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Support :: Newsletters

April 2011

DentaLab NewsApril 2011
from Mainstreet Systems & Software

FAQ  DentaLab News

 

Simple and Straight-Forward

One of the foremost goals of both QuickBooks and DentaLab for QuickBooks has been to provide, as much as possible, software that is simple and straight-forward, easy and intuitive.  In the April release for DQB 1.26, you will see several new enhancements toward this goal:  

  • Some of the screens are now divided into tabbed screens to keep each set of choices easily definable and uncluttered.

  • You can now indicate in Options/Case Settings which fields must be entered in case entry and, if you use Image Scanning, if at least one image must be scanned.

  • You can now indicate in Options/Case Settings that you want the login ID to be used for the Entry By field in case entry, rather than having to key this in.

  • If you would like to use the Extra Time Cases grid to determine which cases can be rescheduled when you need to accommodate rush cases or have a shortage of personnel, you can now reschedule directly from this screen and have it shown in the grid which cases you have changed. 

  • If you invoice in batches, you can now elect to have the invoiced cases marked as completed with the completion date set to the current date.  This can save a good deal of time if you typically invoice soon after completion.

  • If you use Discount item types when invoicing, QuickBooks will automatically assure that these are set to negative amounts in QuickBooks.   DQB will now also assure that on its invoice screen the discounts are shown as negative amounts in case the user forgets to do this.

Also in the works, but held off until the July release, will be simplified schedule calendars using colors and percentages to easily identify to you your workload vs. your capacity.  Our to-do list for DQB 1.27 has not been finalized.  If you have a request, there is still time to send it for review.

If you have an up-to-date service agreement, call to get the latest authorization codes to download DQB 1.26.  Our special thanks to all of you who provided the good ideas for this release.

April News

We want to remind you that our offices will be closed on Good Friday, April 22.  We will be checking for email and voicemail messages.

One of our main background projects during April will be the development and implementation of new tutorials to match the latest version of DQB.  As part of the Microsoft Partner Program, we will be using Microsoft Expressions to create these.  The initial set will cover the basics and then we will continue into the specialty areas of the system.  We will be offering a very nice discount on any new license (basic or supplements) for a limited period to anyone willing to look, listen and critique the new tutorials.  Be on the lookout for this offer or contact us in advance if you would like to do this.

 

    Easy, versatile software for the modern dental laboratory.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q:  Can you automatically reschedule all unfinished case items each day?

A:  No, we do not do this in the standard versions of DQB because so many of the features depend on having a high degree of accuracy in projecting schedule completion dates.  This is, after all, one of the basic goals of having an excellent scheduling system.  If the system automatically rescheduled every day, for example, work tickets issued in case pans would need to be reprinted and reissued, email notifications sent to doctors would need to be reissued, dental office lookups for when their cases will be completed would keep changing.

Sometimes labs who have not had a good scheduling system have had to constantly reschedule in the past. Those who have one such as DQB, however, find that the majority of cases do get completed on schedule and rescheduling is the exception, rather than the norm.

Q:  We would like to publish regular online communications to our customers.  How do you create and send the DentaLab newsletter?

A: In the past, we used to develop newsletters in Microsoft Word, print and mail these.  We also used this same method for other types of communication such as welcome letters, guides, training notices, reminders.  For a time, we used both printed and emailed communications.   When we found that just about all of our customers were using the internet and had become accustomed to email, we switched to emailing all newsletters and along the way developed our own proprietary software called Spreading the News.

In addition to the monthly newsletters, we use Spreading the News to send a variety of communications to both prospective and existing customers.   For many of these, we begin with templates we have created, sometimes using them as is, sometimes modifying for a specific situation.   It saves a lot of time and allows us to reach an ever-growing list of prospects and customers in a speedy, efficient way so that we can keep both our overhead and our fees at an affordable level.   Please call or email if we can be of help to your efforts.

      With the same look and feel of QuickBooks.

Transitions

When we review and analyze our support logs, we find that once the initial guidance and learning curve stage has passed, the times our support is most needed is in transitions.  These typically involve changes in these areas:

- expansion of networks or transition from a single station to a network of stations

- rearranging systems to move the host/server to another location, changing a prior host to a client

- training and guidance for new personnel

- changes in computer industry standards such as the transition from Windows XP or Vista to Windows 7, from Twain scanning standards to WIA (Windows Image Acquisition)

- changes in dental laboratory standards and requirements for government compliance, such as materials disclosure, case histories, documentation on standard procedures

- how to handle requests from dental offices to the labs, such as online communications, email notifications, detailed reporting on case and invoice histories

- changes in forms such as work tickets, case labels, quality control forms, invoices and statements

- new methods and venues for backup and restoration of data, for security and protection of information

- learning and trying out features not used before such as image scanning, email notifications, barcoding

- and inevitably,  equipment trouble or failure, the need to repair or replace and then get everything going again

Often when everything is running along smoothly day after day, there is a natural tendency to think this can go on forever.  With this tendency often comes a syndrome of neglect.   Daily backups of data are skipped.  Software is not kept up to date.  There is no coordination with their support team.  Some wait until that sinking feeling after an emergency occurs and they have no idea what to do before realizing that they should have planned and been prepared for these possibilities.

We hope you are not one of these!

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.

"I could kick myself for not doing this sooner...this system is awesome!"

Dale Dramstadd
Doctors Dental Lab
Minnesota, USA


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