Tuesday, November 24, 2015

2015 U.S. Payroll Year-End Update has released

The 2015 U.S. Payroll Year-End Update has released.   This is an all-inclusive update and THERE ARE TABLE CHANGES.
  
REMINDER: There is NO year-end update or tax update available for GP 2010.  ONLY GP 2013 thru GP 2015R2 will receive updates.
     
Attached is the year end documentation, along with Microsoft ACA notes/ documentation.  If you missed our October Year-End Update email, you can find a copy here.
  
Review these changes to determine if you need to install the year end update.  If you are tracking ACA in Dynamics GP, the year end update is required.
  
The ACA forms print with the format/lines, no need to order forms as there is now an instruction page as well that needs to print.
  
A "lowest cost premium" field was also added with effective dating on it, so again, make sure to review all change and proceed as needed.
  
For the new W2 print in employee self-service, Microsoft also added a "publish" button so the W2’s will not be available to employees as soon as you create the year end wage file.
  
   
Download Links:
  
Year-End Webcast
Friday, December 11th @ 11am PST
  
To schedule your 2015 Year End Update, contact Mike Gilman at (949) 457-0500 x224 or mgilman@collinscomputing.com.
  
If you have any questions, please contact Collins Support at (888) 391-6690 or support@collinscomputing.com.

Tuesday, November 17, 2015

60 Seconds of ERP Tips

When you have a question with your ERP system, does your support partner ask you “Share your screen” to help you sort out your issue?  Does your partner offer additional insight with you along the way?

Here’s what we mean – Below are four quick answers one consultant gave this week on the way to clearing up a system issue because they did a screen sharing session:

  1. Pictures do say 1000 words.  Our consultant was able to see the steps the user was taking – and offered shortcut keystrokes along the way to save time!
  2. Right away the rep could tell the version the client was using, the user ID they were logged in as, the company they were accessing, and the method they were using for posting (batch or transaction). So many questions were answered, and it led the way to finding out what was going on (fiscal period not defined in one case).
  3. While looking at a stuck batch, the consultant was able to see other ‘old’ batches that were sitting out there and gave you a quick lesson on clearing out the others by NOT posting by transaction (when possible) and having the user warned about the open batches by having a Smartlists for that on the user’s home page.
  4. When a report was the issue, our consultant shared facts like the ability to email, send to pdf, or put the report in a ‘group’ or on the ‘my reports’ menu to speed up the recurring reporting process.

Stay tuned for other consulting techniques from Collins for using your Microsoft Dynamics GP ERP software!

Friday, November 13, 2015

High Volume and High Product Turnover? No Problem!

The holiday shopping season is upon us. This means that many manufacturers and distributors are busier than they’ve been all year.  Ramped up production may put a strain on your business, but with the right management solution you can see increased volume, efficient product turnover and satisfied customers this holiday season

The holiday season isn’t your only busy time as a manufacturer or distributor. Throughout the year there are special sales and promotions that call for increased productivity. And really, at any time of the year, a strong supply chain and strategic manufacturing and distribution operation along with accurate forecasting are essential to your success. Knowing which products will sell best at which times of the year is something all manufacturers need to know if they are going to stay on top of the demand and thus on top of the competition.

You need a strong business management system.

A robust ERP (enterprise resource planning) solution, Microsoft Dynamics GP,  will give you the control and support that you need in order to keep on top during these high volume months. With a single integrated ERP solution, you can manage all of your business processes, including financials, supply chain and inventory, manufacturing and distribution and human resources and payroll. Your data will be centralized so you can spot trends in the market place. You can obtain your statistics in real time and find out when your product is rising or falling in popularity. That way you can identify which items will require additional production and can plan accordingly.

Ramping up production also requires the assurance that your suppliers can deliver materials you need on time and at an agreeable price. Your ERP can manage your supply chain data and help you deal with unforeseen interruptions or delays.

Microsoft Dynamics GP, both on premise and in the cloud, is designed to handle the highs and lows of your manufacturing and distribution business. Have all the information you need at the click of a mouse and breathe easier during holiday’s to come.

For more information about how Microsoft Dynamics GP, on premise or in the cloud, can help your manufacturing and distribution business navigate your next busy season, contact Collins Computing.

Wednesday, November 11, 2015

Happy Veteran's Day!

"Honor to the soldier and sailor everywhere, who bravely bears his country's cause. Honor, also, to the citizen who cares for his brother in the field and serves, as he best can, the same cause."

- Abraham Lincoln







Tuesday, November 10, 2015

Tip of the month - Delete Budgets Much?

With many folks finalizing their 2016 budgets, we get an increasing number of users calling admitting that they ‘deleted their budget’ instead of ‘deleting an account’s budget’!

So, a quick password entered by clicking on the padlock on the Budget Maintenance screen will prevent that mistake!



Monday, November 2, 2015

Top Takeaways from GPUG Summit 2015

GPUG Summit 2015 was amazing.  We met lots of new attendees; presented at the ‘Dynamics GP Streamlined: Stay in the Fast Lane’ session; hosted the ‘Dynamics Idol Contest’ and had so much fun learning.

We learned SO many tips and bits of information – here are a few of our top takeaways:
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A  BIG CONGRATULATIONS goes out to Shawn Dorward, who ‘bowled’ his way into the judge’s hearts to win the Dynamics Idol Contest!

Some great tips that came out of both sessions we were involved in include:
  • The CEIP (Customer Experience Improvement Program Reminder) 'go away'.
    • Turn this off once and for all by Opening the task > Click on the link “NAME” at the bottom > Make your selection (join or opt out) > Update the status of the task to ‘Complete’ > After you save the modified task, be sure to reopen the task and delete it
  • The newest Payables all-in-one viewer. You can....
    • See all relevant payables document on one screen
    • Filter results
    • Link from inquiry screens
    • Customize to your organizations needs
    • Quickly answer vendor Inquiries
  • Adding Windows Shortcuts to my Toolbar
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  • Fun Tip! In most cars, your fuel gauge arrow indicates which side of the car you pump your gas
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  • Mekorma has partnered with Winthrop Development Consultants to exclusively offer Winthrop’s GP Power Tools (formerly Support Debugging Tool) – the premier tool for Dynamics GP administrators. Mekorma is extending a special introductory price of $365 per year (only $1 per day!)
  • Coming out with new cross database "Check Select" option to help users from having to sign in/out of multiple databases
  • Recently hired, Mariano Gomez, a Microsoft MVP and Dynamics GP veteran
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Came out with a web version of their ACA Compliance Solution!  Integrity Data’s ACA Compliance Solution not only addresses all IRS reporting requirements, it also offers tracking for determination of employee eligibility for coverage and testing of the affordability of coverage offered.
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Now!  Next!  Wow!  Microsoft Dynamics GP and the Future

Some information about what is COMING in GP 2016.  The first slides show the latest items that were in GP 2015 R2, then the last half are the ‘coming soon’ features.  Dynamics GP and the Future can be found HERE.

If you're not already a GPUG member, CLICK HERE to sign up for a FREE 30 day trial.
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‘Dynamics GP Streamlined: Stay in the Fast Lane’ session Re-peat

If you went to GPUG Summit and missed our ‘Dynamics GP Streamlined: Stay in the Fast Lane’ session or didn’t make it GPUG Summit....GREAT NEWS!  We’re repeating this session as part of the “GPUG Year-End Series” on Thursday, December 10th.

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Of course we loved all the networking we were able to do other partners, vendors and customers while attending and hosting sessions; walking the expo; and even cheering on a customer/friend who lost her game by 1 pin during the fantastic FastPath bowling event (not against us J)!  We finalized a partnership with Njevity for cloud hosting throughout the week, found a couple of perfect solutions from SalesPad for a customer not in attendance and will hopefully Re-Launch the Oregon GPUG Chapter once again after talking about it at the lunch tables!

Lastly, we were able to host a wonderful Customer Appreciation Lunch on Thursday, Oct 15th with individual meetings and dinners throughout the event.  There was a great turn out and this gave us a chance to celebrate our clients and their immense contribution to our success.

At Collins Computing, we hold monthly sharing webcasts to be certain our clients are up-to-date on all tips, news, promotions, and highlights surrounding their Microsoft Dynamics implementations.  If you want to know MORE about any of the topics above, we encourage you to check out our offerings and knowledge sharing techniques by contacting us anytime, or following us on one of our social media connections, or watching a video we’ve shared!

We hope to see you next year in Tampa, FL!