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 one’s 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.