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.