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User eNotes - January 2020
Presidents Comments
Rod Hatcher
Do you have a feature, report option, or a suggestion for something you would like to see in ALERE? We would like you to write us an email and let us know about it. Don’t think we are serious? Then you have not been one of the many people that have been contacted by us following a new release to let you know that the feature that you requested, or problem you reported, has been addressed in the release.

A product the size and scope of ALERE can always be improved and we understand that the best suggestions often come from the people who are using it.

Software is amazing! Unlike most products, it has the potential to grow and evolve. It does not get “used up”, and with ongoing development, you never have to throw it out. Software can be molded to better support your company and your direction.

The manufacturing product we introduced in 1990 has been evolving for thirty years. While you can still see the concepts that it started with, those concepts have spun off many more which have become the sophisticated solution you see today. A lot of those ideas came from someone asking if we could do one more change! Your suggestions do matter.
Transferring Funds
Quarterly payroll taxes are due and you need to move funds from your primary bank account to a bank account where they can be automatically deducted by the IRS. How can you use ALERE to account for that bank transaction and have it appear on your monthly bank reconciliation? If you are on v15.0, then it is extraordinarily simple.

On the Bank Transactions screen in the Manager module, choose the account that the funds will be taken from.

Choose the radio button option named Transfer.
Fill in the Reference field with a notation that will be recognizable when bank reconciliation is completed and enter the amount.

Clicking on the Post button will display the GL Journal Entry screen. The reference information will be filled in and Transfer: XXXXXXXX will be entered in the Description field. Change the description if you would like something different.
The first line of the journal entry shows the account the funds are being moved from and the credit amount. Enter the account, or accounts, they are going into and the amount or amounts. This one entry can be used to move funds to more than one bank account. Post the journal entry when you are ready.

These transactions will become part of the affected bank reconciliations.
Unused Credit Memos
Two years ago a credit memo was written for a customer who has since moved away, gone out of business, or any of a number of reasons that leads you to conclude that the credit memo will never be used. How do you remove that credit memo from your system?

The answer is straightforward.

Go to the status tab of the credit memo and select the Done button.
A small screen will be displayed with today’s date entered as the Done Date. Accept or edit that date and click on the Continue button.

A message will tell you that completing the order will write off any remaining balance and cannot be undone. It will ask for permission to complete the process and you will need to click on the Yes button to continue.

Since closing the credit memo will affect the general ledger, the GL Journal Entry screen is displayed with the entry already composed and only requires you to post it. Once posted, the status of the credit memo will be marked as completed and the process is finished.
Making Sure Requests Get to Work Orders
It is not uncommon for a customer to have a special request when placing an order. Perhaps it is the addition of custom decals applied to a racing bicycle or a name painted in gold leaf on a vehicle. Whatever the request, it does not alter how the item is manufactured, only a detail to be added before being shipped. That means that you need a way to have that specific instruction passed to the work order that will manufacture the product.

To make sure the request is transmitted to production it is placed in the line notes field on the Line Items tab of the sales order using a format block as shown in the following screen.

Open the line note and click on the Notes button. A <Begin Notes> and <End Notes> format will be inserted. Enter the special instructions between the formatting labels.

When a work order is created from the sales order, the instructions are automatically transferred to the miscellaneous field on the Notes tab, assuring that manufacturing receives the instructions.
Technical Seminars - Your Source of Training
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TIW's next Technical Seminars in Easton, PA will be held in April.

The Manufacturing Seminar will be held April 27th and 28th.

The Accounting Seminar will be held April 29th through May 1st.

Invest in yourself and keep your knowledge of ALERE up to date!

Make your reservations now at Technical Seminar Reservations or by calling Chris at 610-258-5161 x105. Current users on SMAs have certificates that entitle them to a free seat in a seminar.

Send employees to recurring training to educate them on how to use the new features in a just released version. Use it as comprehensive training for new additions to your staff to familiarize them with the capabilities of ALERE. Don't let that free seminar seat go to waste!
TIW Technology, Inc. | Phone: 610.258.5161 | Fax: 610.258.6217