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April 2015

DentaLab NewsApril 2015
from Mainstreet Systems & Software

FAQ  DentaLab News

 

The April release is ready for download

The long list of new features in the April release of DQB 1.42 is below and also posted on our website.  Those with an up-to-date support agreement can call when ready to download to receive the current authorization codes.

Be on the alert for these upcoming technology changes

Microsoft has issued to select companies the preview version of Windows 10.  It has been projected to be released in June and will be available for download at no charge to those already licensed for Windows 7 or 8 for a period of one year to hopefully get most users to make a quick change.   Some of the highlights of Windows 10 will be that it will be cross-platform providing for use on most mobile devices and including a container for Apple's IOS.   It will automatically recognize if a device has a keyboard and mouse and treat it as a desktop; if it does not, as a mobile device.  

This month Google's search engine algorithms will change and you will need to assure that your website can be used on mobile devices in order to retain a high placement.   We want to maintain our very high position and are in the process of revamping our website to meet the new requirements.  We want to include more photos in the new website so if you have some good ones of your lab, your personnel at work or at their computer in the lab and are willing to grant us the right to use these, please submit them soon.

Our early spring specials continue until April 24

To encourage the easy capture, storage and access of digital images and documents, our early spring special offers a 20%  discount on the Images supplement, reducing the license fee from $400 to $320 (USD).   For those who have licensed DQB Starter and want to upgrade to be able to store images and documents for their cases and customers, we will offer the upgrade to the single DQB Standard plus Images at a 20% discount, reducing the license fee from $600 to $480 (USD).   Thiese  special offers will remain in effect until April 24, 2015.

 

  Easy, versatile software for the modern dental laboratory.

To answer your questions...

Q:  We are interrupted 35-40 times a day with calls from our customers asking if we have received a case or when a case will be sent to them.  What would you recommend to help us with this issue?  

AOne of the easiest methods is to implement email notifications.  Each notification includes a report on the open cases in production with the planned ship date and a report on the recently shipped cases that can include the delivery service and tracking codes.  You can create multiple schedules for these and then assign a schedule for each customer.   You will need to collect and record the email addresses in QuickBooks and keep these up-to-date.   You can include with the reports marketing and other messages. 

You can also  setup double monitors at your computer station so that one can be devoted to inquiries to provide quick access to case information.  You can also have a tablet with the workflow app available for the same purpose.   This does not cut out the interruptions but lets you take care of them easily without too much disturbance to your workflow.

You can also consider implementing DentalRx to provide a secured portal for the dental offices to directly submit prescriptions and other messages and to lookup the status of their cases.  This can become part of your website so that your marketing messages and lab information are adjacent to the portal.

Q:  We have a customer that wants to add control to their tracking of cases by giving us not only the patient name or id but also their own control number.  Where would be the best place to record this?  

AWe would recommend the Short Memo field of the case record, since this is displayed on most of the reports and forms and can be transferred to QuickBooks.   Another alternative is to create a custom field specifically for this.   You may want to setup an alert for the customer to remind your personnel to record this field.

      With the same look and feel of QuickBooks.

April Release DQB 1.42 

Here is a summary of the updates to DentaLab for QuickBooks that are included with DQB 1.42.  Unless otherwise noted, these will be in both the starter and standard versions.

Case Item Custom Field to DQB Invoice

In Options/Invoice Settings, the user can specify up to two of the custom item fields to be available for the Other1 and Other2 fields in the QB template.  If you are printing your invoices in DQB, these settings will also guide the printing of one or both of these custom fields on the standard DQB invoice template.

Flow Chart for Setups and Scheduling

A new flow chart comprised of buttons, arrows and guides has been designed to guide the major steps for the setups in your basic lists and for scheduling.   Included are

  • QuickBooks Lists
  • DQB Lists
  • DQB Customer Center
  • Scheduling Workflow

Flow Chart for Daily Case Management

A new flow chart comprised of buttons, arrows and guides has been designed to guide the major steps in daily case management.   There are five frames:

  • QuickBooks
  • New Cases
  • Case Completions
  • Existing Cases
  • Daily Case Reports

You can also CTRL/Click at each step to directly access the related topic in the Help user manual.

We particularly recommend use of these flow charts for new/novice users and those who want to gain a better understanding of the workflow.

Case List to Excel

Our case list has been very versatile with a wide variety of criteria to let you choose which cases will be listed, the ability to click column headers to sort the list, and the ability to customize which columns will be shown.   Now you can right-click from your selected list to export it to Excel, where you can further customize it or use it in any way you wish.

Options/Settings Screens

Because the number of options has increased, we have also increased the size of the screens in the Options/Settings menu.   We have also added and changed text to explain the functionality of each option.

Customer Assignments from the Price Level Screen

In each of the Basic Lists/Price Levels screens, you will now be able to add and remove customer assignments to each price level, as well as view which have already been assigned.

When you choose a specific price level, to the right of the screen will be two new frames, the top one to show which customers have been assigned to the price level, the bottom one to show which customers have not been assigned to a price level.  You can select a customer from the bottom frame and then use the Add button to transfer it to the top list of assigned customers.  You can select a customer from the top assigned list and then use the Remove button to transfer it to the bottom list of customers without a price list assignment.

Button to Load MSSI Connector

We have added a button to load the MSSI connector in the Options/QB Synchronization screen.  The new Flow Chart will also include a convenient button for this.  The connector must be loaded whenever synchronization between QuickBooks and DQB is needed.

Option to Sort for Cases by Date and Status Report

At the top of the screen where you choose the criteria for the Cases by Date and Status Report, you can now choose to sort within the date and status by one of ten case fields for the report.

Add Custom Reports to Backup/Restore

This contents of the Custom Reports folder will now be included in the standard Backup/Restore process.

Store Images/Documents for Customer

For those with the standard system and the images supplement, we have added image and document storage for customers in the Customer Center.  These features will follow the same patterns used for cases and will also be included in the backup/restore procedures.

You will need to enter a name for each image or document up to 30 characters.  The index for each will be the customer, date/time and the name.  You can then select stored images and documents for viewing from a grid.  If selected, the images and documents will be included in the standard backup/restore procedures.

We strongly recommend that you do not include case images and documents at the customer level.  Use the options in Case Entry for these.

Add Planned Ship Date to Notifications Open Cases Report

For those licensed for the standard system and the notifications supplement, the standard report for open cases will have a new Due Out column showing the planned Ship Date.

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Customization is available for all products.

Contact us at 1-800-257-4535 or www.mainstreet-systems.com.

"I first met Elaine in 2002 when she was supporting my employer's DOS based version of Dentallab (DLAB). From the start, she proved to be not only cordial, but an extremely knowledgeable source of information. We constantly asked her for customization and functionality that were well beyond what her software was originally intended for. She did it quickly and accurately. Best of all, she did it because her company is focused on customer satisfaction."

Shane Purnell
Phoenix Business Systems
MO


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