The
Machine Quilting Business Manager
Frequently Asked Questions
System
Requirements
Windows 2000 or later
Memory: 128 MB of RAM or greater
Hard Disk: 80MB or available hard drive
space
CD or DVD drive
Display: Super VGA (800 X 600) or higher
Company Information
Once I put my company information in, is it used
in other places throughout the system?
Yes, the company information appears on the invoice
and on the shipping label. The tax rate that you enter
via Company Information is then used on the quilt
order. The mileage rate reimbursement is multiplied
by the miles entered on the expenses and supplies
screen.
I have to charge varying tax rates in my business,
does the system allow for this?
Yes, prior to opening the quilt order screen, you
are asked if you would like to use the company tax
rate screen, a selectable tax rate screen or a selectable
tax rate of product only screen. The Company tax rate
screen will calculate the entire order and multiple
it by the company tax rate without you having to choose
or do anything. The selectable tax rate screen calculates
the entire order and then you choose which tax rate
should be used to complete the order. The selectable,
product only screen will add up only those items on
your order which are products (thread, backing, embroidery
labels, etc), not services (quilting charges, seaming,
set up, etc) then you select which tax rate you would
like to use to complete the order.
Customer Base
How much information can I keep in the tickler file?
The box that holds this information can be expanded
and holds as much information as you would like to
enter. The information is in paragraph form, so that
each piece of information can be on its own line.
Most of my customer's come from 2-3 surrounding communities,
is there a quick way to enter in the same city name?
As you enter in the cities of your customers, a list
will build automatically. The next time you add a
customer you will be able to select from the previously
entered city. Choosing a city from the list is very
quick as you just type in the first few letters, and
the city will pop up.
How do I use the referred by information?
You will enter the referral source of each customer
(this is a list that builds just like the city list).
Later, on the mailing label screen (where the list
of customers is displayed one after another) you will
be able to sort by referral source. This will reveal
the list of customers the referral source has sent
to you. This information is quick to access and accurate
as you build your customer base. You can then base
decisions about acknowledgment of this referral (discounts,
thank you, specials) on accurate numbers.
What is the Repeating Customer List?
The repeating customer list is an attempt to keep
track of when customers bring in quilts over the course
of the year. This can be a daunting task to keep up
as people change their assignments. With this system,
you will not need to erase and re write the list,
you will just enter in new information and the list
will be updated. The sort features make looking at
each month individually a breeze.
Quilt Order
Can the system calculate in square inches as well
as square yards for the cost of the quilt?
Yes, the system can calculate with either scale.
Can I use my own charge structures?
Yes, in the set up of the system, you will determine
a list of the charges you will use. Later, you will
choose from this predetermined list of charges to
calculate the cost of the quilt.
Can I keep track of how much time I spent on the
quilt?
Yes, this is piece of information is critical to monitoring
the bottom line of your business. You enter the hours
you spent quilting or working on the quilt and that
number is used later in the quilt log to determine
how much you made per hour on this quilt. You can
also sort to see how many total hours you have spent
over a month or year on the quilt log.
I don't see a place to charge for repairing a quilt.
There are two spots on the extra charge screen where
you can describe and enter a charge that you do not
normally charge. This allows flexibility for all of
those incidentals that can pop up.
Can I keep digital pictures with the quilt order?
YES, there is a link on each quilt order that will
allow you to build a link to where you keep your digital
pictures on your computer system. You will not be
keeping duplicate copies of these pictures, thus managing
the amount of space the pictures take up, but will
be directed to where they are kept. When you click
on the link your browser will open and you can view
the pictures.
If I don't use all of the features of the invoice,
will they be included on the invoice?
No, only the charging features that you use will appear
on the invoice.
Quilt Log
How many will the quilts stay in my log?
The quilt log is a history of all the quilts that
you quilted and entered into the system. It will hold
many thousands of entries. It is beneficial to keep
all of your quilts in your history so that you can
go back and compare your quilts and thus your business
over time. You can sort by many parameters which will
limit the actual number of quilts you see at any one
time on the screen. You can also sort your quilts
so that you see the most recent ones at the top of
the list and the early ones are out of sight at the
bottom of the screen.
Can I see how many total hours I have quilted on
a month to month basis?
With the sorting features, it is very easy to see
total hours on month to month or even year to year.
The information is available at a click of a button!
Can I see this information on paper as well?
Yes, there are reports that can be printed out
that will give you much of the quilt log information,
sorted by specific range of dates or by customers.
Supplies/Expenses
Do my supplies and expenses print out for the year?
Yes, you will be able to print out a report of supply
and expense expenditures for a specified range of
dates. These expenditures will also be combined with
the quilts sold over the same time frame to give you
a look at your bottom line. Again all this is available
at the click of a button.
Waiting List
Can I print out my waiting list?
Yes, once you specify the range of dates that you
would like to see, you can print out the waiting list
as well as another report of just openings on your
list.
Can I easily see a customers upcoming spots on the
list?
You are able to see this information at the click
of a button. You will open the waiting list, select
a customer, click on OK and the customers future appoints
are displayed. Theses appointments will also print
out along the bottom of the invoice for that customer.
Shipping/Mailing Labels
Can I print out a shipping label for just one customer?
You choose from your customer list, the customer for
whom you would like to build a shipping label. A nice
feature is that you are able to designate where on
your label sheet you would like to begin the print
process, this way you can use sheets that have some
labels already used.