Q. We want to send holiday cards to our clients and vendors. Can we print mailing labels?

Yes, you can print mailing labels for both. To print client labels, choose My > My Clients, then choose File > Print Client Labels. To print vendor labels, choose Setup > Vendors, then choose File > Print Vendor Labels. Label type and size information is available in both of these windows.

Q. Is it really important to print a proof list each time before posting?

It is always a good idea to print the proof list for anything in Clients & Profits that will be posted. That way, you can make sure that the information is correct before posting, saving you effort in making any necessary corrections, and keeping your audit trail clean.

Q. What is the correct procedure if we receive a damage message?

All of the users should stop working in C&P immediately. Make a copy of the damage or error message in order to assist you and the help desk with the correct procedure. With everyone out, make a backup of the database. All repairs should be performed locally, not across the network. All repairs should be performed from the database utilities window. Choose Setup > Utilities > Database Utilities. A copy of the Database Guide can be downloaded here.

Q. Is there a reminder to prompt us that staff members have scheduled personal or vacation days off?

You can schedule these days by choosing Setup > Staff. Find the staff member, then click on the Availability link. Select a date on the calendar. Each staff member has his own Availability window in their staff file. There will be a reminder prompt when attempting to schedule this staffer for a task in the job schedule window.

Q. With the Holidays right around the corner, is there a reminder to prompt us to make sure that we do not schedule staff for holidays and days that the office is closed?

You can schedule these days in Preferences > Job Scheduling. These can be added for the entire year at one time. This will prevent these dates from being used as start and due dates on the job schedules. These dates will also be skipped when adding a ballpark schedule or rescheduling existing tasks.

Q. What does it mean when the Unbilled column of the job ticket has a negative number?

A negative number indicates that this task has been billed for that much more than actual costs added to that task. For example, if you have $100.00 in unbilled costs and you add a billing for $200.00 to that task, you'll see an unbilled amount of -$100.00 in the Unbilled column on the job ticket.

Q. I added a change order and the estimate amount did not increase on the job ticket. Why?

A change order does not increase the amount of an estimate or budget. Instead, it's an additional document that tracks additional information about a job's progress. To see change orders added to a job, click the Change Orders link on the Job Ticket. Here, you can see a list of all orders added, who added them, the budget, status, and more. You can also add, edit, and print change orders for client approval, if needed.

Q. Is it really necessary to backup our data?

Your Clients & Profits database is your agency's backbone. Without it, you could lose important financial, client, and staff information. You should backup every night and keep at least two weeks of backups off site. There are many backup software applications available that can automate the backup, so all you'll need to do daily is insert a new disc, tape, or other recordable media. Because backing up your data is a vital task, make sure more than one person knows how to do it.

Q. What date will populate the "Client Paid" field on the A/P Invoice?

In order to have a date added in the client paid field, the following steps need to take place in the exact order. Firs, post the Job Cost A/P invoice. Bill this cost to the client on an A/R invoice. Then, add the client payment to this A/R invoice. The date that this client payment was posted will now appear in the client paid field.