QuickBooks Enterprise 2013 has a new feature that will allow you to set default classes for one (but not all) of the following:

• Items
• Accounts
• Names (customers and vendors)

Note that this feature is NOT available in the Pro or Premier versions of QuickBooks.

Here is a short video to show you how this new feature works and help you work more efficiently in QuickBooks...

What new feature would you like to see appear in QuickBooks 2014? Post your comments in the box below!

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Looking for a way to run a sales report by a certain type of customer in QuickBooks?

Maybe you want to put together a mailing list in QuickBooks for certain customers?

Using the "Customer Type" field is one way to help you accomplish either of the above as well as segment your different types of customers for future reference as well.

My video below walks you through the setup and use of the "Customer Type" field in your QuickBooks file:

OTHER QUICKBOOKS TRAINING VIDEOS:

• Verifying your QuickBooks data and why it is critical to do
• Online bill payment in QuickBooks
• My QuickBooks training video library

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Looking for a cash flow forecast for QuickBooks?

Consider linking your QuickBooks to Bill.com. This combination can bring you a dynamic cash flow projection tool that updates every time there is a change in your QuickBooks data.

DETAILS OF THE BILL.COM CASH FLOW PROJECTION WINDOW

The screen shot below provides an excellent recap of just how this tool can help you keep an eye on your cash for the next three months (click the image for a larger view):

GET A GREE TRIAL TO CHECK IT OUT

Over 175,000 businesses have discovered how the Bill.com solution can simplify their business.

It is easy to see just how Bill.com works. Get a free trial today - no credit card is required. I am using it in my business, and I hope you find it valuable for yours.

RELATED INFORMATION

• Online bill payment in QuickBooks with Bill.com
• Simplyfing accounts payable in QuickBooks with Bill.com

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Just a couple of observations to share as an independent QuickBooks consultant from out here in the cheap seat section of the Intuit ballpark...

To me, the handwriting is on the wall that there will come a time (my hunch is sooner rather than later) that we hit the end of the road for the desktop versions of QuickBooks (meaning the Pro, Premier and/or Enterprise editions) and a migration to the online version of QuickBooks is mandated (or a move to a completely different package such as Xero is made).

Why do I think this?

• Have you visited the main QuickBooks web site lately? The home page makes absolutely ZERO reference to the desktop versions of QuickBooks. It has been this way for a number of months now.
  
  In fact, if you were a first time visitor to the site, you'd likely not even know there were any other versions of QuickBooks available. You have to click through one or two levels of the site to even get to the full listing of QuickBooks products.


• A 2012 interview with Intuit CEO Brad Smith revealed the following nugget of knowledge - "QuickBooks owns 91-92% of the small business software marketplace. Between 2005-2007, we dedicated 75-80% of our engineering resources to desktop and a much smaller percentage was dedicated to the Cloud. Today those percentages have reversed—75-80% of our engineering resources are invested in Cloud development. I think this clearly represents our focus and our commitment to moving online."
  
  The significance of this comment can't be understated - it means the development of new features and functionality in future desktop versions is signficantly underweighted in the portfolio of software products compared to the features that may be added to the online version in the months ahead.
  
  The release of QuickBooks 2013 sheds some light on this shift in priorities - other than the overhaul to the "look and feel" of the interface, the 2013 version was really lacking in the addition of other significant improvements in functionality (and many of those that were added required users to pay extra to get them in the Advanced Inventory module!).

Granted, because the installed base of the desktop versions of QuickBooks is so large, this shift isn't going to happen in the next few months. However, knowing the ever increasing speed of change in the world of technology, the dawning of an online only world for QuickBooks software may be here sooner than you want it to be.

Maybe I'll be retired by then...

WHAT DO YOU THINK?

What is your take on the future evolution of the QuickBooks product line based on your vantage point?

Have you had experience with the online version of QuickBooks to see how it compares/differs from the desktop versions?

I welcome your feedback in the comment box below!

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Many QuickBooks users are very comfortable using either the menu bar, the icon bar or some combination of both. Because of that, they rarely ever need the "Home" screen to appear.

If this describes you, there is good news! It is possible to tell QuickBooks not to open the Home screen automatically.

Here's how:

Click Edit > Preferences > Desktop View, and uncheck the "Show Home page when opening the company file" as shown below:

To easily get the Home screen back, you can click Company > Home Page in the menu bar or simply click the Home icon in the icon bar.

MORE QUICKBOOKS TIPS...

• Tip for better QuickBooks performance
• How to have two company files open at the same time in QuickBooks

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Here is another installment to help you try and make sense of all the data you enter into QuickBooks every day in my Building Better Business Finances series.

The topic for today is the Accounts Payable Aging Summary Report.

Easily located by clicking Reports > Vendors and Payables > A/P Aging Summary Report, you'll see a report that looks like this (click image for a larger view):

This report provides three key pieces of information when it comes to managing your finances and cash flow:

1. Who you owe
2. How much you owe them
3. How long you have owed them (the aging of the information)

BAD DATA, BAD DECISIONS!

Sadly, when I look at this report when helping clients with their QuickBooks, I see all sorts of problems and errors within the report.

Problems such as:

• Bills that were paid a long time ago are still showing up
• Bills are not aging correctly because the wrong payment terms were entered
• Negative balances for vendors that are actually owed money

As you can imagine, for this report to provide the optimum benefit for your business, the data needs to be correct. Otherwise, you won't have a good handle on what is actually happening with the accounts payable side of your business (the money out side).

NEED A HAND WITH SOME CLEANUP OR REPAIR?

If you find yourself with some problems in this (or any other) report in your QuickBooks, help is just a click away!

Contact me and we can arrange for a coaching session to help you make the proper corrections to your information so you can rely on this business-critical report going forward.

OTHER POSTS IN MY "BUILDING BETTER BUSINESS FINANCES SERIES":

• Expenses by Vendor Detail Report
• Ideas for automating and reducing expenses
• Income by Customer Summary Report

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