Speed Matters
The coming 4G will change the landscape of mobile computing.
According to Selena Routh, blogger, PhoneService.org: 4G offers the following advantages: Speed, Availability, More Apps, Better Graphics, Security, Capacity and Gaming.
The good thing is that it is already available in the USA and other advanced countries. You can see why people dropped GPRS and use the HSDPA 3.5 G before. It is because of the speed.
When 4G offers 10 times faster than 3G, the choice is obvious. The implication is the flourisment of many hand-held devices in replacement of the regular PCs.
Formally launch the MBA System
We are busy preparing to formally launch the MBA System in July.
That means we are holding off any more addition of major function to the system for now. The new users will certainly add more creativity and wisdom to the system as a whole.
For example, we have a new MBA System user proposed to print out the Cover Sheet for courier’s use. This looks trivial but very useful.
Other than that, we are in the process of revising the Job Control Sheet to include more information to make the report more useful.
French invoice in PDF format
We have been working hard in trying to print invoices for MBA System users in Paris for that particular nice looking font type.
The French people are really different from Americans. They want to look good.
Well, we finally did it! The outcome is a beautiful French font on their day-to-day invoices.
Welcoming new MBA System user
S.K. Yang CPA Limited- We are really impressed by Doris S.K. Yang’s candid comments and quick preparation of the complicated setup data on her excel spreadsheets. (She is really good in using Excel!)
Once we get the excel files, we can then feed them into the MBA System and set up all the client files, chart of accounts, employee files, billing codes and work codes, job files and so forth.
That can really bring the system up and running in no time after the data conversion and trial run. Thank you, Doris. You will be fastest one to get your company up and running MBA System in the shortest time!
Global search
We have implemented a Global Search panel on the upper left corner of the MBA Dashboard.
Whenever you need to search for some file like customer, employee, jobs… all you need to do is to type a word and the system will search it for you.
We found this function to be very useful especially when we received a phone call from our customers and we want to search it as fast as possible.
However, we still need to input the detail of the contact person onto the Post-it function. Well, no need to do it anymore. We have put in the Post-it buttons right next to the contact persons list. All you need to do is to press that button and every detail will be pasted to the Post-it message. How nice of it!
It is these small things that count. We hope you would like this small function. If you can think of something that makes the system work better, please let us know.
We almost never turn down a request from our users. Afterall, it is the user that counts.
Honoring Contributors
The development of the MBA System owes a great deal to the existing and prospective users who have devoted their wits and talents in seeing how to improve the MBA System so that the system works better.
Initially, we have devised 5 levels of contributors: Master, Consultant, Specialist, Smart and all Registered users.
After we have complied the list, we will publish it on our website under Contributors for viewing.
Write-off
We are still debating the best way to handle write-off of the remaining balance while doing the invoice settlement.
One way to do it is to allow the system to put the remaining amount (amount paid less invoiced amount) to the write-off column.
The user can just click a buttom to indicate the remaining amount to be written-off. This is simple and easy to operate.
The only drawback is the control. May be we can make it as a company maintenance option. So far, the settlement function operates beautifully because of it simplicity and intelligence in handling credit and write-off as well as the bank deposit and automatic journal entries.
The other not so important but useful function that we have implemented in the Timesheet entry is to allow users to indicate the non-chargeable item and display it as complimentary on invoices.
It is important to let clients know that you have done some good work on their behalf but you did not charge them. Somewhat a public relation scheme!
Small thing does make a big difference
Sometimes, small thing does make a big difference.
Sabrina of Union Alpha, a very bright lady with talent in programming, has been feeding us with many kinds of suggestions such as a better sorting criterion when printing reports and employee performance reporting.
Whenever we get these kind of suggestions, we treasured them and make changes as quickly as we can so that users can have a better experience with the system.
In the past week, we try to give the MBA System a name so that prospective users can easily identify the product. Although MBA System does consists of timesheet, billing, customer relations, human resources, accouting and finance functions, but these modules are not the heart of the system. It is not an ERP system, nor CRM, nor Accounting, nor Practice Management.
But one thing for sure, the system is vital for managing a business. This is why we adopt the name MBA to begin with. MBA System is a Management System for Business Organization. Maybe we can call it an Business Management System (BMS) for Professional Business? Any suggestions from our users?
Settlement function
We have a wonderful meeting with Cheng & Cheng, CPA on our presentation of the Settlement function.
Pat, the financial accountant, has raised a very good point after carefully examined the features. She wanted to have the instant granting of discount and write-off at the time of doing the settlement, rather than afterward in a separate function.
That really make sense. We have already included the overpayment to be recorded automatically to client’s advance and deposit account. What if a client pays less than the invoice amount and demanded the discount from it? Would it be convenient to do all these things in one place and record them in the journals automatically.
The other thing that worth mentioned is that when the firm offers no charge to a particular item, they don’t want just to use the zero amount on the invoice. So, we come up with a “list of descriptive terms on no charge item” to be input by the firm on a firm-wide basis.
Pat, thank you!
MBA System
After much debate, we have decided to adopt the name to be called MBA System. With the fast adaptation of the Internet connection even on buses and planes there is really no point to specify the term “anywhere” as part of the system name.
So, we will change all login from mbanywhere.com to mba-system.com. If your company is called World Travel, accessing your company system using wt.mbanywhere.com, the new address will be wt.mba-system.com.