2 More User Tips

It's All About Time - Again. Like last month, the focus of these user tips is about time. Not how to record it or manage its cost, but how to maximize billable hours by reducing wait time and getting tasks done fast.

#1: How to Speed Up QuickBooks

You control what information flows from BillQuick to QuickBooks using Sync Settings, but two key areas are often overlooked or not understood. 

First, you have the option to transfer time recorded in BillQuick to QuickBooks for payroll processing. Each time data record is 1250 bytes in size. For a ten-person firm generating 500 entries a week, that would add more than 50 megabytes of data to the QuickBooks database in one year.

Second, if you transfer line items (details) in BillQuick invoices to QuickBooks, you could add another 20 megabytes per year.

In short, you could be transferring large volumes of data to QuickBooks that it doesn't need. The result is sluggish performance in QuickBooks.

To speed up QuickBooks, follow these three steps.

1. 
   
   
   Turn off the flow of time entries to QuickBooks. On the Sync Settings screen check the Do Not Send Time Data box.

2. 
   
   
   If your company payroll is done in QuickBooks, consider whether you need details or just the totals. If you need only totals for sick, vacation, holiday, regular and overtime hours, use the Payroll Report (Reports, Company menu) and manually enter the values. 

3. 
   
   
   Turn off sending invoice line item details to QuickBooks. In the Invoice section of Sync Settings, check the boxes to NOT send details. Only invoice summaries will be transferred by BillQuick, providing the information needed to record income earned.

How to Send an Invoice to a Client Contact

Every client has a main client contact. By default, all invoices are addressed to this person.

But there are times when you want to send invoices for a project to another client contact. When this is the case, do the following:

1. Setup the person on the Client Contacts screen. If you want to send the invoice to the contact's mail or email address, be sure to include it.

2. On the Project screen, select the project you want to assign the contact to.

3. 
   
   
   
   On the Billing tab, go to the Contact field and select the contact from the drop-down list.

4. On the same tab, check the Send Inv to Contact box.

5. Click Save.

Now when you generate an invoice for the project, BillQuick addresses it to the project contact. If the contact has an address (mail, email), it will be used on the invoice. If not, BillQuick defaults to the client address.