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Six Common Complaints with QuickBooks (and how to solve them)
Love it or hate it, there is no denying that QuickBooks is one of the most popular
software for businesses. It took what
was previously limited to large corporations and accounting firms, and made it accessible
to small and mid-sized businesses.
Since no software is perfect, it is not surprising that many businesses find fault
with or have difficulty using QuickBooks.
One particular area garnering the most feedback is regarding QuickBooks’ reporting
abilities—or lack thereof. In a day
and age where information is gold, and the ability to properly manipulate and make
meaningful use of the information is critical, many find the limitations in QuickBooks
hindering optimal business decision-making.
This report from numberGo addresses the most common reporting complaints of QuickBooks,
and how to cheaply and easily overcome them.
1.
I can’t roll up and/or specify calculations by the
date I want.
One major shortcoming of reports from QuickBooks is the static nature of the reports.
In other words, the report output is from a snapshot in time.
To make matters worse, the option within QuickBooks to query by date is limited.
Using numberGo Publisher’s add-on for QuickBooks, users quickly import data from
QuickBooks—such as profit and loss—and can then refilter and reaggregate calculations
on that same data.
Even better, within Publisher a user can apply date groups, invoice dates and start
dates to the tiniest increment. Users
can specify by year, quarter, month, week of the year, minute, hour and even second.
The resulting report from numberGo Publisher, based on the QuickBooks data, can
then be presented to the intended recipient.
Best of all, the numberGo report actually refreshes the report based on changes
to the underlying data. This ensures
that the investor or employer is viewing the most updated information.
2.
I can’t fully export the data that I want from QuickBooks
QuickBooks does provide an Export option on its menu list, but not only is the data
incomplete, it can be difficult to use.
The backbone of QuickBooks are transactions such as purchase orders, receivables,
payables and invoices. These transactions
cannot be exported in a useable fashion.
And while QuickBooks does internally store separate debit and credit information
for each transaction line, there is no reliable way to extract that information
using QuickBooks.
3.
I can’t do anything with the read-only reports from
QuickBooks.
Another common complaint is that in order to view reports from QuickBooks in their
native format, the user must have QuickBooks installed.
This is not always the case, either due to cost constraints within the company,
or simply the fact that outside users do not have access to QuickBooks.
The only other option offered is a dumbed down version of the report either in plain
text (ASCII) format or spreadsheet format.
Unfortunately, these results do not convey the depth of the data presented. Moreover, they only present the same
constrained view of the data…just in a different format.
Using numberGo Publisher’s add-on for QuickBooks, the recipient can simply download
a free copy of numberGo Publisher and have a wide array of options to manipulate
the report.
The end user can rechart or repivot the data while never affecting the underlying
data.
Let me say that again: the end user
can manipulate the data while never affecting the underlying data.
Think about the implications and usefulness for a minute, and you will
come to realize how truly useful this feature of numberGo Publisher is.
4.
I can’t do what I want with the data.
While most casual users of QuickBooks, spreadsheets and database applications have
never heard of “pivot tables”, savvy users understand that pivot tables can allow
“slicing and dicing” of data in ways that were unheard of before.
With numberGo Publisher, creating pivot tables is simple and fast.
What product sells faster in November? How do accounts receivables compare across
months, weeks, or quarters? When you have the detailed data, the answers to these
questions typically involve numerous gyrations of formulae or SQL when using a spreadsheet
or database. Using the pivot table in numberGo delivers these answers and many more
with a few clicks, drags and drops of the mouse.
numberGo’s pivot table offers a intuitive and hassle-free experience for those without
any knowledge in pivot tables. There is no special setup required either.
5.
I hate having to send numerous QuickBook files or
reports.
For frequent users of QuickBooks, sending QuickBooks files or exported preconfigured
reports can be time consuming and take up a lot of bandwidth due to the sizes of
the files. Using numberGo Publisher,
users can send reports in a single customizable and concise file that is smaller
in size. This can lessen bandwidth
demands and email data storage for companies that frequently email QuickBooks reports.
6.
QuickBooks doesn’t give me many charting options.
Nothing spruces up presentations or conveys data more powerfully than charts. What was formerly rows upon rows of
numbers suddenly come to life. Currently
QuickBooks only creates single charts based upon limited data.
Using numberGo Publisher, users can create multiple charts all with a single
click.
While this report has highlighted some of the more common complaints of QuickBooks,
undoubtedly each individual will have their own unique concerns based on their daily
requirements. The good news is that
numberGo Publisher’s add-on for QuickBooks can help novices and powerusers alike
to more effectively manage, interpret and share accounting data.
For more information and to learn how to download numberGo Publisher, along with
the QuickBooks add-on, please visit www.numberGo.com.
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