Taking Your QuickBooks Clients Paperless With Cabinet NG

For those of you old enough to remember the 80’s, the 1980’s that is, you’ll recall that period was the beginning of the personal computer revolution. It started with a really practical spreadsheet program called VisiCalc and a word processing program called WordStar. Then along came a continuous stream of small business accounting programs that eventually led to the development of QuickBooks. Life in the 80’s and early 90’s was all about helping small businesses transform from paper based “pegboard” accounting systems. The business opportunity for accounting software advisors was virtually limitless.

The small to mid-sized business (SMB) technology scene is quite different today. The bulk of consulting opportunities are primarily focused on helping businesses extend the reach and functionality of their information systems, beyond the basic bookkeeping functions. The next big frontier in consulting opportunities is to help your clients move towards a paperless office model. The forces that will drive this market are workflow efficiency, information privacy, data protection and a continued increase in the flow of electronic information. The primary tool used to accomplish this is a document management system (DMS) and there are many benefits associated with this initiative.

When a business implements an electronic document management system there are four key objectives that should be pursued:

• Facilitate the conversion of paper documents to electronic files (PDF or TIFF) via the scanning process.
• Organize the storage and retrieval of all electronic files using index tags and eliminate directories, sub-directories and filenames.
• Provide enhanced security of electronic information via password protected access control.
• Paperless business processes that are supported by workflow management tools.

Document management is likely to be to this decade what accounting software was to the 80’s. Just as QuickBooks emerged as a simple, low cost solution to meet the needs of the small business marketplace for computerized accounting, Cabinet NG has the potential to emerge as a leading solution for helping small businesses transform to paperless workflows. Cabinet NG combines with QuickBooks to help your clients achieve the objectives outlined above. The direct integration that exists between Cabinet NG and QuickBooks provides a powerful one, two punch to help your clients achieve a paperless workflow. Let’s take a closer look at how.

Cabinet NG features & functions

Let’s start with a look at how Cabinet NG organizes your electronic documents and files.

Cabinet NG uses a common document storage model based on a Cabinet / Folder / Document Tabs hierarchy. Examples include having one cabinet for accounting documents/files, another for sales/marketing and yet another for customer or project files. Within the accounting cabinet you’ll setup a folder for each vendor, which by the way can be created automatically through the integration with the QuickBooks vendor list. The A/P documents may be further organized based on their type, i.e., purchase order, invoice, correspondence, etc. The screenshot above illustrates this indexing methodology.

The real value of the integration between Cabinet NG and QuickBooks is the single point of entry interface that allows you to enter QuickBooks transaction data and file the document image simultaneously. The screenshot below provides an illustration.

As you can see, when you launch the Cabinet NG QuickBooks entry screen, the left side of the window displays thumbnails of the document images that need to be entered as transactions into QB and filed as documents in Cabinet NG. By following the prompts on the right side of the screen both objectives are accomplished.

The process displayed above results in the document being linked to the specific QB transaction. Therefore, when you are viewing the transaction in QB you will have the option to pull up the image of the document directly from Cabinet NG and display it for review. See the CNG-Document Finder command in the screenshot below that is embedded in the QB command menu. This feature allows you to search for document images from within QB. It is precisely this type of functionality that will demonstrate the real benefits of a paperless information flow to your clients and enhance your role as their trusted advisor.

Workflow Automation

Once you become more familiar with document management systems you will quickly discover the value of workflow automation tools that support a paperless accounting system. Cabinet NG offers this functionality through its document workflow feature which allows you to route a document electronically to a specific group or individual. For example, when you route the document you can attach a message, i.e., “Please approve Joe’s expenses for July.” When you route a document to someone a small pop-up appears on the recipient’s screen notifying him/her that a document has been routed to them. You can also use Cabinet NG’s built-in annotation tools to mark up documents with tick marks, approval stamps, etc. It is important to note also that all types of electronic files such as Word documents, Excel spreadsheets, etc. can be routed. The screenshot below shows the dialogue box for routing a document or file to an individual or group.

Another important feature of a DMS that Cabinet NG brings to the table is security. As businesses rely more heavily on electronic storage of documents the need to control access to them becomes a key function of the DMS. With Cabinet NG you can assign security access at the cabinet, folder and document level, which gives you maximum control over document access. The documents and files you store in Cabinet NG are stored on your local network drive, but cannot be accessed outside of Cabinet NG by users, unless they have administrator level rights. Cabinet NG also provides a document retention feature that allows you to classify document types so they cannot be deleted until the end of their assigned retention period.

A Call to Action!

I hope this article has opened your eyes to an exciting new opportunity to expand the horizons of your QuickBooks consulting services. I encourage you to contact Cabinet NG directly to learn more about the features of their system and how it can benefit your clients. Cabinet NG has recently introduced an exciting new CNG-Books Advisor Program that is designed to compliment the QuickBooks ProAdvior program, which Cabinet NG actively participates in as a Premier member in the Intuit Developer Network program. The features of the CNG-Books Advisor Program include:

• Discounts on Cabinet NG software, services, and maintenance
• 2 User CNG-SAFE and CNG-Books software for internal use ($2,500 value)
• Access to group online training classes
• One-on-one online product training
• Access to Cabinet NG technical support team
• On-site and remote sales support
• Access to Cabinet NG online support resources
• Free Cabinet NG business collateral, brochures, presentations, etc.
• 10% referral fee on CNG-SAFE and CNG-Books sales

A pretty good value for just $495 per year that gives you all the tools you need and positions you as the “go to” advisor to help your clients transform to a true paperless accounting system.

As you become more familiar with the capabilities of tools such as CabinetNG, my hope is that you will see the value of extending the scope of your business advisory services to helping your clients reach the next level of automation. It is becoming increasingly important for every type of business to transform to paperless workflows in order to grow and compete in today’s rapidly changing marketplace.

The benefits to your organization in helping your clients in this area will be realized by appreciation your clients will express for helping them take their business information systems to the next level, as well as in the associated revenue opportunities, which can be substantial. There are many opportunities to educate your clients, help them develop a DMS deployment strategy and ultimately assist them in the planning and deployment of a comprehensive solution, such as Cabinet NG.

For more information about CabinetNG, please visit their website at www.cabinetng.com or call them at 800-621-6501.

Best wishes for a successful journey into this new frontier.

John is a nationally recognized author and lecturer on information technology applications for accountants and their clients. CPA Crossings is dedicated to helping accounting, tax, financial and business advisors to enhance the value, quality and profitability of the services they provide by leveraging information technology. Visit their website at www.cpacrossings.com for more information.
John H. Higgins, CPA.CITP
Strategic Advisor, CPA Crossings, LLC
jhiggins@cpacrossings.com
(248) 652-1480