Presentations
Perspectives on the Future of Accounting Software
Session G15- Tues, 9:00 AM – 10:00 AM
Location: Media Center
Speaker: Jill Ward
In this keynote address, Ms. Ward will articulate how Intuit views the future of the accounting software marketplace, and how accounting professionals and third-party developers can prosper as a result of Intuit’s new initiatives. With Intuit’s “platform-as-a-service” strategy that facilitates the combination of Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) technology with platforms for third-party developers, you’ll hear how Intuit plans to continue to wow customers, developers, and accounting professionals.
What's New in QuickBooks 2009
Session 810: Tues, 10:15 AM – 11:30 AM
Location: Media Center
Speaker: Shane Hamby
Learn what's new in the QuickBooks family of products.
Awesome QuickBooks Add-ons for 2009
Session L10: Tues, 11:45 AM – 12:40 PM
Location: Media Center
Speaker: Douglas Sleeter
The Sleeter Group’s annual awards recognizing Awesome Add-ons for QuickBooks. Each year Doug Sleeter picks a few of his favorite Awesome QuickBooks Add-on software programs. An annual favorite session you will not want to miss.
Payroll for Today’s Accountant: Intuit’s New Payroll Service Lineup
Session 801: Tues, 12:45 PM – 2:00 PM
Location: Media Center
Speaker: Michelle Long, CPA
As your practice grows, clients will increasingly rely on you for advice. In today’s competitive environment, it’s important now more than ever to make sure you understand your client’s varying needs and are able to recommend the best solutions for them. Improvements to Intuit’s Online Payroll Service have made it ready for the prime time: attend to get an early look at this new offering and what it has to offer your clients. You will also learn about Assisted Payroll—how it works and why your peers recommend it over competitive offerings. And don’t forget - just by attending this session you will receive over $1000 worth of Intuit Payroll services, as well as the chance to win a Jawbone Bluetooth headset!
IT Security 2008
Session 201: Tues, 12:45 PM – 2:00 PM
Location: Cira A
Speaker: David Cieslak
From the latest phishing scams and spoofed websites to the accidental exposure of highly sensitive data, security threats are constantly evolving, and so should an organizations’ strategy to protect against those threats. This session will focus on the most prevalent scams and threats facing users today and explore prudent steps all users should take to safeguard their critical applications and data. This session will also focus on system recovery strategies– what to do if the unthinkable happens! Whether you’re new to information security or a more experienced user or network administrator looking to cover all the bases, this session has something for everyone
Automating AP and AR using Saas Technologies
Session 404: Tues, 12:45 PM – 2:00 PM
Location: Cira B
Speaker: Rene Lacerte
Founder of Bill.com and co-founder of PayCycle, René Lacerte, will discuss how you can transform you and your clients AP and AR processes using low cost SaaS solutions. Online services offer enterprise-class solutions that enable better controls, separation of duties and collaboration that until now were prohibitive to implement for small and medium businesses. This session will use real case studies to demonstrate how easy it is to automate your payables and receivables using online applications.
Beyond Payroll & Accounting: Helping Your Clients Choose the Right Solution for Their Growing Business Needs
Session 703: Tues, 12:45 PM – 2:00 PM
Location: Cira C
Speaker: Randy Bacchus
As a valued business partner serving your small business clients, your goal is to stay ahead of the technology curve in order to provide top level information and best practices on a variety of issues and business solutions. When clients actively grow their business and move beyond simple accounting and payroll, you need to provide them with information on the most effective integrated solutions available.
Sage Accpac Extended Enterprise Suite provides a complete view of your client's business, from accounting and operations, to customer relationship management, fixed asset management, human resource management, payroll services, e-commerce, e-marketing, and much more. This is the solution that transforms the productivity of your client's entire organization by taking them to the next level in managing their business. Find out all you can about Sage Accpac Extended Enterprise Suite - and be the voice of experience as you guide your clients to the next level in business management.
QuickBooks Troubleshooting and Data File Analysis
Session 102: Tues, 12:45 PM – 2:00 PM
Location: Aurora
Speaker: Bonnie Nagayama, CPA
In this session, we'll drill in to some of the more technical mysteries of QuickBooks and the difficult problems presented by client data entry errors. We will discuss both data file setup errors and data entry errors and we’ll present methods for quickly locating both types of errors. We will discuss the most common types of errors made by QuickBooks users as well as some of the more rare and difficult to handle issues that arise from time to time. This session is designed for QuickBooks consultants as well as for tax preparers who need to salvage as much reliable data as possible from QuickBooks files for income tax preparation.
Making the Most of Intuit Financial Statement Writer
Session 802: Tues, 2:15 PM – 3:30 PM
Location: Media Center
Speaker: Amy Vetter, CPA.CITP
In QuickBooks 2009 Intuit will evolve Financial Statement Designer into Intuit Statement Writer – a much more robust application for you to use when presenting financial statements to your clients. This session is much more than a simple sneak peak of this exciting new utility. In the session we will cover the core functionality of this utility that allows you to present financial statements in compliance with GAAP. The session also focuses on the use of Intuit Statement Writer by QuickBooks users – so they can enhance management reports.
Becoming a Value Added Reseller (VAR) - Opportunities for Consultants
Session 504: Tues, 2:15 PM – 3:30 PM
Location: Cira A
Speaker: Mario Nowogrodzki, CPA.CITP
With so many add-ons in the small business accounting marketplace, there are significant opportunities for consultants to become VARs and earn commissions/discounts as they recommend and sell software. To succeed, you must build expertise in each product you recommend, and you must build your firm’s infrastructure to meet the needs of VAR clients.
New Tips and Tricks for the Construction Power User
Session 604: Tues, 2:15 PM – 3:30 PM
Location: Cira B
Speaker: Leslie Shiner
You already know how to train, troubleshoot and help clients with their daily accounting functions. But contractors have specific needs so they can create financial statements and use QuickBooks for its project management capabilities. This session provides tips and tricks to turn your construction clients into power users. Learn about item list guidelines, estimates for fixed price jobs, including markup on T&M jobs, handling customer deposits, retention, job costing salaried time and applying labor burden. Attend this new session to become a valuable asset to your construction clients and help them achieve greater control and profitability.
Over the Shoulder of a Wireless Hacker (And How to Stop Them)
Session 206: Tues, 2:15 PM – 3:30 PM
Location: Cira C
Speaker: Gregory L. Lafollette
Executive Editor of the CPA Technology Advisor and Senior Manager of Tax & Technology Consulting at Eide Bailly, LLP
More than 60 percent of the wireless networks used by small and mid-sized businesses (YOUR CLIENTS!) are unsecured, leaving the door wide open to hackers to steal personal identity and confidential corporate information, access computer networks, and launch attacks from the business networks. Changes are that most don't understand how vulnerable they are. This presentation will show how simple it is for hackers to break into a wireless network with tools freely available on the internet. We will discuss the types of attacks and vulnerabilities unsecured networks can be subjected to, and discuss the types of options that are available to simply and safely secure wireless networks.
Retail Solutions
Session 605: Tues, 2:15 PM – 3:30 PM
Location: Aurora
Speaker: David Glantz
In this session, you’ll learn about the specific needs of retailers, add-on solutions available to solve various retail business challenges, and how you can grow your practice with services for the retailer. From the Mom & Pop retailers to multiple location stores and from clothing stores to restaurants, these businesses have unique needs including complex inventory, fast data input requirements, barcode scanning; and purchasing, receiving, shipping, and web store integration. We’ll discuss several different POS solutions, inventory systems, cash registers, mobile devices, merchant accounts services, and more to help you determine which solutions are best for your clients businesses.
Get Paid Faster: Integrating Merchant Service with QuickBooks
Session 803: Tues, 4:00 PM – 5:15 PM
Location: Media Center
Speaker: Amy Vetter, CPA.CITP
Increase your profitability by learning how to integrate Intuit QuickBooks Merchant Service with your QuickBooks company file. The seamless integration with QuickBooks allows you to get paid faster by your customers, save time entering deposit transactions and reconciling processed transactions with QuickBooks. You will learn how easy it is to get started and use Intuit QuickBooks Merchant Service; as well as, be introduced to the Check Processing Services you have been asking for!
Software as a Service (SaaS): The Building Block of the Future
Session 403: Tues, 4:00 PM – 5:15 PM
Location: Cira A
Speaker: Randy Johnston
There is a major change underway in how businesses acquire and utilize technology. Some believe it will turn out to be as important as the advent of personal computers. This change is the movement away from running applications in-house on a company’s computers to using hosted services. At first it appears to be only a physical change in which the software is hosted. However, the benefits are turning out to be huge. Lower costs, improved reliability, very significantly improved functionality, ease of access, and improved security are some of these benefits. Attend this session to find out how SaaS can make you more efficient, more effective, and more profitable.
Microsoft Office 2008 Integration with Office Accounting 2008 and BCM: Essential tools for Small Business Success!
Session 106: Tues, 4:00 PM – 5:15 PM
Location: Cira B
Speaker: Allen Goldberg
This seminar will explore the strong integration between Office 2008 and Office Accounting 2008 and Business Contact Manager. It will reveal the necessary reasons why a small business will do well to utilize and take advantage of these essential tools. Other topics “touched upon” will be small business server 2008 and integrated mobility.
The Art of Being a Successful Accounting Software Consultant
Session 101: Tues, 4:00 PM – 5:15 PM
Location: Cira C
Speaker: Leslie Shiner
Businesses don’t plan to fail but many do fail to plan. This session is designed to provide practical methods to help you coach your clients to better financial management. Grow your business, your client base, and your revenue by providing financial consulting and coaching. Learn ways to use accounting software as a foundation to build your practice. By uncovering your clients’ needs for coaching, you can help them build better businesses, while you successfully grow your own.
What Your Clients Need to Know About Peachtree
Session 701: Tues, 4:00 PM – 5:15 PM
Location: Aurora
Speaker: Mike Savory
As small businesses are starting up, they need your guidance to set up their finances properly and implement a user-friendly, yet powerful accounting solution to help manage their cash flow and budgets. Join our session to learn about Peachtree Accounting and how we may jointly help your clients toward success. In our session, we’ll demonstrate the initial company setup, typical small business accounting processes, payroll and other complementary services, and those features that make Peachtree a smarter choice. We’ll give an overview of the different flavors of Peachtree from our introductory solutions to our Quantum solution that manages up to 30 users, as well as our industry specific versions.
Technology Update
Session G20: Weds, 8:00 AM – 9:15 AM
Location: Media Center
Speaker: Randy Johnston
There have been a tremendous number of hardware and architecture changes this year from servers to workstations, as well as new innovations in peripheral devices like mice and keyboards. Learn the latest on buying strategies and determining exactly what your business needs in order to not be left behind!
Helping Enable Success – Both Yours and Your Clients’
Session G27- Weds, 9:30 AM – 10:30 AM
Location: Media Center
Speaker: Nina Smith
Today, a software company needs to produce products that do much more than just meet your accounting or other specific business management needs. Software companies must look at the big picture and how they can contribute to the comprehensive success of the businesses they serve – both your clients’ and yours. Nina will detail the many ways Sage strives to take a broad view to help enable your success across your entire enterprise, from listening carefully to customers’ views and desires, both long- and short-term, to keeping up with trends in technology, to providing services and programs that can help you better serve your clients.
New Features in QuickBooks Accountant Edition 2009: An In-Depth Perspective
Session 804: Wed, 12:30 PM – 1:45 PM
Location: Media Center
Speaker: Michelle Long, CPA
Given the popularity of QuickBooks in the marketplace, there is a strong chance that a majority of your small business clients use QuickBooks. In this course you will learn about the new features of QuickBooks Premier Accountant 2009 to give your QuickBooks support services a cutting edge and to set yourself apart from your competition. This course will give you an in-depth accountant’s perspective on how to use QuickBooks Premier Accountant 2009 to streamline the year-end procedures you perform for your clients, to customize QuickBooks to meet your client’s unique reporting needs, and to maximize the use of QuickBooks in your accounting practice.
Virtualization – Why You and Your Clients Need it
Session 202: Weds, 12:30 PM – 1:45 PM
Location: Cira A
Speaker: Randy Johnston
Network Management Group, Inc.
Whether you’re seeking to run Windows XP-based applications in a Vista environment, reduce the number of servers in your organization, or establish a training and testing environment without fear of corrupting your existing computers or network, virtualization should be at the forefront of your plans. Participants are introduced to the concepts and benefits of virtualization and will learn how to create, deploy, and manage virtual PCs and servers. Hardware requirements, software licensing issues, and managing virtual machines are all addressed, along with how to avoid some of the more common mistakes associated with virtualization. As a bonus, instructions will be provided on how to obtain free, fully-licensed copies of virtualization software such as Microsoft’s Virtual PC 2008 and VMware.
Taking Payroll Online
Session 405: Weds, 12:30 PM – 1:45 PM
Location: Cira B
Speaker: Darren Root
In this session, we’ll discuss the various products and technologies you should consider when providing payroll services. In particular, we’ll focus on how online SaaS technologies can really accelerate your practice when it comes to providing payroll services. Please join us as we discuss desktop versus Web-based Payroll Solutions, Direct Deposit and PayCards, portals for the employer and employees, and electronic submission of payroll taxes and forms. With these exciting new technologies it is once again possible for you to consider being in the payroll business. Whether you function as a full-service provider or as a wholesaler or maybe somewhere in between, this session will help you think through the issues and plot your course for success.
Networking Best Practices - Installing and Configuring the Network for Multi-User Environments
Session 103: Weds, 12:30 PM – 1:45 PM
Location: Cira C
Speaker: Mario Nowogrodzki, CPA.CITP
Understanding networks and servers are a requirement for effective accounting software consulting. Whether you are completing IT tasks yourself or communicating with IT specialists, consultants need to be very familiar with fundamental IT concepts. In this session, we will discuss the different implementation scenarios and best practices for computer networking. We’ll clearly explain Peer-To-Peer, Client/Server, Terminal Server, and VPN technologies so you’ll know when and how to use them. See and understand how and when they apply to your office and to clients’ businesses. We will walk through the best network environment for each of several QuickBooks situations. You will learn to configure the network and the QuickBooks database server to achieve the best performance on the network. Also, we will discuss how hosted application servers (ASPs) can help you deploy QuickBooks and other applications across multiple locations (anytime/anywhere access), and how to effectively work remotely.
Software Training - Planning and Marketing Successful Seminars and Workshops
Session 506: Weds, 12:30 PM – 1:45 PM
Location: Aurora
Speaker: Amy Vetter, CPA.CITP
Providing Workshops or Seminars is a great way to offer an additional service to your existing client base and reach out to prospects that you may have never met otherwise. If you are a Software Trainer or thought about being one, and want to learn and share best practices, this course will provide an overview of areas to consider when planning and marketing a Training class. You will leave with a “roadmap” of how to plan for a seminar and obtain marketing tips to assist you in running an effective and successful workshop.
Advanced Certification: QuickBooks Reporting and Analysis for Financial and Operational Management and Job Cost Tracking
Session 805: Wed, 2:00 PM – 3:15 PM
Location: Media Center
Speaker: Amy Vetter, CPA.CITP
This course provides an overview of the areas you need to know for the job cost tracking and operational management reporting section of the Advanced Certification exam. You'll learn about various methods of job costing from basic set-up to a more customized set up for Work In Process accounting. You will also learn about allocating overhead for reporting purposes, job costing accounting month end tasks such as calculating Over/Under Billing, troubleshooting job costing reports for data entry errors, and export tools to Microsoft® Excel that assist in filtering reporting.
Implementing Paperless Document Management Technologies
Session 203: Weds, 2:00 PM – 3:15 PM
Location: Cira A
Speaker: Randy Johnston
Everyone’s talking about it, but who has done it and how did they do it? Taking your office paperless requires an understanding of document management, collaboration tools, workflow, and security. Learn how the most successful firms and small businesses have implemented a paperless environment and what they learned in the process.
Tools and Best Practices for Custom Reporting
Session 301: Weds, 2:00 PM – 3:15 PM
Location: Cira B
Speaker: Bonnie Nagayama, CPA
One of the most common questions for QuickBooks consultants is in the area of reports to help clients effectively track the progress of their business. These reports are not "financial statement" reports, but rather include information on specific aspects of the business required for planning and management purposes. Several developers and consultants have gone to great lengths to tackle the challenges surrounding reporting and analytics. There are several tools and alternatives that you need to know about to better serve your QuickBooks clients. What are the Pros and Cons of each? Which can you, as the consultant, use as a value add for your clients? Which require a custom report developed by someone else. Several real life case studies will be presented to illustrate solutions you can implement with your clients.
Consulting in the Mid Market
Session 502: Weds, 2:00 PM – 3:15 PM
Location: Cira C
Speaker: Mario Nowogrodzki, CPA.CITP
Small Business Accounting Software (QuickBooks, Peachtree, Office Accounting) consulting is largely about working with the bookkeeper and business owner to get the software installed, set up, configured, and then training the bookkeeper how to enter data. It rarely involves multiple departments across the enterprise, and it usually focuses on the accounting/general ledger/payroll only. It is very accounting centric. When you engage mid-market clients, they expect you to take charge of the entire business management system. In this session, you’ll hear tips and strategies from a highly successful expert of mid-market consulting on how to transition your practice to consulting in the mid-market.
Windows 2008 Server Technologies
Session 207: Weds, 2:00 PM – 3:15 PM
Location: Aurora
Speaker: Andrew Abrams
Microsoft launched its new 2008 server technologies this year. Learn about the capabilities and differences between Microsoft Windows 2008 32 Bit and 64 Bit versions, Windows Small Business Server 2008 Standard and Essential Business Server 2008 along with Windows Home Server. This session will go over the technologies and provide you with a view of what they do and who they are for as well as how these technologies will affect your clients’ businesses and yours.
Advanced Certification: QuickBooks Files: Sharing, Managing, & Maintaining Data Integrity
Session 806: Wed, 3:45 PM – 5:00 PM
Location: Media Center
Speaker: Leslie Capachietti
In this course, you'll learn how to install QuickBooks on a network and how to configure it for multiple users. You'll learn how to identify and correct some common setup errors. You'll also learn about the tools available in QuickBooks to help protect and maintain your clients' data. Finally, you'll learn about different ways you can access your clients' data files.
Windows VISTA Update
Session 204: Weds, 3:45 PM – 5:00 PM
Location: Cira A
Speaker: Randy Johnston
As of June 30th, 2008 PC manufacturers are supposed to be only shipping the Microsoft Vista operating system on business PCs. Attend this session to learn how to successfully implement Vista in your organization. Topics covered include: optimizing Vista to get the level of performance you expect from new hardware, dealing with legacy software that supposedly will not run under Vista, and how to take advantage of the many powerful new features that are included in this latest version of the Windows operating system. If you own a Vista PC or plan on buying a new PC you need this session.
The Next Generation Accounting Firm: Ideas and suggestions on becoming a “Next Generation Accounting Firm”
Session 501: Weds, 3:45 PM – 5:00 PM
Location: Cira B
Speaker: Darren Root
During this event you will learn how to identify qualities and/or characteristics that make you or your firm distinct from your competition. We’ll be discussing how to focus your practice on the deliverable services that your firm has real core competencies in. We will discuss 8 essential elements to communicating your service offerings to clients and prospects. The session will end with a “rubber meets the road” approach on how to deliver your service offerings effectively using the latest tools and technologies. Learn how to define your service offerings, communicate your service offerings and deliver your service offerings.
Using Business Intelligence Tools to Provide Insight for Your Clients' Businesses
Session 302: Weds, 3:45 PM – 5:00 PM
Location: Cira C
Speaker: Chuck Vigeant
This session will take a deeper look at the next generation of reporting and decision making tools that are known collectively as Business Intelligence. Participants will learn how Business Intelligence has evolved, and what outcomes are solved for with regard to business analysis and compliance reporting. This session will also address the current range of tools used for Business Intelligence, explore the latest QuickBooks offerings and how they are used, and provide a general understanding of how these tools can significantly add to your firm's revenue base.
An Inside Look at the Enhanced Peachtree 2009 Portfolio: Peachtree’s Solution for Growing Clients
Session 702: Weds, 3:45 PM – 5:00 PM
Location: Aurora
Speaker: Mike Savory
As your clients outgrow their small business accounting solutions, consider Peachtree Quantum 2009, which is designed for large databases and optimized to manage more customers, vendors, and inventory data. We’ll talk about small business growth pains and which of your clients are the best candidates for our top performing Peachtree Quantum accounting solution. We’ll also demonstrate some key functionality differentiators such as Quantum’s roles-based security, faster performance, capacity for up to 30 users, and much more.
Bringing it all Together – Navigating the Changes Ahead
Session G30: Thurs, 8:00 AM – 9:05 AM
Location: Media Center
Speaker: Doug Sleeter
With so many changes upon us and so many technologies emerging, it gets harder and harder to know which road to follow. In this session, Doug Sleeter will put into perspective the various technologies you’ve heard about during the conference, and he’ll present The Sleeter Group’s roadmap for what you can do today to begin travelling down the road of using online technologies for your practice and for your client’s businesses.
It’s a Great Time to be in Public Accounting
Session G35: Thurs, 9:15 AM – 10:30 AM
Location: Media Center
Speaker: Greg LaFollette
As a retired software executive, as Executive Editor of The CPA Technology Advisor Magazine and as a practicing accountant, Mr. LaFollette enjoys an unusually dynamic view of our profession. In this presentation he will review how we’ve gotten to where we are as a profession, why some firms flourish while others languish, and he’ll lead us through his predictions based on the convergence of three major drivers. Those drivers are technology --- the hardware, software, services, and related best practices that make it possible for us to be so much more productive; demographics --- those fact-of-life realities that mean there are fewer and less experienced of us; and legislation --- the governmental, regulatory, and market forces that are requiring more and more of the profession. You’ll see why in concert, these seemingly unrelated forces are resulting in a bonanza for practicing public accountants.
BillQuick Consulting Opportunities – Partnering for Success
Session L30: Weds, 11:30 AM – 12:25 PM
Location: Media Center
Speaker: Bob Wolff, Shafat Qazi
Grow your business with minimal time investment. BillQuick’s Channel Manager, Bob Wolff, and CEO, Shafat Qazi, draw on decades of experience to outline how to build BillQuick Advisory services into a significant source of revenue for your firm. With the right partner, a small investment of your time will yield big rewards. Whether you are a currently a BillQuick Advisor or are looking for more information about the Time, Billing and Project management market, this session will provide valuable tips, techniques, and action items for succeeding as an advisor in the professional services market.
Advanced Certification: Extending QuickBooks Functionality Through Integration
Session 807: Thurs, 12:30 PM – 1:45 PM
Location: Media Center
Speaker: Leslie Capachietti
In this course, you'll learn how to extend the use of QuickBooks using third-party applications. You'll learn how to use tools available within the QuickBooks application itself and where to go to get information about applications available through the Intuit Developers Network. You'll learn how to work with different applications that can help you get more from QuickBooks reports and how to pull information from QuickBooks into Microsoft Word documents. In addition, you'll learn how to set up QuickBooks to work with third-party applications.
Non-Profit Tools of the Trade
Session 606: Thurs, 12:30 PM – 1:45 PM
Location: Circa A
Speaker: Anna Sheets
Whether you have one or hundreds of Not-for-Profit clients, you know they require diverse solutions. Not only do you need to know the accounting and reporting landscape, but NFPs test your dexterity as a Software Consultant. Building on our popular Non-Profit Update webinar, this year we will demonstrate add-on solutions that enhance accounting software to serve the NFP specific needs including year end donor statements and management programs. We will also share answers to this year’s top Not-for-Profit Questions, including cost allocations and payroll taxes. This session will also include recommendations for handling changes for the new IRS form 990.
Chuck Vigeant’s Custom Report Development Lab
Session 303: Thurs, 12:30 PM – 1:45 PM
Location: Cira B
Speaker: Chuck Vigeant
This lab session allows participants to bring their own laptops and learn about Open Database Connectivity (ODBC), QuickBooks Data Structures, and how to use ODBC with Excel to create custom reports from QuickBooks data. We’ll explore how the ODBC driver works, what you can and can’t do and how to extract data from QuickBooks using ODBC. We’ll create several real word reports within Excel and provide finished examples and instructions you can take home for further practice or implementation with clients.
e-Money - The Evolving World of Electronic Payments
Session 205: Thurs, 12:30 PM – 1:45 PM
Location: Circa C
Speaker: David Kvederis
A cornerstone of American commerce is how consumers and businesses make payments among and between themselves with confidence that the systems will always work properly. Billions of credit card, debit card, Fedwire transfers, direct deposit and direct debit transaction are processed annually with little thought given to how these systems work. They seem to be never changing but they are. This session will provide an overview of the nation’s payments systems and how they are evolving by employing new technology. Questions will be explored such as “why can’t I use my debit card on the internet?” and “why does it take a week to send money overseas?” and “will credit cards ultimately replace every other form of payment?” Finally, the speaker will give a forecast as to what payment systems will look like for small businesses in the not distant future. Exciting new technologies will be covered including contact less payments, biometric access and mobile phone technologies.
Software Training - Presentation Tips and Techniques for Instructors
Session 505: Thurs, 12:30 PM – 1:45 PM
Location: Aurora
Speaker: Amy Vetter, CPA.CITP
This workshop will provide a fun and energetic approach to hone and enhance your facilitation skills. If you love to teach, or think you will, this session will provide you Speaking tips and techniques to keep in your back pocket when you are planning your software training classes! Examples of Openers, Closers and many other general facilitation skills will be provided so you can incorporate what works for you in your next class to take it to the next level. Come prepared to participate and leave this session with no less than 3 new ideas to incorporate into your workshop to supercharge your Seminars!
Advanced Certification: Payroll Done Right – An Advanced End to End Perspective
Session 808: Thurs, 1:55 PM – 3:10 PM
Location: Media Center
Speaker: Amy Vetter, CPA.CITP
This course provides an overview of the areas you need to know for the payroll portion of the Advanced Certification exam. An end-to-end view of payroll processing will be explored from setting up Payroll properly from the start for reporting and operational purposes to troubleshooting unexpected results and correcting them using a step-by-step analysis checklist.
Client Collaboration Technologies and Techniques
Session 402: Thurs, 1:55 PM – 3:10 PM
Location: Cira A
Speaker: Andrew Abrams
Today’s business environment requires that you get more done in your day and are able to rapidly respond to your customers needs. Traffic, distance, office hours, remote office staff and out-of-town business travel are all barriers to a productive work day and efficiently servicing your customers. This session will explore enabling communication technologies that will allow to side step these barriers and become more productive. Learn step-by-step how many of these tools can be used to remotely access your customer systems, transfer files, share data and make formal presentations. Information will be provided that will allow you to select the right tool or tools for your business
Understanding the Key Performance Indicators of the Professional Services Business
Session 602: Thurs, 1:55 PM – 3:10 PM
Location: Cira B
Speaker: Shafat Qazi
If you have clients in the professional services sector, this session is your ticket to successful consulting. Presented by Shafat Qazi, CEO and Founder of BQE Software, the presentation will drill-down into the inner-workings of a Professional Services Business. You will learn how these businesses function and you’ll learn the Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) they rely on. Shafat has been involved with professional services businesses for over 20 years and is internationally recognized for his simple yet effective business management ideas. Attendees of this session will also receive a list of top software solutions for professional services businesses that address their day-to-day needs.
Sage MAS 90 and 200 - Easier To Use and More Affordable than Ever
Session 704: Thurs, 1:55 PM – 3:10 PM
Location: Cira C
Speaker: Wayne Schulz
Sage MAS 90 and MAS 200 is more affordable than ever for companies are outgrowing QuickBooks and needing a powerful wholesale distribution system. Learn about the newest small business editions that place Sage MAS 90 or 200 accounting system within the budget of almost every company. Listen to real world examples of why clients rave about MAS 90 and 200. Ask questions and learn how you can use tools included in the software to make customizations to screens, add and change reports and even add new functionality - all without expensive programming. This will be a fast paced session focusing on the practical issues surrounding both the features of the software and also best practices in choosing enhancements, integrating with third party solutions (including the things to avoid), obtaining support, finding the companies that are a "best fit" for Sage MAS 90 or 200 - and tips and tricks for converting from other accounting systems.
Add-ons and the QuickBooks Consultant
Session 105: Thurs, 1:55 PM – 3:10 PM
Location: Aurora
Speaker: Bonnie Nagayama, CPA
The term “integrated application” implies that both the add-on application and QuickBooks have the necessary data to facilitate efficient workflow as well as full reporting and analysis by users, business consultants, and accountants. In this session, you’ll learn what you need to know to: a) work with a client who is using QuickBooks and an integrated application, even when then scope of your work does not include the integrated application; b) be an effective team member during the transition to an integrated application, even when you are not primarily responsible for the implementation? Come and join us to learn what you MUST know to do your work effectively without creating unintentional consequences to the business processes.
Top 5 Ways ProAdvisors Get Questions Answered Without Picking Up The Phone
Session 809: Thurs, 3:15 PM – 4:30 PM
Location: Media Center
Speaker: Lori Siegerman
Have you ever called support and waited on hold for what seems like a lifetime? Have you ever thought you could find the answers you need quicker, if you only knew where to look for yourself? There is a better way to get your questions answered without ever picking up a phone… In this course we will show you self help tools available to ProAdvisors - how to search and use Knowledge base, how to utilize online communities and introduce you of new channels for assisted support. You will leave knowing how to get faster, better answers to your questions and increase your productivity.
Networking Best Practices – Case Studies in QuickBooks Networking
Session 104: Thurs, 3:15 PM – 4:30 PM
Location: Cira A
Speaker: Mario Nowogrodzki, CPA.CITP
This session presents several best practices for solving the most common and some of the more difficult problems with QuickBooks on a network. Learn from actual cases and know how to properly configure the database server. In this session, you will learn how to properly configure the QuickBooks Database Server and when to deploy QuickBooks on a Terminal Server and how to properly configure it. See situations where QuickBooks, the network or both are the cause of the problem and how to fix them.
How To Choose a Right-Sized Manufacturing Solution
Session 601: Thurs, 3:15 PM – 4:30 PM
Location: Cira B
Speaker: David Brown
More and more small- to medium-sized manufacturing firms are searching for ways to work more efficiently and more profitably by implementing a right-sized manufacturing control system. In this session, Dave Brown will share his 20+ years of experience designing and implementing manufacturing software specifically geared to the needs of companies with between 5 and 200 employees. Get ready to expand your consulting practice in a lucrative new direction. Learn how to help your clients choose a manufacturing solution that most closely fits their needs.
The Importance of CRM to You and Your Clients
Session 503: Thurs, 3:15 PM – 4:30 PM
Location: Aurora
Speaker: Naseem Saab
What is customer relationship management? CRM is a business tool for improving the ways you identify, attract, win and keep customers. In short, customer relationship management covers all the ways and times that a business interacts with a customer. A recent survey revealed that business owners view CRM as a way to extend their business and generate revenue. They use CRM for analyzing and understanding their customers, tracking their marketing efforts and keeping track of contacts and activities. When integrated with accounting, CRM can help businesses simplify and standardize processes and add visibility, flexibility and automation to the flow of information. This session will introduce important strategies for integrating QuickBooks with CRM. You will also gain valuable knowledge of the various functions and capabilities of CRM programs, enabling you to better assist your customers as they evaluate and select the CRM that best fits their needs.