers.
Added
new Full screen search facility: "Search All Serial
Numbers Purchased / Sold (Inventory)". This is located
on the Serial Numbers menu on the Invoice screen, and
the Serial Numbers / Locations menu on the Purchase screen,
or from the Invoices and Purchases main dropdown menu.
This screen will show all serial numbers purchased, and
all invoices, with sold price, for Serial numbers that
have been sold. Info will also include the details from
the purchase order. For those who pay a % for only items
sold, this will allow you to search the serial number's
sold data and/or copy to Excel for paying Suppliers. Note:
Assumption is that any given Part Number on an Invoice
would NOT have different sold prices, or this will not
function properly. Default sorting is to have all available
serial numbers sort first, then those that have been sold
on Invoices.
Improved the Serial Number Entry process in the purchase
order screen. The system will now prevent duplicate serial
numbers from being entered where the Supplier and Serial
Number are duplicated.
The Reports: "Sales by Part Category Account Number
- Any Status" and "Delivered Status" now
has the Customer filter enabled. You can leave blank for
all data (as previously), or choose a Customer to filter
the report.
The
Report: "Purchases by Part Category Account Number"
now has the supplier filter enabled. You can leave blank
for all data (as previously), or choose a supplier to
filter the report.
Bug Fix: Fixed Refresh buttons on all search screens.
If you switch tabs to make changes to the underlying data,
then switch back to a search screen, the refresh will
now function by refreshing the data displayed.
Bug
Fix: Job Workcard was showing a hard-coded "VAT Reg
#" at the bottom, this has been removed.
Bug Fix: If using company name text instead of a company
logo, the customer's company name was printing on the
top of the job forms, this has been fixed to show your
company name.
Bug Fix: If you e-mailed a purchase order in a format
that should support a logo, a text logo was shown instead.
This has been fixed.
6.15
Fixes - 1/31/2008
Opened up the E-mail Button on the Reports screen so that
any report can be e-mailed. It will now function regardless
of whether the Customer or Supplier filter is enabled,
and regardless of whether or not you choose a customer
or supplier. This allows network users to e-mail reports
to corporate / main offices, etc.
Added
sub-totaling on the Quotes by Quote Status Report.
For
Serial Number entry records, the system will now warn
when deleting line items or decreasing the quantity (on
Invoices and Purchases) IF serial numbers have been entered
for the part. The message will instruct the user to delete
the unwanted serial entry record manually (Previously,
the system would remove the serial entry record even if
it had a serial number entered).
When
attempting to delete a serial number on the Purchase side,
you will be prevented from doing so if the Serial Number
is in use on an Invoice serial record.
For
the "Add Labor" and "Add Shipping"
functions on the Quote / Invoice screens, updating an
existing labor or shipping charge would not immediately
refresh the line-item unless you clicked in the line-item
field.
In
Customer screen, clicking Save was not refreshing the
customer select dropdown lists.
In
the Instant Billing module, you will now be warned when
trying to update the Next Invoice From Date, as this is
set by the batch billing process.
6.10
Fixes - 1/20/2008
Added
integrated help file. Many popup screens will now have
a help button. Additionally, pressing <F1> on the
main screens, as well as most popup screens, will open
context-sensitive help. The help file is now compatible
with Windows Vista (previously, the help was a .HLP file,
which was no longer supported by Windows Vista).
Added
the State / Prov. Field to the company selection in the
"Choose a Customer" area.
Added
"Internal Quote Notes" field to the 4 Quotes
Follow Up List Reports. However, for the 2 Quotes Follow-up
Detail reports, the internal quote notes will ONLY show
if you do not filter the report for 1 customer. So if
you leave the customer criteria blank, it will show the
internal notes, if you choose a customer, it will not
show the internal-use notes (assuming that you are sending
this to the customer).
Parts
Screen, Export Menu. Added a checkbox "Export On-Hand
Amounts" to the Export Parts for Shopping Cart Import.
To add an on-hand column to the exported xls file, check
the box in the export window.
Fixed
"Components" screen. Previously, if you had
multiple line-items on the main screen, and were adding
components, the main screen would reset to the last line,
which would cause the next component added to go to not
show in the current component window.
Fixed
"Add/Update job status button on the Service screen.
Fixed
E-mail button on the RMA screen. It was not correctly
attaching the RMA form.
Fixed
problem: If you had an invoice selected, then opened the
customer screen, then clicked back to invoice, and attempted
to delete the invoice, a syntax error would result.
When
using large parts database mode, if you enter a part number
on a blank quote or invoice line, that has more than one
supplier, a part chooser would open prompting you to click
the correct part. Doing so would give a message that the
data could not be saved. This has been fixed.
Fixed
extra formatting characters that would appear on quote
intro / footer text, such as <div>, etc. However,
you may need to manually go in after this update and fix
the notes directly on each quote by removing the extra
formatting characters manually in the notes screen. Same
goes for the default intro / footer text in the employee
/ sales name table. After this update, check for any formatting
characters there and delete out the extra text if found.
If
dividing line is in use on the previewed invoice, it was
displaying after any components or line-notes, unlike
the quote dividing line. This has been fixed.
Instant
Quote Professional Version 6, for MS Office Access 2007®
General
Program Changes
Instant Quote Professional will now use the very latest
technology, using Office Access 2007 as the front-end
database program, and back-end database. Instant Quote
Pro will now be fully compatible with Windows Vista.
All Main screens have been completely redesigned to be
fully self-contained. In previous versions, you could
only open one main screen at a time. Now you can have
many Main screens open at once, and easily switch screens
using the tabbed interface at the top. If you have too
many screens open, and wish to close them all quickly,
click the Tools tab at the top, and select the "Close
all Open Tabs" button.
All
Main screens have new "ribbon-style" menus at
the top. This will make finding common tasks for each
screen very easy. Instant Search has been replaced by
a dedicated search screen for each area of interest. These
new, full screen, search facilities are now accessible
via search selections on the lower half of screen selection
buttons on the main program menu, and on each main screen's
menu.
All
fonts have been updated to use more modern windows fonts.
Datasheets are clearer, and use a light color, alternating
row background, enabling the rows to easily stand out
from one another.
The
E-mailing window has new additions in the Output Format
selection list: Access 2007 .PDF Add-In, and Access 2007
.XPS (XML Paper Specification). The .PDF output format
retains all logos, formatting, etc., when e-mailing a
document. The new Microsoft .PDF add-in is far superior
to using your own .PDF writer. We recommend you switch
to this. If you select the Access 2007 .PDF as your output
format, the first time you send, the system will prompt
you to download the add-in. Simply install the add-in,
and re-start Instant Quote Pro, and you're set! Outlook
Express and the new Windows Mail that replaces Express
in Windows Vista will support the new Access 2007 .PDF!
This will solve all issues with e-mail quotes using Outlook
Express, as all logo's, formatting, etc., will be retained
if you use the Access 2007 .PDF.
All
Reports will have a new menu bar that will support the
Access 2007 .PDF add-in mentioned above.
In
previous versions, the back-end database did not have
relationships / referential integrity enforced. Now all
data has rules for enforcing referential integrity (for
example, you cannot delete a Purchase Order that has a
payment attached, etc.). Additional table-based rules
will prohibit null/blank entries where a number should
be, or entries of zero where a CustomerID should be, etc.
These rules will keep your database at a high level of
integrity at all times.
When
you click in ALL date fields throughout the program, a
small button will become visible for date picking. This
button will be immediately to the right of the date field.
Most
commands under the old File menu have now been placed
under the top-left, round Office button. You can now easily
compact your program file under this menu. Over time,
as you run many reports, functions, etc., the program
file will grow in size. You should use the compact and
repair at least weekly.
For
those who use multiple databases, a new option for managing
your database list can be found in the top left Office
button, Open Instant Quote Database, Add / Manage Database
List. By adding your database locations in this list,
they will then appear in the "Open Instant Quote
Database" menu, thus eliminating the need to browse
for the correct database each time you wish to open one.
The
old File, Backup screen has been eliminated. Now when
you click the top-left Office button, and select "Backup
Instant Quote Pro Database", you will simply be prompted
with the save dialog. The path will be remembered, and
the file name will default to the day of the week. The
option for Disabling automated backups has moved to the
top-left Office button, Setup Options, Setup Options (Local
PC Only).
Added
the ability to change the password for a user in the Security
Setup screen. (Security setup has moved to the top-left
Office button, Setup Options, Security Setup.
The "What's New in Instant Quote Pro" screen
has been moved to the main program ribbon area. Notice
in the line that says "What do you want to Open?",
there is a small diagonal arrow box in the lower right.
Clicking this will access the screen.
The
"About Instant Quote Pro" screen has been moved
to the main program ribbon area. Notice in the line that
says "Exit" with the "Exit Instant Quote
Pro" button, there is a small diagonal rrow box in
the lower right. Clicking this will access the screen.
The table of information that stores Customers has been
split into 2 tables. All of the large notes fields, and
other larger fields have moved to the new table. This
should speed access to screens requiring customer information.
The
table of information that stores Parts has been split
into 2 tables. Most of the large notes fields, and other
larger fields have moved to the new table. This should
greatly improve the speed of access to screens requiring
basic parts information.
Changes
in the way the font / color dialogs are referenced will
eliminate the "Active X" errors on startup that
could occur with the older version of Instant Quote Pro.
Instant Billing Add-In
All
screens and reports from the Instant Billing Add-In are
now part of the main program file. A Product Key for Instant
Billing will still need to be purchased to un-lock all
features, however, now you can test the features without
purchasing a key. You can setup billing records for recurring
charges, and go through the batch billing process. However,
in trial mode, you can preview the invoices that would
be created, but not actually create the invoices.
Instant
Billing now supports the new Access 2007 .PDF Add-In,
thus allowing you to e-mail a batch of invoices in .PDF
format. If you are currently using your own .PDF driver
in the e-mailing window, you will need to change to the
Microsoft .PDF Add-In, as using your own .PDF creator
will not be supported for batch billing. The reason for
this is the timing of the creation of .PDF's in external
.PDF writers, and due to the fact that some external .pdf
creators will open each .PDF as it is created, which,
by nature, does not support a batch process.
In
the main program Menu, a split menu button will be visible
for the Instant Billing Add-In. Click the top half to
launch the main Instant Billing (Customer Recurring Billing)
screen. Click the lower half to access 2 New Search screens:
Search all Bill Records, Search Bill Record Detail Charges.
You can search on any column using the text filters in
the arrow button of each column heading. When searching
the detail charges, a sum line at the bottom will sum
the number, and amount of the charges.
If you use the Easy-Mail option for e-mailing, a new "CC
to Self" option is now on available on the "Run
Batch Billing" screen.
If
you connect to multiple databases, the last batch info
and ability to re-print a batch, prior to starting a new
batch, will now be supported when switching databases
(Previously, last batch info was stored in the program
file).
Step
2 in the "Run Batch Billing" screen for entering
payments will now have data checks for expired credit
cards, missing payment information, etc.
In
the "Run Batch Billing" screen, you can now
select / change your e-mail options.
Customer Screen
You
can now view all history items for a customer directly
from the Customers screen. With a Customer selected, simply
use the "Search Customers" magnifying glass
button in the top customer ribbon bar. Clicking the top
portion of the search split button will Search your entire
customer database. Clicking the lower-half will reveal
additional search options for searching your customer's
quote history, Invoice history, Service history, and all
Payments received.
Customer
notes now supports rich text, thus allowing you to draw
attention to any notes regarding the customer. For formatting
rich text, highlight the text with your mouse, then drag
slightly upward, and a toolbar will appear above the highlighted
text.
Parts Screen / External Parts
The
Parts screen will now fill the entire width of your display,
thus enabling you to see more columns of data. This is
particularly useful with widescreen monitors.
All commands have been moved up to the new Parts screen
ribbon menu: Parts Datasheet View, View / Hide Inactive
Parts, Validate, Import/Export, Mass Update parts, etc.
Added
New options to the Parts Datasheet View selection: "Labor
Hours Column", "PDF Location Column" and
"Weight Column". So, for example, when you are
working with setting the default labor hours or fixed
labor rate for your parts database, you can select "Labor
Hours Column" in the Parts Datasheet View selection
to view only those columns of interest. The current view
setting is remembered when you close the parts screen.
Therefore, to resume viewing all parts, you would select
"View All Parts" in the Parts Datasheet View
selection.
External
Parts screen has moved. Notice that the button in the
menu area for Parts is now a split button. Clicking the
top half will open the Parts screen. Click the lower half
of the Parts screen button for access to the External
Parts browser screen.
The
External Parts screen is now a Full screen, thus allowing
you to see much more information at once. The E-Parts
screen now has it's own menu for common tasks, such as
updating all matching parts, adding the current part,
etc.
Exporting
Parts information is now performed directly from the Parts
screen. Use the new Export parts dropdown menu in the
parts ribbon for exporting parts, or click the dropdown
on the export button to select what information you wish
to export from the choices given.
Common tools that were not clearly visible in previous
versions, are now directly in the parts screen ribbon
menu: Part Labels, Part Information Screen, and an option
to Clone a Part. To use any of these tools, simply click
a part in the datasheet section (this will select the
part), and then click any of the three buttons in the
menu.
Searching
has changed. There is now built in searching for each
column of data. For example, notice the column heading
"Item Description". On the far right of the
column heading, there is a small down arrow, triangle
shape. Clicking this will open up a selection of searching
and filtering options. To search for a description containing
"512MB DDR", for example, you would click the
down arrow in the Item Description heading, then move
your mouse pointer to "Text Filters", then over
to "Contains". Simply type in the search phrase,
and the list of parts will filter to only those containing
the entered text. To remove the filter, click the down
arrow again, and choose "Clear .. Filter".
The
Part Category maintenance screen (Click Add/Edit Part
Categories in the new Parts screen ribbon menu) now takes
up the entire screen, thus allowing you to see much more
information. Again, for those with widescreens, this can
be very helpful.
Quotes Screen
New
Feature: You can now add a calculated labor charge to
a quote using the new "Labor / Shipping Charges"
dropdown menu in the new Quotes screen ribbon menu. You
can assign the number of hours each part takes in the
Parts screen, or a flat labor charge per part. Then, when
you use the function to add labor charges, the sum of
labor charges for all parts contained on your quote will
be displayed. By selecting a part to be used for hourly
and flat rate labor, the labor part(s) can be automatically
added to your quote. The "Add Labor" screen
will add the labor parts, and set the quantity = total
hours (for an hourly labor charge), and will set the total
sales price for a fixed rate labor charge. Should you
need to change or update the parts or quantities, simply
return to the Labor Charge screen and click the button
to update any existing labor charges.
New
Feature: You can now add a total calculated shipping charge
with just a few mouse clicks! To setup this feature, you
will need to enter part weights in the Parts screen. Once
part weights are set, you will need to define shipping
rates for your various shipping types (providers). To
quickly do this, click the new "Labor / Shipping
Charges" dropdown menu, and click "Edit Shipping
Rates". The Shipping types screen will open, where
you will find a new option for editing the shipping rates
for each provider. Once shipping rates are set (use the
actual rates you are charged, as this will be your cost
basis) , return to the "Add / Update Shipping Charge"
screen, and the total weight of all parts contained on
the quote will display. By selecting the provider, and
the provider's delivery service to calculate, the system
will then show the calculated shipping charge, and set
the default cost price and description that will be used.
A markup can be used to add a percentage to the cost.
After clicking "Add/Update Shipping Charges",
the shipping part will be added to your quote, and the
cost will be set as your true cost. The sales price will
be your cost + markup. Should your parts change, return
to the shipping charge screen, and use the "Add/Update"
button again to recalculate the shipping charges.
Whenever a Quote is edited, the system will automatically
record a time/date stamp, as well as the machine name.
Whenever you pull up a quote, you will then see the the
info in the system messages area (bottom-most bar), as
well as the number of line-items on the quote.
New
ordering quote options: There is a new split menu button
for Ordering quotes. Clicking the top half of the button
in the menu will Order an Invoice. Clicking the lower
half of the button will reveal the 3 ordering options:
1) Order Current Quote (Invoice) 2) Create Job Order from
Quote and a new option 3) Create Purchase Order from Quote.
New easy access menu button for creating a new quote:
In the Quote Ribbon Menu at the top left, clicking "Create
New Quote" will begin a new quote as before. Clicking
the lower half of the menu button will reveal options
for creating a quote from a quote template, and creating
a quote revision (a quote revision will copy the current
quote to a new one, and assign a revision letter to the
quote description).
New
Preview Current Quote menu selection. The top half of
this button will preview the current quote. Clicking the
lower half of the menu will reveal additional reports
that you can print, in addition to the Excel-based quote.
Other options in this menu allow for the editing of the
standard quote layout, and editing the excel based quote
template. A New Report has been added to this list: Preview
Purchase Agreement (No Pricing). This report is ideal
for giving to techs who have to go out to the customer
site, where you don't wish for them to have the pricing
details.
Powerful
"Search Quotes" menu item has been added to
the Quote ribbon menu. New screens have been added to
allow you to search any column for all Quotes in your
system (including the new Last Updated and Updated By
fields), and an option to search all Quote line-items.
Finally, the search option for "Current Customer
Quote History" will show all quotes for the currently
selected customer. This has replaced the old "Quote
History" window that was on the bottom of the quotes
screen. However, you can still access this quotes history
on the main quotes screen by clicking the new selection
list, Customer History, underneath the Quote # selection
list. When searching with any of the 3 new screens, simply
double-clicking inside a search line will open the Quotes
screen with the quote you selected.
Invoice Screen
New
Feature's You can now add Labor and Shipping charges quickly
and easily to Invoices. See the "Quotes" section
above for a full description of both the labor charge
screen, and shipping charge screen.
Whenever
an Invoice is edited, the system will automatically record
a time/date stamp, as well as the machine name. Whenever
you pull up an Invoice, you will then see the info in
the system messages area (bottom-most bar), as well as
the number of line-items.
New
split menu for creating an invoice. The top half of the
menu button will simply create a new invoice. The bottom
half of the menu button will reveal options for creating
a new invoice from a Quote Template, and creating a purchase
order from selected invoices.
Preview
Current Invoice menu selection. The top half of this button
will preview the selected Invoice. Clicking the lower
half of the menu will reveal additional reports that you
can print, such as the POS Invoice, Serial Number entry
form, creating an Excel-based Invoice and a Job Sheet
form. Other options in this menu allow for the editing
of the standard Invoice layout, and editing the excel
based Invoice template.
New
Deposit Request form. You can now print a Deposit Request
form that requests that a certain percentage of the invoice
be paid in advance of the work or sale. To access this
feature, click the lower half of the new menu option:
"Make Payment". This will reveal the menu selection
to "Create Invoice Deposit Request Form". A
screen will open asking you for the percentage you are
requesting, as well as the form letter text. This text
will be saved and used for all deposit requests, as will
the percentage.
New
"Invoice Serial Numbers" menu button. Clicking
the top half of the button will open a screen allowing
you to enter serial numbers for the selected invoice.
Clicking the lower half of the menu button will reveal
another option for searching Serial Numbers. Clicking
this option will open a new, serial number search screen,
that fills your entire display. You can search on any
column using the down arrow symbol in each column's heading.
Double-clicking inside any item will pull up the invoice,
open the serial number entry screen, and take you to the
appropriate line.
New
"Export Invoices" menu item in the menu bar.
Clicking this button will show a menu of all export options
that are available: Export Invoices for Accounts import,
Export Invoices that require shipping, and exporting all
invoices and payments to Excel.
Powerful "Search Invoices" menu item has been
added to the Invoice ribbon menu. New screens have been
added to allow you to search any column for all Invoices
in your system (including the new Last Updated and Updated
By fields), and an option to search all Invoice line-items.
Finally, the search option for "Current Customer
Invoice History" will show all invoices for the currently
selected customer. This has replaced the old "Invoice
History" window that was on the bottom of the invoices
screen. However, you can still access the invoice history
on the main screen by clicking the new selection list,
Customer History, underneath the Invoice # selection list.
When searching with any of the 3 new screens, double-clicking
inside a search line will open the Invoice screen with
the invoice you selected. You can search for text in any
column using the down arrow picture inside each column
heading.
The
Invoice Selection dropdown list will now display the invoice
status.
Service Screen
New Feature's You can now add Labor and Shipping charges
quickly and easily to Job Orders. See the "Quotes"
section above for a full description of both the labor
charge screen, and shipping charge screen.
Whenever a Job is edited, the system will automatically
record a time/date stamp, as well as the machine name.
Whenever you pull up a Job Order, you will see the info
in the system messages area (bottom-most bar).
Replaced the Version 5 method of clicking "Page Down"
to see the work needed, with a menu button called "Work
Needed / Hour Tracking". This section will now have
it's own, full-screen.
Added "Job Check-In" menu option to the Job's
menu that has 3 options: 1) Make Deposit Payment, 2) Create
a job-check in label (which can be affixed to an item
brought in for repair and 3) Print POS Job check in receipt
(receipt that the customer can carry away with them).
Job check-in information is now shown at the top-left
of the Service Screen.
New, more powerful searching options have been added to
the "Search All Jobs" menu button. Clicking
the top portion of the button will search all Job Orders.
Clicking the lower half of the search button will reveal
additional search options: New search screen to Search
Job Line-Items (parts used), New search screen for Work
Needed items, and a Customer Service history, that will
search all jobs for the selected customer.
If
the job was created from a quote, the "View Original
Quote #" will become enabled in the job menu. Clicking
this will open the quotes screen to view the original
quote. Likewise, if an Invoice was created from the selected
job, the "View Ordered Invoice#" will become
enabled in the menu area.
Supplier Screen
Added
new Search Suppliers menu button in the Supplier menu
ribbon at the top, including a new "Search Supplier's"
screen that enables you to search on any field to find
the Supplier you are looking for. Clicking the lower-half
of the menu button will allow for the searching of the
selected Supplier's purchase order history.
You
can now import Suppliers. To import your suppliers, go
to the Suppliers screen and click the "Import Suppliers"
button in the top Menu. A form will open that looks similar
to Excel. You will paste the data you wish to import into
this "holding" import datasheet. Paste your
data one column at a time, and only use the columns you
require, leave un-used columns blank. Make sure the information
you are pasting matches the column-heading you are pasting
into. When finished, click the "Accept and Add"
button. If records are found in the Supplier's table where
the supplier name matches, the data will be updated. If
no match is found for a Supplier Name, the record will
be added.
Supplier notes now supports rich text, thus allowing you
to draw attention to any notes regarding the Supplier.
For formatting rich text, highlight the text with your
mouse, then drag slightly upward, and a toolbar will appear
above the highlighted text.
Supplier RMA Address and Additional contacts have moved
to their own, full screen. To view these details, select
a Supplier on the Supplier screen, then click the top
left button in the menu area for "Supplier RMA Address
/ Additional Contacts".
Purchase Screen / RMA's
Create a New Purchase Order or Auto Purchase Orders using
the new split menu button called "New Purchase Order".
Clicking the top half of the button will create a new
purchase order. Click the lower half for creating an Auto
Purchase Order.
Whenever a Purchase Order is edited, the system will automatically
record a time/date stamp, as well as the machine name.
Whenever you pull up a P/O, you will then see the the
info in the system messages area (bottom-most bar).
All
reports and forms are now accessed using the new "Preview
Purchase Order" menu button. The top half of the
button will preview the selected Purchase Order. Click
the lower half for additional reports, including the Excel
based Purchase Order form, Internal Purchase Order, and
Editing the excel based purchase order template.
Features
that were hard to find are now easily seen in the main
menu area, such as "Sending all Un-Ordered Items
to the P/O Scratch Pad".
Entering and Searching Serial Numbers on P/O's is now
much easier, with the addition of the "Serial Numbers
/ Locations" button. Clicking the top half of the
button will display the serial number entry form for the
current P/O, while clicking the lower half will reveal
a Search Serial Numbers screen. This new search screen
fills the entire screen, and allows searching in any column.
Double-click inside a search item, and the system will
pull up the P/O, Open the Serial Number entry screen,
and scroll to the appropriate item.
Payments for Purchase Orders has been enhanced with a
split Menu button at the top called "P/O Payments".
Options for this menu button are: 1) Creating a P/O Payment
for the selected Purchase (top half of button), 2) Paying
ALL unpaid P/O's for the Supplier for the selected purchase
and 3) Searching all purchase order payments.
Powerful
"Search Purchases" menu item has been added
to top menu. New screens have been added to allow you
to search any column for all Purchases in your system
(including the new Last Updated and Updated By fields),
and an option to search all Purchase line-items. Finally,
the new search option for "Supplier Purchase History"
will show all Purchases for the currently selected P/O's
Supplier. When searching with any of the 3 new screens,
double-clicking inside a search line will open the P/O
screen with the P/O you selected. You can search for text
in any column using the down arrow picture inside each
column heading.
RMA's has a new menu button on the Purchase Screen. The
top half of the button will open a screen allowing you
to "View / Add RMA's. This screen is much larger
than in previous versions, thus allowing you to see more
detail. The lower half of the RMA button will open a New,
full screen Search facility, that allows you to search
existing RMA's in any field.
In the top Menu area, you can now easily see if your Purchase
Order Scratch Pad contains any items (temporary holding
place for items you need to order, but don't yet wish
to create a p/o).
Internal P/O Notes now support rich text.
Reports Screen
New
Report: Reports screen, Purchases tab: Purchases by Part
Cat Account Number. This report will categorize the total
cost's of all parts purchased during the time frame entered.
The parts will be sub-totaled by the "Account Num"
column in the part category screen. (Account Numbers can
be set to part categories and match your accounts in your
accounting software). This is similar to the Invoice Sales
by Part Category Account Num. Report.
New Report: Reports screen, Invoices tab: Invoices Not
Completely Shipped. This report is ONLY available if you
have the optional feature "Show quantity shipped
/ received" checked in the Setup screen, optional
features list. This report will show all invoice lines,
grouped by invoice, where the quantity shipped does not
equal the total quantity.
Customizable Knowledge Base / To-Do List
The KB Screen has now been broken down into 2 separate
screens: 1) Search KB's and 2) Enter New KB Articles.
Both are now full screen, allowing you to view much more
information than before.
This
screen is now accessed through the Tools tab at the top
of the menu area, and is now a split menu item. The top
half of the button will open the Search KB screen, and
the lower half will show the option for creating a new
KB Article. This is the only split menu button in the
program where the top half will open the search screen,
and the bottom half will open the screen for new entries.
The reasoning is that, more times that not, you are searching
for a solution to a known problem.
For the "Enter New KB Article" screen, all buttons
are now moved to the top menu area, and much more clearly
labeled.
The To-Do List screen now takes up the entire screen,
and is accessed through the Tools tab in the top menu
area.
5.60
Fixes - 5/11/2007
5/11/2007
- Fixed e-mailing screen when MS Mapi is in use. System
appeared to be trying to send the e-mail twice, and an
error 91 was occurring.
5/11/2007
- Fixed Customer store folder. If your customer store
folder was selected for a customer, but did not yet contain
any files, and error message would occur on the customer
screen AND the e-mailing window informing you that the
folder did not exist, when in fact it did exist, but was
empty.
V5.60
- 5/7/2007
On
the Service screen, when you create an invoice from a
job that was created from a quote, you will now see the
"View Original Quote" option enabled on the
Invoice screen. Likewise, from the original quote, you
will be able to see what invoice was created.
To
the File, Export screen: Added a selection to export inactive
customers.
In
the Service screen, you can now customize the "Job
Task Form" title text. To do this, click the "Setup/Labels"
button on the Service screen, and change the default text
that says "Job Task Form". Additionally, restored
the functioning in the Setup/Labels screen of the top
right customizable text label, which by default is labeled
"Work By".
If
you use more than one database, you can now customize
the blue title bar text. To do so, go to the Setup screen,
Software Options tab. Change the Custom Title Bar text
to easily identify the database name. Now when you minimize
Instant Quote Pro, the custom text will appear in the
button that shrinks to the taskbar.
Fixes
to the parts importing process. If you had all numeric
data in the description or UPC column, an error could
result. Changes to the code to increase the speed of the
import process.
Fixes
to the Instant Reminder screen. When you click the magnifying
glass button from the Customer screen, you will now see
all reminders for that customer. Previously, a blank screen
was showing. Additionally, if you click the new bell button
for a new reminder, but do not fill in the subject of
reminder text, the new record will NOT be saved. Finally,
fixed the error message that could occur if you click
Tools, Instant Reminders.
Fixed
problem with some reminders not showing that were set
to prompt the user when due. This was caused by a reminder
record not having a scheduled date/time.
Fixed
address footer on the packing list and the purchase order
to correctly show your address-2 line, if present.
Added
error messages for non-existent customer store folders
when e-mailing a quote or when viewing a customer files
/ letters store folder tab.
Misc.
Bug fixes
V5.50
- 4/4/2007
New
Feature: On the Quotes screen, when clicking the "order
quote" button to create an invoice, the invoice number
will now be saved with the quote, and likewise, the quote
number will be saved with the new invoice. On both the
quote and invoice screen, if there is an associated quote
or invoice, you will now be able to easily see which quote
or invoice was used. If you are on the invoice screen,
and wish to see the original quote, click the new button
labeled "View Original Quote". If the invoice
was created without a quote, this button will be disabled.
Likewise, if you are on the quotes screen, you can click
the "Magnifying Glass" button next to the invoice
number to view the invoice that was created from the quote.
New
Feature: When on the service screen, you can now direct
Instant Quote Pro to automatically mark any invoices created
from jobs as being Delivered. (set invoice status to delivered
automatically). To enable this, go to the Service screen,
then click the "Setup / Labels" button, and
check the last checkbox labeled: "When creating invoices
from a job, automatically mark the invoice as Delivered."
Added
"PDF" button to the print toolbar that is visible
when in preview-mode for most reports or forms. Clicking
this will close the preview, and send the report to your
PDF printer, if you have one assigned.
New
Part Wizard: If you have the weight fields turned on in
the setup screen, optional features tab, they will now
also appear on the new part wizard.
New
Feature: You can now quickly clone a part (copy a part)
from the Parts screen. To do this, go to the parts screen,
and right-click on the part you wish to clone. Choose
the new "Clone Part" option on the right-click
menu. The New Part wizard will open, with all fields copied
and filled out for you. Simply change the part number,
click Finish, and you're set!
In
the File, Export Invoices to File for Accounts Export
screen, we have added a new button for viewing all previously
exported invoices. This will allow you to re-check invoices
that have already been exported so that you can export
them again. To view previously exported invoices, click
the new button "Show Invoices already marked as Exported",
then choose which ones to process as normal.
New
Reports: In the Reports screen, Quotes tab, added the
"Quotes Follow-Up List (By Quote Number)". This
is identical to the existing quotes follow up list, but
is not grouped by customer. It will sort all quotes descending
as the first sort. The existing report is now called "Quotes
Follow-Up list (by Customer), and will continue to first
sort by customer, then descending by quote number. Also
added "Quotes Follow-Up List - Detail (By Quote Number).
This is identical to the existing quote follow up detail
report, however the grouping by customer as been removed.
When
creating auto-purchase orders from a quote (Purchase screen,
auto purchase button), the quote number will now be copied
to the internal notes section of the p/o. If you are using
the scratch pad, the quote # will carry over from the
notes section of the p/o scratch pad to the purchase order,
unless they are from different quotes, then only one quote
# will show in the internal notes section. Additionally,
if you are NOT using the scratch pad, the P/O Number that
is created will show on the quotes screen under the Internal
Quote Notes section.
New
Feature: In the Parts screen, Mass Update Parts button,
you can now set a group of parts to have the Based on
Margin box un-checked. Click the Mass Update Parts button,
then check the parts you wish to update, then use the
new "Mark checked items as Based On Margin = "
then you can select the new On or Off setting. On will
check the based on margin box, and off will un-check the
box for the selected parts.
Added
transaction description to the Customer Statement - Unpaid
Invoices (& w/Remittance) report and removed the #
of Payments column to make room for the title column.
Addition
to the Parts Sold by Customer report on the Reports screen.
Added and extended column to the detail and the grand
total quantity and total extended amounts to the report
footer. Additionally, you can now leave the "Part
Number" criteria selection blank to show all parts
sold, or select one for a specific part.
Bug
Fix: When using the "Make Payment" button on
the payments screen, if you have selected to print or
preview the receipt, the receipt was not showing the updated
"Balance Due" information at the bottom. You
had to go back into the payment after it was posted for
the receipt to show the balance due correctly. This has
been fixed.
Bug
Fix: On the purchases screen, if you have a supplier where
"tax exempt" is set on the supplier screen,
an error could result when attempting to create an excel
p/o. The error was informing you that excel was required.
This has been fixed.
Added
Customer Cell number and Customer Reference Number to
the report: Customer/Company address list located on the
Reports screen.
Fixed
bug on the Purchase Order .xls spreadsheet generation
when alternate currency fields are involved. The bug was
an error 1004: application defined error.
Cleaned
up header area of the invoice packing list form.
V5.40
- 11/6/06
New,
Very Powerful, time-saving feature!!! On the Customers
screen, there is a new tab called "View Customer
Files / Letters". Now, for each customer, you can
associate a "store folder", which is a folder
you have on your computer or file server for each and
every customer. Set the location of the store folder in
the customer screen, View Customer Files tab, and then
you can see, at a glance, all files in that folder FROM
the customer screen!!! Better yet, you can double-click
a file in the list to automatically open that file using
the program that is associated with that file. And we've
saved the best for last here!! Now, when you are e-mailing
a quote or invoice, as long as you have selected a store
folder for the customer you are e-mailing, Instant Quote
will AUTOMATICALLY copy the quote or invoice to your customer's
store folder, including the quote or invoice number in
the file name!!! This is great for backup and archiving
purposes, and an added benefit is that you can output
a number of quotes or invoices to this store folder, then
simply create one e-mail and attach multiple quotes and
invoices!!
Fixed
the default behavior when deleting quote line-items on
the main screen. Previously, after deleting a line-item
on a quote, the system would put you back to the top of
the quote line-items. We have modified this behavior to
remember the line you were on when you deleted, and after
a deletion occurs, the system will scroll back to the
line above the deleted item.
Enhancement
to the Instant Reminders feature. Now, when you are prompted
with a reminder, you will be given a 3rd option: Cancel.
This will disable all reminders to allow you to work without
being prompted. Once you are caught up with your work,
you can then re-enable all reminder prompts by clicking
Tools, Instant Reminders, then un-checking the new box
at the bottom of the Reminder's screen.
New
Feature: On the Tools, Print a Bulk Customer Letter feature,
we have added the ability to filter for a particular part
that has been purchased. This will allow you to create
one form letter for all customers who have purchased a
certain part. Simply leave the new part filter blank to
not use the part filter option. You can also access the
bulk letters feature from the Customers screen, Create
Bulk Customer Letters button.
New
Feature: On the Tools, Bulk E-mail Wizard. Added the ability
to import e-mails for a particular part number. This will
allow you to create a batch of e-mails to customers who
have purchased a certain part. Simply leave this filter
blank to use the other e-mail importing methods.
New
Report: Customer Statement - Unpaid Invoices *Active Only*.
This is identical to the new report from version 5.3 called
"Customer Statement - Unpaid Invoices w/Remittance",
however only customer's where the checkbox in the customer
screen labeled "This Customer IS Active" IS
Checked.
Added
"Remember" button to the new part wizard. When
clicked, this will remember your preference for having
based on margin or fixed prices when entering new parts
using the part wizard.
Added
Manuf. Part Number to the report: Parts Sold Ranking by
Quantity on the Parts List tab of the Reports screen.
Added
"Supplier Order #" to the report: Payments Summary
Report for Purchase Orders, which is in the Reports screen,
Purchases tab.
Bug
Fix: For the report Customer Statement - Unpaid Invoices
w/Remittance on the reports screen, Customer tab, it was
not allowing you to choose a single customer. This has
been fixed, you can now choose a single company in the
company filter.
Fix
for RMA's screen. The choose part dropdown will no longer
show duplicate parts.
Added
"Valid From Date" to the customer screen, customer
options tab for credit card payment types.
In
the Letters for Current Customer window, the date and
customer address fields will not be filled in until you
type an internal letter description.
V5.30
- 8/31/06
The
"Customer History - Balances Only" report will
now require a date range. This allows you to limit the
detail transactions that are shown on the report, and
yet still display the total amount owed. Additional important
change: the report will now show all customers with a
balance, even if they didn't have transactions in the
date range entered. Both of these changes will make the
report much more useful and manageable.
New
Report: Customer Statement - Unpaid Invoices detail w/Remittance.
This report is identical to the Unpaid Invoices report
on the Payments screen, but can be ran for all customers
and has a "remit to" section, complete with
balance due, accrual information and your company address.
It is located in the Reports screen, Customer tab.
New
Report: Payments Summary - Unapplied Payments, located
in the Reports screen, Financial tab. This will show all
unapplied payments (payments that are not associated with
an invoice) that were recorded in the date range entered.
Reports
Screen, Customer/Company filter selection will now sort
ascending by company name first, then customer last name.
If the company name is blank, the last name will be included
in the sort.
Packing
List: The text below the signature line is now customizable.
Go to the Setup screen, report options tab. In the lower
left customizable text fields section, choose the Packing
List text to edit. The packing list / delivery note is
accessed through the invoice screen, file, print preview
other command.
Adjusted
the export for shipping invoices via fedex, ups, etc.
In the file, Export Invoices to ship screen, the output
will now combine the first and last names into one field,
and separate out the City, State, Zip combined line into
3 separate spreadsheet columns for the city, state and
zip. Added a new column, phone, as the last column in
the export.
Cleaned
up P/O Report footer text and delivery method area on
the Purchase Order form.

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