The DentaLab System... serving dental laboratories since 1979
 
 
Support :: Newsletters

January 2010

DentaLab NewsJanuary 2010
from Mainstreet Systems & Software

FAQ  DentaLab News

 

525,600 New Minutes

Yes, that's how many minutes we'll have in the new year.  We find that, more than any other excuse, dental laboratories use lack of time as their reason for not investigating new technology, for not trying something new, for not exploring whether there are other alternatives that will save both time and money.

This industry is essentially labor intensive.  Looking back in history, many of the functions now performed by dental laboratories were originally done by the dentist.  Then as dentists became wiser about their use of time, they began delegating many jobs to others...the labs, the hygienists, the assistants for scheduling appointments, for handling insurance, for chairside tasks.

But dentists certainly are not the only ones who can be wise about their use of time.  In recent years, we have seen many labs give up time-wasting tasks such as the filing, retrieval and refiling of paper prescriptions, the manual "eyeball" methods of scheduling, the double entry of customer and case information, running around the lab looking for a case to respond to a call from the dental office...and many more.

They also track quality control, remakes, technician productivity, on-time delivery, activity logs and other aspects of their work to determine where corrections are needed to save time, money and goodwill.  What did it take to accomplish these things?  Typically, just minutes of time to research and discuss options and then just minutes more to go through a learning curve to understand and implement new technology.

We know in our own work we have always been glad that we took the time to move on to new and better ways to do things. As the Nike slogan says:  Just do it!


January Release:  DQB 1.21

The January release of DentaLab for QuickBooks is now ready.   The full list of updates and enhancements can be found in the Support section of our website:  www.mainstreet-systems.com

There are two important new methods in this release, which are described in the section below titled Two New Methods.

Please review the website list and then, if you are up-to-date with your service agreement, call to get the current authorization codes to download.

 

    Easy, versatile software for the modern dental laboratory.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: How do you schedule work that needs to be done the same day?

A:  Keep in mind that when you specify the number of days in a standard procedure or in a case, you are telling the system to advance the schedule date by that number of days.   Therefore, if you want something done on the same day, use 0 (zero) for the number of days.

Q: When will you have your next group training session?

A:  Because of the cold weather, snow and ice here in Pennsylvania, we do not schedule our standard Monday group training sessions during the winter months.  But if you want to come during that time, please just call and we will do what we can to accommodate you...with no guarantees on the weather!    Also, if you have any specific dates in mind for when warmer weather arrives, please call to let us know.   We and many labs find these sessions very worthwhile.  Many times, labs tell us they did not realize how easy it was to use DQB.   And we are always glad to meet you and have you meet us....it makes a world of difference when we go back to talking to you by phone and trading emails.

Q: Can we have an annual review on how we are using DQB?

A: Yes, with use of logmein and your authorization, we can remote into your computer from our offices.  Some of the points to check would be:  1) are you backing up correctly 2) is your system up to date 3) which features are you using and not using 4) are there any issues on which you need guidance such as speed, security, introducing new capabilities.   This is an excellent use of the time provided at no charge with your service agreement.   

   With the same look and feel of QuickBooks.

Two New Methods

The January release numbered 1.21 for DentaLab for QuickBooks includes two important new methods, one for handling deleted cases and another for handling error messages.

Case Deletions:  Previously, when a user requested deletion of case, upon confirmation the case record and all of its associated records for items, enclosures, etc. were deleted.   Now, with the new method, the case being deleted will have its header record and its item records transferred to comparable tables that will hold deleted records.   This will allow the user to reactivate the case, if needed, with all of the associated records intact and also to review just which cases were deleted.  In the Case Entry quadrant, there is a new button called Deleted Cases.  

In addition, the program will check to determine if the case has already been invoiced and/or used to track technician productivity.   If it has, an appropriate message will be displayed and manager level authority will be needed in order for the deletion request to be honored.   Note that if there is a QuickBooks invoice for the case, the manager should also determine whether this needs to be deleted.

Error Messages:  If  you receive an error message other than those easily correctable (such as field must be numeric or QuickBooks must be loaded), you will now have the option to transfer the full message directly to Mainstreet's DentaLab Support Team.   We have found that users struggle with using the Windows clipboard to copy and paste error messages to send via email and oftentimes do not know how to handle the technical aspects of error messages from sources such as SQL, IBiz and Windows, so this should prove to be a better alternative.

Your Specialties

As your business develops, it is a good idea to also develop specialties that distinguish you from the competition.  If you have been inventive, if you have been entrepreneurial,  or if you have had the opportunity to accomplish something unique, the next step should be to let the world know.   For some, their specialty might be great local service for which they can appeal to those wanting to minimize the carbon footprint, saving fuel costs and helping the environment.   For others, their specialty might be investment in a specific technology that can be offered to other labs as well as dentists. 

So that our users can let the world know what they have to offer, we developed software called Spreading the News.  This includes customer/contact lists, assignment to one or multiple email lists, article templates, easy creation of newsletters and other promotional pieces, sending by selected list, selected individual or specific email address, activity reports with counts.   The contacts can be setup independently and/or transferred from your QuickBooks customer table. 

We are now offering Spreading the News at an introductory license fee of $159 (US Dollars). This offer will be in effect until March 1, 2010.  

If you wish to be removed, reply to this email with the subject "unsubscribe".

     

Customization is available for all products.

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

"The speed of the system (DQB) has been great?.everything is working great."

Kevin Ohlendorf
Space Maintainers of the Midwest, Missouri
Missouri


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